AIBU about school showing this movie

[TGISummer]

DD is in Y8. Yesterday she came home upset saying that her class had watched a horror movie...she can be a bit of a drama llama so asked her what the film was:

The Purge.

BBFC/UK - Rated 15 (strong language, bloody violence).

She's just turned 13. Came home and told my younger DD and DS various graphic details. I asked her why she didn't say anything...she did, the rest of the class said it was fine and she should shut up.

I phoned head of year and (politely) asked why would you do that??!! She seemed surprised and said will get Teacher to call and explain. Felt a bit fobbed off but thought ok, will see what he says. No phone call from Teacher.

DD came home today, they watched another film:

Paranormal activity. Another rating of 15.

Seriously??!!!

I know it's just end of term movie watching but what would you do?

No, OP, YANBU

I have seen PA, but I am a 53 year old adult , not 13.

When my 4 DCs were at school, at the end of Summer term, films shown were age appropriate films.
No way would I have been happy with PA and The Purge (not seen the latter but heard about it)

SugarisAmazing

An American Tail

didn't think schools were allowed to disregard the age rating.

The age rating is for buying or renting the film, not watching it. As a teacher you have a safeguarding responsibility, which includes consideration of whether what you are showing is appropriate to the context, so, for example, I might choose to show a Y10 History class Schindler's List or Saving Private Ryan before they were all 15, but because I had considered the content and thought it was educationally appropriate, I would be covered, within reason.

It wouldn't be allowed at my DCs school. When they were at primary school they only watched U classification films and at high school they watch 12s until they are in year 11/when they are all 15 if it's for an end of term film.

Occasionally primary school would send home letters asking permission to watch carefully selected parts of other films - such as Titanic - when they were learning about it and the same with The Tudors on the BBC; they wanted to show them a clip of the clothing.
At high school, I trust the teacher's judgement - if I didn't trust them to be sensible and make the right choices for my child then my child wouldn't be at that school.

The only film I remember at secondary school was when I was 14 or so . We watched The Elephant Man .
There were many tears at certain scenes .

If they’re going to be watching films in school at least pick ones with a semblance of educational value. Ridiculous choices even without the age rating issue.

Ridiculous choices even without the age rating issue.

There is an educational value to watching films on the last day. It isn't the obvious one. It's part of the reciprocal relationship between teacher and student: they've sat through the heat and the boring lesson on semi-colons and have - mostly - done so with some grace. On the last day, I reward them. It's one of the ways we get through the subsequent years!

I’d be very upset at the Purge in particular. It has some very dark undercurrents even without the blood and gore. I found it disturbing even as an adult. It gets without saying I’d not be happy with the screening of PA either.

In your place I would write a strongly worded email to the head and take it from there.

f they can manage sit still for a horror movie they can manage to sit still for a film with some educational value.

Who is giving them all this sugar?

Their parents I presume. They come with back fulls. A boy pulled a giant Dr. Pepper from hus bag. That was confiscated.

Again though school isn’t all about academic knowledge it’s about building relationships to aid the academic knowledge by having leeway and fun things on the last day.

Obviously teachers are all pillars of society and models of perfect behaviour; so this is merely an oversight and definitely not payback for a stressful year teaching 30+ unruly little shites- delightful teenagers.

Really? [hmmm]

The Purge is a fairly nasty film and there is a scene towards the end which I found really horrible (not in a blood and gore way, more psychologically) , although that might be because I have kids of my own.

It's a 15 though so absolutely should not be being shown to year 8s. It's not allowed is it? I know its the end of the year but this is one I do think I would complain about.

@Pengggwn my comment wasn’t about films fullstop being ridiculous, just the ones picked. If you had the opportunity to introduce students to a film at least pick something decent rather than a schlock movie.

NewPapaGuinea

Kids enjoy daft films. I see no issue.

Paranormal activity is just rubbish, but The Purge is wildly inappropriate!

YANBU I would guess your DD was not the only one who wasn't happy.
DS's class in yr9 watched a PG film and the children didn't complain it was too young. It's supposed to be a bit of relaxing fun at the end of term.

I'm a teacher. I say write and complain. If it had an educational value it should have been planned as part of the curriculum and parents' permission sought. If it's just for an end of term jolly, it should have been age appropriate. There's no excuse and if I were you I'd be livid.

The Purge is not daft 😂 Dumb and Dumber is daft, but a good.

And as evident with the OP, a child didn’t enjoy these “daft” films

I love horrors along with ds18. Ds14 on the hand hates them. If he had seen these I would have had the summer holidays with him sharing my bed every night.

I'm all for film showing at the end of term, doing fun activities, visiting theme parks, teachers bringing in sweets and donuts, and the kids having fun. It's wind down for both kids and teachers, and I believe they all need it.

But the films have to be age appropriate. I'm not a stickler for the age rating, ds1 would have watched these at 14 no problem, but he's into movies, and can look past how scary it is, and look at themes, make up, directing etc. Ds2 like I said would have hated it. That's why the teacher should be considering if the class are mature enough to watch a film. Unfortunately you can't just ask, because if 70% of the class want to watch it, the other 30% are highly unlikely to say I don't want too.

My middle one watched harry potter and the philosophers stone at school. It's a pg. she's 9. School sent out a text letting us know and asking us to contact them if we didn't give consent.
I'd be really unhappy with my eldest watching that at school. It's completely irresponsible

I'd be beyond apeshit at the second occurrence, and I'm not sure I'd be happy to send my kids in.

I’d be writing an email of complaint to the HT and copying in the head of govenors, and an appropriate person at the LEA.

There’s a whole world of difference between watching a ‘treat’ film at the end of term and a difficult but topic relevant film (Ken B’s Henry V, Boy in Striped Pjs, Schindler’s List etc...).

The Purge - maybe part of an ethics discussion for older kids?

Also grin at the idea of a difficult class sitting still just as well for a history documentary as a blockbuster movie.

Except I didn’t say history documentary - I said educational value - which could be a movie.

I don’t have much patience with children who can’t sit still, bar ADHD etc.

YANBU. I would be taking that complaint as far as I could take it.