to think it's quite concerning how 19 year olds have such easy access of 11 year olds in a school setting?

[Zootopials]

Most schools in this area have a sixth form and there is no separate building. These sixth formers often do 1-1 reading etc with the Year 7s. AIBU to think it's a bit concerning??

[wheresmyliveship]

I'm a teacher and if any of our students are arrested (whether or not they are ultimately charged) we receive a report from the police station, so more informative than a DBS check.

Also, safeguarding measures mean that (for us in any event) students cannot be left in a room without a teacher or LSA so although it is pitched as 1-to-1, as PP have said, it should be supervised.

[OhtoblazeswithElvira]

Yanbu OP.

A lot of posters histerically rushing in to tell you how unreasonable you are being are missing the point - in fact missing a few good points made upthread.

[BalloonSlayer]

The school would know if any of the students have a police record. In addition, most schools know the 6th formers pretty well by that time.

[RacoonBandit]

hysterically rushing in to tell you how unreasonable

How can you tell if a poster is hysterically rushing to post?

Can they not be leisurely giving their opinion? Are they only hysterical because their opinion is different to yours?
What a daft comment to make

[picklemepopcorn]

There are limits though, to how many precautions we can take. Any student can harm another, if they really want to. They don't need to wait until they are 18 and allocated 1-1 reading with an 11yr old. They can groom a younger child very easily at any time, and have years to do so.

As parents the best thing we can do is focus on teaching our children the resilience and skills to keep themselves safe. We can't control the outside world.

[eatingtomuch]

My DS in 6th form listens to a year 7 read. This is done in the library with other 6th formers and year 7 students. There is also a librarian and teachers in the library.
No school is going to leave the DC in an office or room on their own.

[ForalltheSaints]

A separate sixth form college would in my view not be the better option educationally. Loss of the professional satisfaction of teaching to A level would at my school have led to some of the teachers looking to move to other schools.

[WannaBe]

How do people live with this level of paranoia?

[NicknameUsed]

DD's school was built in 2011. There are CCTV cameras in all the open/public areas so it would easily be possible to have one to one reading sessions safely.

[SaltyMyDear]

YABVVVVU because part of the effectiveness of this intervention is that it is done by a 6th former, not an adult.

Someone the Y7 can relate to better etc. It's really partly mentoring.

but a) 6th former's are 18 not 19, and b) they won't be alone with your child.


Is your child actually on this intervention? Because if they are you have bigger concerns than whether or not he's alone with a 6th former - it's the Y7s who are struggling with reading who will be on this intervention. Now that you should be concerned about.

[dementedma]

In Scotland we don't have sixth form colleges, they all go to the same high school ( and yes, it is called High School in Scotland and always has been).
So you can have 11 year olds in with 18 year olds and it's great.The seniors help out with loads of clubs and activities for the wee ones and in my experience, when they aren't doing that or studying, they are trying to get off with other pupils their own age!!! Not seducing irritating squeaky first years.

[Sparklingbrook]

I am glad DS1 goes to a school with a 6th Form, not a separate college, They do vertical tutoring and it means that pupils of all ages get together in tutor time, which is really nice.

I am not hysterical as far as I know.

[Collaborate]

My god, you can't cure stupid can you?

[shinynewusername]

Having attended an American middle school, I still suspect that the idea is to isolate the 12-14 year olds in order to protect everybody else from them - not the other way around

Ninja Middle school is where you go to be disillusioned of all the lies sold to you in elementary school about society being a safe, happy place. Once your soul has been broken by your fellow kids, you're ready for high school

[2017watchoutherewecome]

Yabvvvvu

[DameDiazepamTheDramaQueen]

At ds's school the form classes are mixed so they're all in together . Works really well.

[Mummyoflittledragon]

User....76.

I don't know if these parents taking a bunch of children out in their car would have needed dbs checks as it was perhaps a one off. This doesn't happen at dds school. I can understand the concern on that one as I wouldn't want a random parent to take my dd out.

[TheEmojiFormerlyKnownAsPrince]

I'm a teacher. All my 6th formers are just lovely. I love them. I always cry at the end of year13 when they leave. They actually look out for the little ones and help them.

[hobnobsaremyfavourite]

This place depresses the shit out of me sometimes

[Oblomov16]

Me too Hobnob.

[nooka]

My ds does peer mentoring, he's not 19 and his mentee isn't 11 (our school system generally starts later and finishes earlier, with high school from 12/13 to 17/18). He is over 6 ft and his mentee much smaller though so as well as the five year age gap (and the educational struggles of the mentee) there is some power imbalance there.

I see peer mentoring as good practice, a nice initiative that provides useful experience for the older child and support for the younger child. All the volunteers are well known by the school and yes they would know if any of their pupils was in trouble with the law as there is very good liaison with the local police.

It does seem a bit surprising to have reading support at high school, ds is supporting his mentee with science. My dh volunteered for one to one reading support, but at primary school, not secondary.

[Sixisthemagicnumber]

My ds goes to a school with a sixth form and the sixth formers have prefect duties. I think it is great and I have no concerns.
In a primary school you have 11 year olds mixing with 4 year olds and sharing toilets. Should we be concerned about that too? After all James bulger was 3 when he was murdered by a pair of 10 year olds.

[VeryBitchyRestingFace]

My concern is that my child will be having 1-1 reading (alone) with an adult who hasn't been police checked and could potentially have a criminal record, etc.

Why the concern about 19 year olds specifically? Your child could be exposed to any student between the ages of 12-18 with a criminal record.

Assuming this is in England? No-one would still be in secondary in Scotland at 19 unless they'd failed at least 1, if not 2, years of schooling.

[Megatherium]

If a secondary school child commits an offence which involves anything more than an informal police warning, schools are told about it. They also usually have the benefit of getting to know those children very well - even if they've only come in in the sixth form, they are seen all day every day during termtime. Therefore the information they have is considerably better than what would be obtained by means of a DBS check.