When you disagree with a school discipline strategy

[Whowhatwherewhenwhynow]

what is the correct process to use to communicate with a school about disagreeing with some of their strategies?

min particular I want to raise the issue of children having play time removed for not recording enough reads in their home/school book.

I was planning to email the head but shouldI email the governors as well. I know I’m likely to be fobbed off but I do wish to voice my concerns. The school is part of an academy, so I could approach them too.

is there any other way of raising these types of issues with schools? (I’m in England)

Ask the school how exactly they frame it to the children. My dc school has a similar policy and when I found out in reception I did email them about it because what can a 4, 5 or even 7 year old do if their parents either don't or can't do these things?! The head was waiting for me the next day to explain it isn't like a detention or punishment and it is just a quick "Johnny will you sit with me to read this together?" 5-10mins and then they're outside with their friends in the playground.
They said that they know it is down to parents at this age and that the child can't do it themselves and write in their diary but that as the child gets older, they will expect the child to be able to read themselves, check for homework and update homework and reading diary and it will be framed differently to the child but that in infants they don't expect it and won't frame it as punishment for something they can't change.

Thank you for sharing this article.
recently had a conversation with someone about homework too.

I really find it quite off and shocking that so much of educational policy now doesn’t come from teachers and isn’t evidenced based. Very sad.

I wonder about assessments too. Is there evidence that doing standardised assessments/testing (hope I’m using the right term) improves outcomes for children?

I think what happens when you make a process to record/monitor something, the focus shifts to the recording itself rather than the quality of the actual thing itself (I’ve explained the terribly but I hope my point comes across).

Been teaching infants for 15 years and this policy stinks.

Too many things are happening in schools which aren’t for the childrens’ benefit, they’re only there to appease those higher up

This is a good point. They may well have framed it more positively to the children. I might ask my children what they thinks happens if they don’t do they reading. Be interesting to see their perspective.

On one hand I’m glad to hear teachers who disagree with this policy. On the other hand I’m sad that teachers are being forced to work to policies they know aren’t effective. I wonder if this is where a lot of teacher stress comes from too.

Why are you putting so much energy into this rather than supporting your child's reading?

In my school, many children’s parents do not speak any English. Many are also illiterate in their first language. They cannot read with their child. Should their child be made to stay in at break time because mum couldn’t read with them?
OP, I would email the Head and point out why you disagree with this ridiculous policy.

I do support my child’s reading. I’m multi talented. I can read with my children every night and care about other things too.

Reading is so important that teachers are right to insist on it and I feel sorry for them that they have to take these steps to fill in for unsupportive parents. Listening to reading is super boring. Non English speaking parents are very likely to be the ones to take it seriously! It's the working parents who never make it home for bedtime who don't bother. They think that's what paid staff are for (ie overworked teachers). Nothing replaces parental input and this is a sorry attempt at it that's better than nothing.

The child will still perceive it as a punishment though. We have a list of ‘vulnerable readers’ in each class. An adult reads with them every day during free times - registration, before and after breaks or during library time. We invite parents in to share / observe 1:1 reading sessions so they understand better what we’d like them to do.

@Soontobe60 sounds like a lovely strategy to support childrens reading. I do know my child’s school has small reading groups because another mum who can’t read told me her child had extra reading time in a small group because she told them of her illiteracy.

I have friend who is secerly dyslexic and struggles to read to their child. So she borrows audio books from library and hard copy and her and her dc read along with audio book.
She also uses her phone to scan school reading books into her phone. So her child can read the page then they listen to scan page

What a fab idea!! School could offer these or point parents to the library to access them.

Then why is your child in this position? Do you understand that someone else's child may have no other opportunity to read or read with someone? Why not volunteer to hear reading if you're multitalented, are involving yourself in something that doesn't directly affect your child and care about the issue? Volunteer readers take children out of class, not playtime. How else do you propose that schools find time to get struggling readers extra flying hours if home is not an option?

So much you haven't considered.

“Nothing replaces parental input and this is a sorry attempt at it that's better than nothing.”

Is it better than nothing though? I’d argue it could be counter productive and teach children that reading is boring/a punishment. It could put children, with already low access to books/reading, h the at reading isn’t enjoyable.

quite aside from the fact that removing play times reduces access to physical activity and to free play, both of which I believe are well evidenced to have benefits.

I think what happens when you make a process to record/monitor something, the focus shifts to the recording itself rather than the quality of the actual thing itself (I’ve explained the terribly but I hope my point comes across).

Not if frequency is a factor in predicting quality. It's what you make of it.

If parents are supportive and maintain open channels of communication with the school about any limitations they may personally have in providing support, this can only benefit children's learning. There is nothing magical about homework. It is just learning done at home. If it's unnecessary at school, ditto at home. If it's helpful at school, ditto at home. Provided the parental enthusiasm is present.

