Opinions on teacher's behaviour before I over react...

[Namechangedforthisone287]

I have name changed, but only because I've discussed this IRL with friends so I don't want this linking back to personal medical things I've posted about recently.

DD is 12 and in year 7. This week they are doing tests in all subjects. Clearly, these should be conducted in silence. This afternoon, they have been doing a history test (DD says short test, only 6 questions) and her friend has spoken to her. DD felt she had to reply so as not to be rude. Another friend has then mouthed something to her from across the room, and DD has given her a thumbs up. The teacher has seen all of this, and has taken DD's test paper off her, and said she'll have to redo the test tomorrow in form time, by herself. He has then ripped her test paper up over the bin.

DD says she was humiliated and embarrassed as everyone was looking at her. She cried at the time, and cried when she told me about it.

Now, DD can be a chatterbox and absolutely should have got on with her test and not interacted with her friends. I can understand that it may have looked like she was cheating. But I'm really unhappy with how things were handled by the teacher. Fair enough to take her test and make her re do it, but tearing it up and making a spectacle of DD is a bridge too far in my book.

WWYD? She doesn't want me to make a fuss.

Harsh lesson, but if she just finished Year 6, she fully understands test taking rules after SATs. You speak, your paper is removed.

GCSEs have even harsher rules with what's allowed into the room with you.

Be thankful she's learned it now rather than on a more crucial paper.

I don't know anyone who is traumatised by having the board rubber launched at their head 🤣 it's one of those things we laugh about now.

If you didn't want it launched at you then you didn't misbehave in the classes where you knew it would happen

My grandad wasn't traumatised by getting the ruler, he didn't like it though so says it only happened once!

Obviously I don't think we should go back to the ruler times but I couldn't for the life of me get upset if my kid had a test paper ripped up because they couldn't stop talking

What further information though? I’m very obviously not going to post anything directly related to my workplace. But I can live with you thinking I’m lying.

I am not gooey eyed or laughing about what happened to me and trust me I do not look back fondly at the events of that day. My point was that there was a consequence and it changed my behaviour.

@Pumperthepumper lying or at least performing some strenuous verbal gymnastics.
How is bullying dealt with at your school btw?

DD felt she had to reply so as not to be rude.

Yeah, right.

By saying we don’t punish children? That’s mental gymnastics to you?

How is bullying dealt with at your school?

Are you really going to tell a teacher how to run an assessment?

I would make my dd write a letter of apology to teacher.

Child assaults a member of staff. Consequence please, @Pumperthepumper?

But it’s not as simple as that. No child walks over to a member of staff and punches them out of the blue. So what was the lead up to the assault?

You’re very interested considering you think I’m a liar.

She got off lightly. In some schools she'd have been kicked off the course.

At ours bullying is punished. And at yours?

if my daughter came home with that tale, the only response she'd get from me is "Maybe next time you'll have learned not to talk to your friends during an exam" and then i'd leave it at that.

There’s no way on earth that your behaviour policy says that!

I am beginning to think you don’t know what a behaviour policy is. Or a school.

last i checked she's 12, in yr 7 and you can't be kicked off the compulsory curriculum.

Of course it does! Please post yours that states ‘regardless of what happened up to that point, issue a detention for punching’.

Im beginning to think you don’t know what a behaviour policy is. Or a school. Or a child.

Punished how?

I'm on the fence. I think it probably depends on the school and the child.

Where I teach it would be deemed too harsh. But we're a prep school where a) Year 7 is one of the oldest year groups and b) a lot of children have been sent to us because they weren't coping well in bigger, more regimented schools and c) quite a large proportion have additional needs that make tests and/or being quiet very difficult for them.

Our Year 7s still seem like pretty young children and a lot would be very upset by being treated like this. Especially post Covid. The average Year 7 definitely seems less independent, mature and able to follow strict rules than they were before Covid - ours kept up very well educationally through online learning but, developmentally, I still think they're 1-2 years behind in many cases. I would be inclined to ask the children to remain behind at the end, explain the reason for the rules and get them to do some or all of the test again in their own time.

Having said that, I've also experienced schools where the behaviour would be treated very much more like you describe. And I wouldn't complain about it. It wouldn't be my preferred approach but I don't think it's necessarily wrong - just depends on the teacher's style and how well they know their pupils.

Mine was in the 80’s but there was horrendous behaviour. I think the difference now is that parents defend their children far more often.

i agree with the consensus to say nothing. Regardless of what her friends say, your dd won’t do the same thing again in a hurry and that is a good thing. She’s also being allowed to rectify her mistake by retaking the test. If you want to write to the teacher, it would only be to say, you’ve spoken to your dd and thank them for giving her a second chance.

Schools REALLY need to crack down on bad behaviour. Parents need to be told what's what, these are the rules and standards of this school, your standards at home might be lower, that is of no consequence, your child either obeys the rule or you need to find another school for them. It's ridiculous that schools have to reduce themselves to the lowest common denominator. A rising tide lifts all boats and all that.

You sound very much like the senior member of staff who asked my colleague, nursing a bleeding lip, ‘but what did you say to the student to make him punch you?’

The academy will notify the police and to respond promptly when incidents occur.

The academy may also liaise with the police to address violent incidents within the wider community or within the vicinity of the school. For instance, the school may report concerns about potential dangerous activity, such as knife crime, to the police for further investigation.

So this wouldn’t happen in your school?