AIBU to think that schools shouldn't dish out detention to pupils who can't complete online homework as they do not have access to a pc or laptop at home?

[NellysKnickers]

As the title says, there is a homework club after school once a week but this keeps being cancelled. I've told DS1 if they do carry out the threat of detention then I will ring the school. Any teachers out there who can offer their point of view? as I'm failing to see the schools side in this.

Public library perhaps?

The school should be providing alternative homework either in the form of printed alternatives or daily access to school facilities (once a week is not good enough)

My DS has most of his homework online but they have a full hour for lunch & the school library is open until 5pm each day.

They have access to a pc in school and in that basis the school isn't being unreasonable

Any name - public libraries are closing all over the place & often have such restrictive opening hours.

Talk to the school. If you don't communicate they will just think he's not bothering.

That's what the public library is for, free use of pcs

If your library is still open and has convenient opening hours of course

Public library would be a splendid alternative....but libraries are closing and having their opening hours slashed all over the place so it's not a viable alternative.

Our school states very clearly that DC are expected to have access at home to a computer, the internet and a color printer, in their own homes.

Are the school going to provide those expensive items then.

I would not have thought it was lawful to deny an education on financial grounds.

I don't think you can expect people to have printers etc. There is always a homework club or access to Internet in school (secondary). So not having access to Internet isn't really a valid excuse. Primary may be more difficult as kids generally have to go out at break.

They can expect all they want, for some children it's never going to happen.

There should be an alternative. Queuing to use a pic in school or the library (local one is closed by 4pm at the latest, and some days by 1:30pm) is not a suitable alternative.

If DS doesn't have access due to financial constraints then the school may be able to help, our local (Faith) comp were able to provide I-Pads to children who were unable to afford. I am a sorely tempted to chain myself naked to the local library railings to protest against the closures. The sight of me naked would be so scary they'd never contemplate it again

I totally agree! The schools attitude is go to the library at school but that's often closed at lunchtime on the days my Dd1 needs to go there. Her school bus drops her off to our village at 4 and to get a bus back into town means she wont get there until half five. Library shuts not long after that. We have tablets but its not compatable with the platform needed for this particular homework site they need. It's not fair

I've told DS1 if they do carry out the threat of detention then I will ring the school.

Good idea, ring the school if that happens - you'd have grounds to complain. But, why don't you wait until that happens before beginning a thread? As so often on Mumsnet, you're inviting opinions about something that actually hasn't happened. Still, it's probably been a few hours since an anti-teacher slagfest so let's get started, eh?

I think you should ring the school to discuss options [i]before[/i] detention is threatened.

Our students have access to the school library and an ICT room at break, lunch and until 4pm so that wouldn't be a problem. If they can't print they often bring it on a memory stick and I print it for them. Your school computer access doesn't sound very good.

Bobochic the school did not state that and if they did, they can expect all they like, if you can't afford it, you can't afford it. Not everyone has a few hundred quid spare He has wasted 5 lunchtimes trying to use pc's in the school library but the older pupils get preference for coursework and our tiny local library has 3 pcso which are always busy especially after school. He says he's not the only one. At junior school they offered print outs to those who didn't have a pc at home. I just think homework set for a class should be accessible for all regardless of parents/carers income. Or use a homework system that is compatible on a tablet not just a pc

Ds has the Internet, an iPad & a desktop at home but no matter what we do we cant get his PC to work with our wireless printer.

So he either emails the work to his teacher or prints it off at school.

It sounds like the OP's school is not providing enough facilities for students to access.

Libraries used to be able to provide PC facilities and homework clubs. Now they are often
a) closed
b) run by volunteers with no DBS checks so homework clubs have had to be curtailed
c) Full of other people desperately trying to use the limited PCs for housing/blue badge/ etc applications in the shorter time the libraries are now opened.
d) have been turned into gateway centres which are basically a standard council office for making online council enquiries that just happen to have books in them as well.

It's not realistic to expect the local library which might have 20 public PCs (if you're lucky) to be able to always accommodate all the children from all the local schools who don't have home access to their on-line homework.
This is the schools' problem and they need to be providing equal access to allow all children to complete their work if they're not providing any alternative (paper) access to that work.

I'm with you OP

We don't have a computer. Or a printer. Or ink

In fact I don't know anyone who does now days

One day we will have to buy one. Especially for GCSEs coursework but children shouldn't be punished for parents hardship

Our school states very clearly that DC are expected to have access at home to a computer, the internet and a color printer, in their own homes.

Aren't you in France though, bobo? So what your DC's school expects is irrelevant to this OP.

Thanks all for responding. I've got a lot going on at the moment and am worried I am projecting other worries into this, I don't want to be the crazy parent making a fuss about nothing

It seems to me the teachers are just enforcing crap policies .... That's the case at our school, what I don't understand is why intelligent compassionate people who I'd imagine are the types that go into teaching when faced with these situations don't exercise a bit of common sense. But they simply don't in my experience

Blackheartsgirl - I don't know which tablet you have, but have you tried a different browser? The Puffin browser, for example, allows access to flash-based sites which Apple tablets have problems with.

Acasualobserver I have not slagged off any teachers at all.