I’d argue it could be counter productive and teach children that reading is boring/a punishment

If this really is of interest to you, I really do suggest you take a term to go into your child's school and sit with the children who are struggling to read. See the impact on their ability to participate and learn in every other subject, their motivation and self esteem. The huge amount of support required to intervene and the benefits of guided reading. No, no one wants to take away play time. It's a last resort. But you need to see the bleak reality of not being able to read. At some point the reader does have to sit down with a book and have a go. If they don't, and this is where I find you naive and irresponsible, they will suffer much more loss than five minutes of play.

There'll be a complaints procedure on their website op. Follow that.

Plenty of teachers have commented here to disagree with the policy (my MIL a teacher of 35 yrs and friend who is a teacher disagree). Commenters who are teachers have also given examples of more positive strategies used in their schools.

so who is naive?

No one is saying children who don’t read at home shouldn’t be supported. Of course they should…that’s obvious. It’s whether this strategy is helpful or harmful that’s being questioned and there is absolutely no evidence that’s it’s helpful.

out of interest are you a teacher? If so Do you use this strategy at your school?

it’s odd that on the one hand parents are expected to do homework and reading with children at home, but in the other hand seemingly not encouraged to engage with the educational policies at their child’s school. So you want parents engaged but not in a way that inconveniences the school/head/academy or questions the status quo?

I work with vulnerable children, have been a children’s social worker and volunteer with children in care. I don’t need to volunteer to gain an understanding or children's needs. Although I’m not a teacher many other here who are have also raised their concerns with this type of policy.

Totally agree that removing playtime shouldn’t be a punishment. It’s old fashioned and cruel, and I’d be emailing the school office as a first step if it were me. There are plenty of other ways to encourage reading, all it takes is a bit of thought.

I think you do need to see what it's like not to be a reader at school. It's interesting that you can't be bothered to volunteer as this is the one thing you could do to support your learning community that would have a huge impact. So you may not need to but children need you to and you care about them missing break so perhaps the care could extend to making a real difference. But I'm not really surprised that you can't be bothered as it's so much easier to criticize the way the people at the coal face are doing it than to get in there yourself.

When you register for school you are handling over your responsibility to educate your child to the school to discharge it however they choose to. They take the rap, they call the shots. If you care about your child you will do whatever they suggest to support your child's learning. If you have chosen these professionals, I would hope that you can be largely confident in their decision making skills as more broadly more proficient than yours in this area. So yes, you do what they ask and if you can't trust them, get someone you do trust to carry out this important task or do it yourself.

You are naive to think this is a struggling reader's biggest problem. They have much, much bigger problems lasting far more than five minutes, which staff are trying to solve on no time or access to adequate support. I am sure there isn't a teacher in the land who wants to keep a child in or thinks it's ideal. But they also know much, much more than you do about the importance of fluency in a school system where you are expected to be able to read to keep up with peers.

I wonder if you would appreciate a teacher waltzing in and telling you about best practices in your line of work when you know perfectly well what they are but it's just not that simple in a cash strapped, understaffed environment.

Not willing to say if I'm a teacher, sorry.

I think if the children who haven't read the books had to sit with someone during a break to read with them, then maybe they are doing a favour to the children?
If the reason why the parents aren't signed is because they just forgot it, then it's up to parents to make sure they sign. But for those who actually don't read at home for any reason, it could be only help they maybe able to get.

Is the child simply “losing playtime” or is a teacher giving up their time too so they get some valuable one to one reading with an adult?
that would make a big difference, to me.

Agree with this.
Our local school have volunteers that go in and help children with their reading.

You do get parents that can't read, and I'd have thought if it's caused a life time of struggle to some it would be doubly important that they get the help to ensure that their DC doesn't suffer in the same way.
There are ways in which they and their DC can be helped, no shame if you're struggling in asking....quite the opposite.

“I wonder if you would appreciate a teacher waltzing in and telling you about best practices in your line of work when you know perfectly well what they are but it's just not that simple in a cash strapped, understaffed environment.”

No one is talking about waltzing in and heavily criticising teachers. It seem like you’re determined to make a simple email expressing concern about a policy sound more extreme than it is. why is that? In fact the whole purpose of this op was to ask about the best/most appropriate way to approach the school.

Actually in my line of work it is fairly normal for people to share opinions and challenge each other’s practice in construct ways. Most professional I know who are good at their work accept feedback and reflect on their practice as a matter of course. In fact I find it very concerning when any professional, especially those workin with vulnerable people, think their practice shouldn’t be questioned. Anyway I’ve made it very clear I’m not talking to individual teaches or questioning individual teachers practice (you seem to have ignored this), but I’m questioning the policy, which I highly doubt was implemented by the teachers, more likely the ‘executive head’ from the academy group they’re part of.

Not willing to say if I'm a teacher, sorry.
we’ll plenty of people who are teachers agree with me. So taking your advice I’ll let those who do the job take the lead!