To raise a formal complaint regarding school isolation

[HaudYerWheeshtYaWeeBellend]

Last week a group of 20-30 kids were throwing acorns at each other in the school playing field, a child who also throwing the acorns, got hit in the eye which I've been led to believe required medical treatment, teacher asked who hit the child and DS said he believed it was his acorn, and that he was sorry, and did not mean to cause anyone harm.

He was given a days isolation plus after school detention, however on the day with only 10 mins notice.

His head of year called and said as he admitted it was him, they had no choice to follow the isolation process, however admitted they thought it was harsh, however rules and rules which we will adhere to and support the school with.

DS has NEVER been in isolation.

My AIBU is, Ds was made to sit in a 2 by 4 booth, being made to sit upright and face a white wall for the whole of the school day. NO SCHOOL WORK WAS GIVEN AT ALL

He could not tell the supervisor he had no course work as he isn't allowed to talk while in isolation, and tbh nor should even have to ask for course work, its the supervisors role to ensure DS has course work, which is the policy in DS school.

Only one teacher called the isolation supervisor to ask if DS was present, however did not send course work, not one of his other 4 teachers called to ask if he was present.

The isolation supervisor has confirmed all of the above is true his HOY has advised us that they have passed it on to the isolation manager who will be calling me, however even after chasing it up everyday for the past week and leaving messages for them to call me I am still awaiting the phone call.

My own DS ended up requiring medical treatment as he endured a headache with sickness and sensitivity to light, ds has never had a migraine before isolation, which the A&E doctors advised was the cause.

Everyone who was throwing acorns should have had detention.

Maybe, it depends. It could easily have been a bunch of kids playing and throwing acorns around safely, until one kid comes along and spoils all their fun by throwing one directly at another kids head, injuring them.

Only the people who saw what happened really know what happened. You can't take the guilty kids word as gospel. Schools don't tend to punish children for no reason.

I would have told them all off for silly behaviour that resulted in somebody getting hurt, then sent them all out at lunch and made them pick up all the acorns.

Alright OP I'll come clean, I am willing to admit that I'm defending those naughty teachers who didn't send work up for two reasons. 1) Work done in isolation is usually wrong when it's handed back because they weren't able to be taught it properly which means it will have to be retaught anyway. 2) I have been said teacher because honestly, my priority was the 29 other students sat in front of me who need my full attention. I'm a strong advocate for just doing and having a supply of revision textbooks in the isolation room because honestly it's pointless having a different system. Teachers don't get any warning to organise it, lots of students in isolation refuse to do it and it's just a waste of everyone's time. By all means suggest this as a solution or alternatively make sure your son always has a good book in his bag.

I feel a lot of you are missing out on 2 very basic things here.

1. A child was left to stare (and forced to stare) at a white wall for a full day.
2. The punishment the child received made him severely unwell.

While the child may have bounced back, and gratefully, they're a resilient sort, it still does not justify either of the above two things.

Also, instead of hanging his head, the child owned up to what he thinks or believes was his fault (whether it was or not).
There were 20 - 30 children flinging acorns. One acorn made impact which the OP's child owned up to.
Does that child then deserve to be made unwell by the punishment?
I don't think so. Do you?

Basically, I would argue that the impact of the punishment is more severe than the crime itself (an accident during fun/horseplay).

And what usually happens is as follows;

Someone turns up asking for work for student x who is in isolation exactly 10 minutes into the lesson when you are in the middle of explaining something complicated.

Stop, wonder what you have to hand, settle on printing out a PowerPoint or photocopying a worksheet.

Scrabble around frantically while messenger waits with increasing impatience, meanwhile your class have completely gone off the boil and started chatting.

Decide which trustworthy student can be sent to pick up the copy from the printer without wandering off for twenty minutes.

Send student, wait with increasingly annoyed messenger and attempt to settle class again and carry on teaching.

Trustworthy student arrives back with print out. Stop teaching again to go hunting for a post it note / scrap of paper and scribble out some garbled instructions.

