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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To wish schools would scrap registration

217 replies

gettingevenhotter · 27/07/2018 11:18

Seems to make more sense to me to register kids in lessons.

We could finish half an hour earlier if this was the case. Bliss.

OP posts:
EvilTwins · 27/07/2018 13:38

I do "other things" as stated upthread. For example, we do have a discussion every week around things in the news. This has enabled me to understand their political views, which in turn gives me a clue about political views and home. It's also allowed me to see who is outspoken, who keeps to themselves, who maybe needs a bit of encouragement to say what they think. They're Year 12 so it's important that they feel they can contribute to discussion. It's an important skill.

Original poster
gettingevenhotter · 27/07/2018 13:43

Or the ones who take it very seriously and issue many detentions, Evil Hmm

I’m not personally insulting anybody, so stop doing it to me. I think reg is a waste of time and I dislike it. Hardly makes me Fred west’s second wife.

OP posts:
MyOtherProfile · 27/07/2018 13:45

Another good thing about my dcs school is that forms are no more than 15 students and they are grouped vertically. All the kids I've spoken to about it love their form time. They talk about all sorts and make connections with kids they wouldn't normally. They build a good relationship as there's less of them than in most classes.

EvilTwins · 27/07/2018 13:47

gettingevenhotter - you posted in AIBU. YABU.

Original poster
gettingevenhotter · 27/07/2018 13:49

In your opinion, evil, which is fine.

You disagree with mine, no issues there. I do think the personal ‘well you must be a crap teacher then’ are irritating, especially as they are made by two ex teachers IIRC,

OP posts:
EvilTwins · 27/07/2018 13:56

I'm an actual teacher. I was also (for a bit) a HOY and teachers who refuse to engage with tutor groups by making registration meaningful and useful are a bit crap. It's part of the job and therefore we have a duty to do it well.

Mistressiggi · 27/07/2018 13:56

We’ve moved from 30 mins to 10 mins because it was indeed viewed as a waste of time. Lots of kids sitting on their phones once notices given out. Not popular with staff. We also register online every lesson. Doesn’t take 30 seconds sadly, takes that to get the system up and find the right class!

EvilTwins · 27/07/2018 13:56

And I'm sure you're not a crap teacher but by your own admission, you are a crap tutor.

AlphaBravo · 27/07/2018 13:58

Since when did they stop doing a register in every class? How would the teachers know whos in what lesson if they didn't?

Gottensomedraws · 27/07/2018 13:58

@getting have read your posts. With the greatest of respect. We all have bits of our jobs we don’t like, and for our own well-being try to get through those times as best we can be employing strategies we might not usually use in our core work. Can you ask other form tutors what they do? Inject some fun you would all enjoy? Debates, competitions, challenges? If you are not enjoying it , you have to consider whether you should be a form tutor at all. Does this mean extra on your salary? Or your professional development criteria? If so, is it worth it, because from what you have written as a ‘form tutor’ you are not enjoying or performing even though you are enjoying or performing as a ‘teacher’. Meant kindly, but if I thought you were my child’s form tutor and had this kind of attitude I would be concerned. You must be displaying this to your students, which tbh is not fair and not really good behaviour ‘modelling’ for life ( we all sometimes have to do things we don’t like).

Sparklyshoes16 · 27/07/2018 13:58

@LimeIce really for the academic year? I find that strange from the form Tutor's side...it was policy in both schools I worked in to ensure we'd met with Parents/Carer at least once in a formal setting. Once I went to a child's house with HOY on an evening after 7pm because the parent worked nightmare shifts and couldn't get into school without losing money...recently split up with other parent and was trying to support 4 children on their own.

They were great and really appreciated the fact we went on an evening which helped to push their eldest two's attendance. I honestly don't understand form tutors who don't get in touch with parents. For me it made my life so much easier for both sides.

Original poster
gettingevenhotter · 27/07/2018 14:01

We have a system.

Monday is silent reading (kids never ever have books, kids take random books from the room, open them in the middle and stare at them in sullen silence)
Tuesday is spelling. Kids make paper planes from the spelling tests.
Wednesdays - year assembly. Kids are bored shitless.
Thursdays - house assembly. Kids are bored shitless.
Friday is PIXL. Kids never have a log in. Kids spend twenty minutes googling roller skating macaws and playing games.

