School putting child in isolation because parents haven't paid lunch fees

[Bubbinsmakesthree]

Apologies for the DM link, and in case there's another thread on this (couldn't find one, but it's such a mumsnetty topic I can't believe no-one else has started one).

A school has threatened to put a child in isolation for their entire lunchbreak every day until the parents pay the £75 due for the term's school lunches (which are 1 week overdue).

Daily Mail article:

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3713583/Superhead-claimed-Britain-s-education-broken-puts-pupils-detention-lunch-restricts-food-parents-failed-pay-school-meals.html

Link to a picture of the letter from the school:

twitter.com/RichardA/status/758941460741758982

WTF are the school playing at? In what possible circumstances is this OK?

When I went to school, if you didn't have the money, you didn't get a school dinner. And any child not having food regularly, would be reported to SS

The school website says that packed lunches are not allowed:

mcsbrent.co.uk/general-information/

"We are a vegetarian school. All pupils attend family lunch daily. There are no exceptions. There are no packed lunches at Michaela. No food or drink is to be brought on to the school site. This includes all sweets, snacks, drinks and chewing gum. The school provides morning and afternoon snacks for all pupils as well as a two course lunch."

No snacks allowed to be brought in either. So if a parent has no money, they have no option of sending their own food instead.

Vegetarian School? Didn't know there was such a thing!

Poor kids

The simple point for me is that schools should not visit the sins of the parents on the children. This goes for uniform infractions too. There is a difference between someone hoiking up their skirt - and the school deciding, for example, that the shoes a student is wearing are not suitable, but not giving the parent any grace period to buy new ones before putting the student in isolation.

If the parents are at fault, deal with the parent. If the student is at fault, deal with the student.

This kind of nonsense is exactly what you get with free schools.

Imagine how pissed off if you didn't get any of your 'choices' and were allocated a school that insists on micromanaging your child's diet.

This is absolute nonsense on behalf of the school. I've had a quick look at their website and if you are going to have a policy whereby you insist that all parents must pay £2.50 per day per child for a school lunch, then you will have parents who will either be unwilling or unable to pay. Those who can claim the pupil premium will be ok but there are plenty of parents on low incomes who would struggle to find a spare £12.50 a week.

This school has some very strange policies. Demerits if you forget a pen, another demerit if you roll your eyes when given the first demerit and then that's a detention. If an electronic device is seen then it's confiscated till the end of that half term. Saturday morning detentions in uniform. If you shave a pattern in your eyebrow you're either excluded till it grows back or you have to shave the whole eyebrow off... An hour and a half homework every night from year seven, and that includes half an hour of reading an approved book from the school library - other books can only be substituted with approval from a senior member of staff.

If you're put in isolation for poor behaviour you have to write a letter of apology - there are examples on the website here and it sounds like something produced in a cult.

"I am writing this email to sincerely apologise for my preposterous, disgraceful and abominable behaviour in the ICT room. I really appreciate that you have given me internal isolation because it really allowed me to reflect on my actions and, thus, their consequences. Although I have kicked over the trust bucket, I will always try my absolute hardest to fill it back up again and prove to the whole of Michaela that what I did yesterday was definitely not the best of me. Therefore, from the moment I type this email to the fateful day I die, I will show the best of my abilities and give 100% in everything I do. Thank you and have a wonderful evening."

A strict vegetarian school? That has to be the most depressing thing I've read all day.

Wow, this is the format of 'family lunch':

"Pupils sit at allocated tables of seven for lunch. Each table is led by an adult or a pupil who has been awarded the status of “Future Leader”. Each pupil has their own specified role at lunch. Each day a topic for discussion is set. Each day we celebrate acts of kindness as a whole school community. At the end of family lunch pupils have around thirty minutes in which they may do homework or spend some time socialising in the school yard."

Birbalsingh. What a surprise.

The whole school sounds like they want to micromanage every aspect of a child's life in school. This is a bit much: Pupils sit at allocated tables of seven for lunch. Each table is led by an adult or a pupil who has been awarded the status of “Future Leader”. Each pupil has their own specified role at lunch. Each day a topic for discussion is set. Thry're not even allowed to talk about what they want at lunchtime?

Oops. Cross posted with you OP.

Sadly there are lots of schools like this - including some academies.

No one seems to have picked up that the parent is entitled to claim for FSM but hadn't yet done so. I would have thought best option was to support parent to complete form.

But yes, clearly backstory here.

Was going to say there is no excuse for running up £75 of school meal arrears money until I read you cant even send your child with a packed lunch. What kind of school bans packed lunches?

*Instead of a canteen culture where pupils can sometimes leave their trays behind, expecting an anonymous cleaner to clean up after them, at Michaela, pupils do not only clean up after themselves. They clean up after each other. They demonstrate kindness and a sense of responsibility.

There are six roles at lunch and six children sit together at a table to eat. One pupil brings the food to the table and serves the other children. Another one pours the water while they all lay the table. Children learn how to lay the table properly. After eating the main course, one pupil clears everyone’s plates. Children pass their plates down to the front of the table politely and in an orderly fashion. Another pupil serves the dessert. After eating dessert, the remaining two pupils clear the dessert bowls away, wipe the table and clear the water jugs and cups as this photo demonstrates.

At Michaela, we serve a mixture of vegetarian and fish dishes.*

Its not everyone's cup of tea but its an important part of this school. If the family didn't like it they shouldn't have went there. It is the parents fault the child is in isolation because they are stealing from the school and from the education of other children. How else can a school teach the child that their parent is doing wrong. If they don't the child will probably grow up thinking its ok to take food and not pay for it.

wow that school sounds great
it has to be the only school in that area surely? id rather send my kids anywhere but here.....vegetarian school, until i die apologies, hourand a half homework each night and yellow cowardly custards taking it out on the child rather than tackle the parents.....ooooh quick how can i get my kids into this fantastic setting

I loathe it when people say 'if you don't like it, you shouldn't have sent your child there' about schools.

Parents don't actually get much choice in what school they are allocated. Often it's just a case of 'choosing' the best of a bad bunch, rather than a case of actually wanting a particular school. Many parents are allocated a school they didn't choose and just have to put up with it.

The school sounds like a controlling nightmare.

The headteacher is an upper class twat with no morals.

Lets check out their ofsted.

'How else can a school teach the child that their parent is doing wrong. If they don't the child will probably grow up thinking its ok to take food and not pay for it.'

You're joking!

Why does the child need to be given such a lesson and scapegoated for this debt issue which is between the adults.

Very cowardly of the school not to deal with the parent directly.

Reading between the lines the school feels cruel.

Like something from Jane Eyre.

They don't have pastoral care in their school they are the people who liaise with parents, pupils and teachers in the school. They would have picked up on this and spoken to the parents.

*"As of May 2015 the cost of lunch and daily snacks is £2.50 per day, £12.50 per week, £75.00 per 6 week period. Families must pay for lunch and snacks in half-termly instalments to reach the school by the start of each new half term.

If families have a free school meal application pending they must still pay for lunch and snacks in advance. If the free school meal application is agreed, overpayment will be reimbursed."*

So they still expect parents to pay £75 in advance, even if their income is so low that they've applied for FSM. And if the family can't afford to pay, their child will be put in isolation.

Sounds like a lovely school...

Or maybe they are trying to have a stable routine for children who dont have one at home. The school has twice national average on FSM, half the school EAL and nearly double the average SEN. Some families like this kind of routine.