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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to think that giving a 6yo a playtime detention is not on?

95 replies

BrokenBananaTantrum · 19/05/2013 18:39

DD who is in Year 2 and is 6yo got 7 out of 11 in her spelling test on Friday. She has been told that she will lose all her playtime on Monday to write out the spellings again. She was in tears when she got home and told us.

AIBU to think this is not on at all. They brought the rule in a couple of weeks ago that if they don't 8 or more out of 11 they lose their playtime. Parents have not been informed of this officially.

DH is taking her to school in the morning and is going to challenge this with her teacher. Would love advice on the best approach.

Thanks

OP posts:
MrsTerryPratchett · 19/05/2013 18:42

I think a playtime detention is fine. I don't think it's fine for missing some spelling mistakes.

LittleMissGerardButlerfan · 19/05/2013 18:43

YANBU they should not be punished for this. Reward them if they get them all right maybe, as then there is an incentive (am thinking a sticker/team point/certificate etc) but don't agree with punishing.

AgentZigzag · 19/05/2013 18:44

Seems a bit harsh to me for a 6 YO.

Have you talked to other parents about what they think?

LittleMissGerardButlerfan · 19/05/2013 18:44

Forgot to add I agree with it if its for being naughty, but I wouldn't say getting spellings wrong is naughty.

rubyslippers · 19/05/2013 18:45

i think it is totally dis-incentivising and discouraging to punish for a spelling test

they are 6 years old

LindyHemming · 19/05/2013 18:45

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Sirzy · 19/05/2013 18:46

for bad behaviour it is fine, not so keen on it for spellings though.

Did she try to learn them and were they suitable for her ability?

Doyouthinktheysaurus · 19/05/2013 18:47

That's outrageous!

I think play time removal can be an appropriate punishment for some things it I would be livid if my dses got punished for getting spellings wrong!

If the spellings are too difficult, no amount of missing playtime will change that. Terrible teaching practice IMO.

nenevomito · 19/05/2013 18:48

Are you sure its the whole playtime - I doubt it takes that long to write out 11 words. Have you been practicing spellings with her at home?

Groovee · 19/05/2013 18:48

If she'd battered every child in the class, I could understand but spelling mistakes??? I'd be complaining about this poor practice.

schoolchauffeur · 19/05/2013 18:49

I think a playtime detention is fine for poor behaviour issues either within or without the classroom- but only after clear warning.

Detention for spelling test failure at that age is just wrong.- so demotivating. My DCs were at a fairly pushy prep and for not getting all the words right in a test, they would simply be asked to have another go at learning the ones they missed along with the ones for the following week or do some more worksheets etc within class time.

sue52 · 19/05/2013 18:49

It's a good way to put a six year old off school. YANBU.

Hulababy · 19/05/2013 18:50

Playtime "detention" for poor behaviour - ok

Ant form of punishment for scoring low on a spelling test - not ok

MisForMumNotMaid · 19/05/2013 18:50

A blanket level for all concerns me. Targets should be set for each individual child. If a child obviously isn't trying then restricting other activities to repeat the work, I sort of understand. To just say all should get 8 or more puts a lot of stress on the spelling and could just result in not bothering to try at all if the 8 out of 11 is a stretch.

Do you feel is obtainable? Could you suggest an alternative approach like any that are spelt wrong get added to the top of the list for the next week - hence the better spellers end up with more words over the year and at the other extreme they get the basic hpefully 100 key words.

Hulababy · 19/05/2013 18:51

As spelling tests have no real education value anyway I would definitely not be happy with this. they do not enable children to learn to spell. This has been shown time and time again.

theoriginalandbestrookie · 19/05/2013 18:55

That's not on at all, different if she had been naughty, but for spelling at her age that's just inhuman.

However I would suggest that your DH goes in with a more agreeable approach. As you have not been officially told, he could start it with "We have heard this bizarre story that you are keeping children in from getting much needed exercise at break time because they aren't scoring enough in their spelling. I know of course that it can't be true but I felt I needed to let you know that these strange stories are going round.."

Original poster
BrokenBananaTantrum · 19/05/2013 18:56

Thanks everyone for your replies
AgentZigzag* other parent I spoke to thought it was a terrible idea too
euphemia she did try to learn them but they didn't have their phonics session this week where they practise them. I make her a sheet each week where she writes them out each day and I write them on her whiteboard in her bedroom too.
babyheave spoke to another parent whose child has been on the receiving end of this and it is for the whole playtime.
I agree that this would be fine if she had been behaving badly but just feel that this is just not on

OP posts:
DesperatelySeekingSedatives · 19/05/2013 18:58

I was all set to say YABU because I think being kept in at playtime is fine if they're naughty. Getting some spellings wrong is not naughty and TISBVU to punish your DD or any other child this way. My DD is a bit of a goody goody and gets anxious about getting things wrong. If she was kept in for getting her spellings wrong I can almost guarntee she'd do even worse at her spellings the following week because she'd be worrying so much.

I'd challenge this too. Just to check though who told you of the detention? Your DD or did you get a letter home? Only because your child might have got it wrong and if so steaming there having a go could make things very awkward if thats the case.

CecilyP · 19/05/2013 18:59

YANBU

I agree being kept in at playtime for bad behaviour, especially if a warning had been given, is fine.

Being kept in at playtime for not doing so well in a spelling test is just wrong. Especially if it is called a detention which implies a punishment, rather than extra help to improve their spelling.

I would definitely go in and follow Euphemia's suggestions.

kim147 · 19/05/2013 19:00

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

LindyHemming · 19/05/2013 19:00

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

pigletmania · 19/05/2013 19:01

That is very harsh for that age. I would ave a word with her teacher

LindyHemming · 19/05/2013 19:03

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

BackforGood · 19/05/2013 19:06

Agree with everyone else.
No, I don't think it's unreasonable to keep a child in at playtime if they have disrupted the lesson or 'opted out' of the lesson in some other way, but I wouldn't include "not being good enough at spelling" as a reason for that.

girliefriend · 19/05/2013 19:06

Sounds really mean, I would bypass the teacher and go to the head and ask exactly how they can justify this? Also that you are not at all happy with this policy and that your dd was extremely upset about it.

Oh dear this really has made me quite ragey Angry

Although thinking about it my dd has said at her school (she is also yr 2) that if she doesn't do her reading every night they have to stay in at playtime to do it Angry although this hasn't been an issue as she is very good at doing her reading every night.......

Oh...