S’all great.

OP posts:
simplysleepy · 27/07/2018 14:02

Piggywaspushed we didn't have assembly regularly once a week as other seem to have done so. although some weeks we might have had 2 and other times we could have no assembly for weeks.
when we did have an assembly it usually took place during the last period of the day (as that was 10 minutes longer than the rest) and during a lesson the entire year group had at the same time. there were e few lessons we all took at the same time (p.e, i.t, and r.e) we were still split into different ability groups but al happened at the same time.

our assemblies never lasted more than 5 minutes anyway so there was never any disruption of those lessons as we had that extra 10 minutes. registration was also not taken in assembly and was responsibility of the class teacher who took us to assembly from the classroom

EvilTwins · 27/07/2018 14:05

What year are your group OP?

Original poster
gettingevenhotter · 27/07/2018 14:05

8

OP posts:
Snowysky20009 · 27/07/2018 14:13

When i was at school it was my form teacher who I knew and trusted as I seen him twice daily, that knew about my chaotic home life. I would never disclose it to other teachers- even those who taught me a subject for 5 years! Everyone I knew used their form tutors this way.

Likewise I value my ds's form tutors. They are aware of my mental health and physical health issues. My ds knows if I'm having a manic time (bipolar), he can chat to his form tutor about it, whether that's something silly I've done, and they will laugh over it, or something he's worried about and she will give him an explanation, as well as passing on to his other teachers that he's a little under the weather about mum today, so they are aware. Like me, he wouldn't talk to other teachers about this. He talks to the person he knows the best and feels most comfortable with.

OP I really don't think you truly understand the importance of the role of a form tutor. It comes across as you just seeing it as a tick box exercise.

EvilTwins · 27/07/2018 14:17

Do you keep the same kids next year OP or get a new bunch of Year 8s? Does your HOY set the agenda? If so, can you tell him/her that the reading and spelling tests don't work? Could you change to...
A class reader (sounds daft maybe but a couple of schools round here do it and it's quite a nice thing to do - they do it every day though)
A spelling bee (so still spelling but live) rather than a written test?
A weekly discussion or debate about what's in the news?

Not much can be done about assemblies if they're uninspiring other than feed that back - do the kids get any opportunity for student voice?

Original poster
gettingevenhotter · 27/07/2018 14:20

Not really snowy. I just think you can have great relationships with kids ... when teaching them. Not during enforced nonsense.

OP posts:
Sparklyshoes16 · 27/07/2018 14:23

@gettingevenhotter could you input some ideas for next term? Work alongside other form tutors and see if you could do a bit of collaborating?

MyOtherProfile · 27/07/2018 14:26

Sounds like your school needs some help in coming up with more interesting and useful activities for tutor times that will actually benefit everyone.

Eemamc · 27/07/2018 14:27

From my experience it is what you make of it i’m afraid. It is a very important time, and is supposed to be pastoral time. Isn’t building relationships with your form group key? Also it sounds like there maybe some behavioural structure issues if there are no consequences for missing books or logins etc.

Eemamc · 27/07/2018 14:28

At the most basic , i’d Suggest watching the schools Newsround in the morning, and having discussions based on current affairs

Eemamc · 27/07/2018 14:30

The best relationships i’ve had with students have been with students in my form group. You have the t8me to build those relationships without trying to keep on top of the curriculum

Groovee · 27/07/2018 14:30

My teens school changed this a few years ago. They have the same length of day. Periods have been adjusted and they have tutor time built in twice a week. It's a pain in the arse as I regularly get texts saying my child/REN haven't turned up when they are sat in the class because the teacher has done the register wrong.

MissSusanSays · 27/07/2018 14:35

OP it is very concerning that you don’t seem to understand that tutor time is important because your role as a tutor is to offer them a secure base to come back to for pastoral issues- bullying, child protection, mentoring etc.

A tutor should be the one to notice patterns of absence. A tutor should be the one to notice persistent uniform issues that may be due to neglect. A tutor should get an overall picture from teacher emails about student performance across subjects to pick up trailing kids before they fail.

Do you see what I mean? The reading and the quizzes etc are fun and supposed to bind them as a group. But t is your conversations with them that make sure they’re ok.

Tutors are immensely important.

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