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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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:
ChewingOnLifesGristle · 20/05/2013 09:59

I agree for bad behaviour but not for this.

Unfortunately all my dc have managed to get a similar minded teacher in our school who does this. Or she'd make them stay in to finish work from the lesson. Lovely Hmm I'm glad we're shot of her now.

quoteunquote · 20/05/2013 11:07

Spelling advice: write the word at the top of the page,

get her to read the word, she then needs to cover the word with a piece of card, and say the word as she writes it below,

remove the card, she needs to check the word, if it is spelt correctly, she can give it a tick,

she then covers both, and she must say the word as she writes it again, check and tick,

repeat until she has seven in a line, if at any time she gets the word wrong, she needs to keep going until she has seven in a row,

Only do a maximum of five words at a time, three is better,one at a time if necessary and revisit previously "learnt' words often.

This is one of the methods that can work with dyslexic children. Laborious but when they realise it is helping the word to stick they embrace the method.

You must not allow these antiquated teaching methods to be used on her, the damage will be permeant, and cause long term problems.

It's made me so sad to know that children despite all progress that has been made, are still been subjected to these long rejected damaging methods.

Is the teacher qualified ? I would ask the head what the hell is going on, does the head know, if so ring ofsted, it so beyond shit, it scary how many children will be destroyed by this behaviour, there are many very good reasons why it is no longer acceptable to teach this way, it never works.

I'm can't understand how they have managed to miss the last twenty years of progress.

edwardsmum11 · 20/05/2013 11:25

Yanbu for spellings... she'd have got a pass in most tests for that.

C999875 · 20/05/2013 13:05

I think this is terrible and I am very angry so as her mum I can imagine what you're feeling.
Is it a childs fault if they struggle with their spelling perhaps these teachers should look at how they are teaching rather than singling children out. as you say your daughter was already upset due to her spelling test. I agree with Euphemia children struggling need support not punishment.
Teacher need to remember not all children are academic some excell in sports ect. xx

5Foot5 · 20/05/2013 13:17

I think I would also be troubled as to why they always test them out of 11. That is just perverse. It should be out of 10 surely!!!!

BrokenBananaTantrum · 20/05/2013 15:35

Wanted to do a quick update. Still at work but have spoken to DH about how it went. DD was in tears this morning and didn?t want to go to school :(

DH went in and he got in early to speak to DD's class teacher and approached her by asking if it was true that she was keeping students in at playtime because they had not got a high enough score on their spellings. She looked in her book and said ?oh yes DD only got 7 so she will be staying in?. DH explained that DD had been very upset on Friday and that she had said she didn?t want to go to school today. He also explained that we were not happy with this and the teacher got cross with him and slammed her book on the desk saying ?well that?s what I do?. DH then said that perhaps, if she would not discuss it then he would go and speak to the head. DD?s class teacher was very dismissive and her attitude was well fine go see her.

So DH went to see the Head. It turns out the head had no idea that this was going on and was quite upset about it. She completely agreed that young children need to be encouraged and not punished over something like this. She has said she will look into it and has said that neither DD nor any of the other children in the class will be kept in. It also came to light that the class teacher had been doing this with the Year 1 children as well (it is a mixed Y1 / Y2 class).

I feel a bit sorry for the class teacher as she is an NQT and she has done well with the class really, however, her attitude with DH this morning was not nice. I know she will be under a lot of pressure with the KS1 SAT?s coming up but he only wanted a chat and maybe to suggest that DD is sent home with the words she got wrong over the weekend and we could help her learn them to be re-tested on Monday but she didn't want to listen.

Thanks again to everyone who has posted. It has been really helpful to know that I was not blowing this out of proportion.

And thanks for the advice about how to learn spellings Nanny0gg and quoteunquote

5foot5 they have 10 spellings to learn and a sentence which contains some of the words from the list.

OP posts:
BrokenBananaTantrum · 20/05/2013 15:37

oh and meant to add - I've not had time to see our SENCO today but will be doing so. Thanks to everyone who has posted about the possibility of dyslexia. I must admit I had dismissed it because she can read so well but it looks like there is still a possiblity that she has some dyslexia.

OP posts:
DiscoDonkey · 20/05/2013 15:44

Well done your dh for following it up with the head teacher. Good to know the head is against such a ridiculous idea!

Nanny0gg · 20/05/2013 16:24

You're welcome. I also don't see how parents can help if they're not given advice in the first place.

LindyHemming · 20/05/2013 17:23

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Secondme · 20/05/2013 17:28

Well done. Grin I would be worried if the head and school had backed this idea up!

Mumsyblouse · 20/05/2013 17:32

quoteunquote thanks for that, I'll try that with my poor speller, the usual look/say/check done too quickly doesn't work for her and they just fall out of her head by the test time. If she was with this teacher, she would have been kept in for the entire term- as hasn't got hardly any right at all:(

Cakecrumbsinmybra · 20/05/2013 17:51

I don't disagree with a playtime detention for a 6 year old, but for getting less than 8 out of 11 for spellings??? Really? I would be really quite cross at that. As you have not been made aware of this policy, are you absolutely sure that this is what it was for?

Cakecrumbsinmybra · 20/05/2013 17:52

Sorry, I didn't see your last post - hopefully that will be the end of it now.

theoriginalandbestrookie · 20/05/2013 18:05

Your DH earns a big thumbs up for his action, speaking to the head was exactly the right course of action and it sounds like it brought the right results.

storynanny · 20/05/2013 19:23

Glad it's sorted, I had a feeling that the head didnt know it was going on.

girliefriend · 20/05/2013 19:29

Glad it was sorted as well, did your dd say anything when she got home?

A bit shocked the head didn't know it was going on I would have assumed that sort of thing a teacher would have to discuss with the head before implementing.

BrokenBananaTantrum · 20/05/2013 20:08

DD said that she hadn't had to stay in and that her teacher had decided that she wasn't keeping any of them in anymore. The head must have spoken to her.

I had an inkling that the head did not know anything about this. She is a wonderful caring woman. I would have been really surprised if she had backed this idea. I am glad this seems to have been sorted out and DD can quit worrying about it.

OP posts:
BrokenBananaTantrum · 20/05/2013 20:09

I agree girliefriend I would have thought she would have talked this over with her first.

OP posts:
apostropheuse · 20/05/2013 20:22

I'm so glad that your DH had such a successful meeting with the Head OP. Hopefully the NQT will be monitored and will receive any guidance required to act in an appropriate manner.

I'm still shocked that it would even enter her mind that it was acceptable to punish a child for being unable to do something.

Well done you and your DH for doing the right thing OP. I'm sure you will have made some other parents happy too.

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