Send messenger on its way, resettle class and restart lesson on the back foot and flustered.

Recieve screwed up work which looks like it's been retrieved from bin approximately a week later from cover supervisor which clearly shows the instructions were in fact garbled.

Make appointment to see student x at lunchtime to correct work and reteach lesson.

Give up lunchtime to reteach entire lesson to one student. No time for drink or wee yet again. End up with urinary tract infection.

Or if your school is techie, receive email from isolation manager requesting work during first period.

Get round to reading it approximately three hours later at lunch.

Debate what to send, attach loosely related file, hastily add some instructions and send.

Receive email back saying they don't have the correct software to open the attachment. Could you resend please.

Fiddle around resaving file. Bell rings, lessons begin again.

Realise twenty minutes later that the email has bounced because the attachment is too large in current format.

Lose will to live.

Resend roughly ten minutes before the end of the last lesson.

Never see the work because it wasn't done.

Book lunchtime session with student.

Reteach lesson.

And repeat up to five times a day if you are so unlucky to have each lesson containing one student from each lesson in isolation (rare but not unheard of).

So yeah, that's why I sometimes don't send work. I hope that clarifies the issue.

Well why the hell does this ludicrous system of isolation exist then? Surely the supervisor there is capable of assigning them age appropriate work?
It doesn't exist where I'm from.

If someone had thrown an object an my DCs face hitting their eye, resulting in medical attention needed then I would expect the aggressor to be punished.

He wasn't the aggressor, the boy who got hurt was also throwing them. They were all messing about and unfortunately it was OP's son who missed his aim. It happened to my son when they were messing about throwing money. You should have seen the state of his eye and he had to go to A&E too. I would not have wanted the child who had accidentally hit him punished in this way.

But the priority has to be the 29 other students who weren't dicking about to learn for a full lesson, not have to sit and wait for ten minutes while a teacher pulls a curriculum linked task, that doesn't need direct teaching input, or resources, out of his or her bum. Sorry but that is effectively what you are expecting isn't it?

Surely teachers are smart enough to work out that it might be a good idea to put basic work and books in the room incase they don't get time to give out work when it is needed? It isn't rocket science. If they have a policy then they need to make sure they can stick to it.

Have a word with yourself. It's not torture it's not cruel and clearly it worked because as you say, your child has learnt his bloody lesson!

If anyone needs to have a word with themselves it is you. Her child learned his lesson no doubt as soon as he accidentally hurt his friend. It's a shame that you think children need a punishment like this to learn from their mistakes.

You tell me! I'm just doing my job cap'n! Parents complain if they are set any old work as it's a waste of time and not keeping up with lessons if you don't set them assignments linked to that days topic, which the supervisor will have no idea about.

I would have told them all off for silly behaviour that resulted in somebody getting hurt, then sent them all out at lunch and made them pick up all the acorns.

Which would have been a sensible and appropriate way to handle the situation.

U2HasTheEdge yes a basic workbook can also be a revision guide. Which I suggested previously but some schools won't let you do that because it's not that days topic.

Also the student could of revised from his books but apparently they were in his locker. That's nothing to do with the teacher.

Well I suggest that 'nothing' is not that days topic either?

Could have revised from*

Not disputing that Dukes. Its a ballache all round.

Well since the child wasn't allowed to even speak, it wasn't the child's fault either, was it!

I never knew this system of punishment existed in this day and age, let alone in the UK.
Eyes opened today!!

My ds's would absolutely crumble in this sort of system. Where they are, Norway for the Ms. Nosey, is a totally different system. There is absolutely nothing like this sort of punishment. A version of time out or privileges removed such as ipad time etc., but nothing like this.I just find it cruel.

That a school is allowed to impose a punishment so severe that it leaves a child requiring hospital treatment? What?

The student wouldn't have been there if they hadn't done something to warrant it. School prefer empty isolation rooms as a rule but if the other parent caused a stink about THEIR traumatised acorn damaged child the school has to take it seriously. Basically they are buggered either way.

Well if it was one of mine, I would have sought legal advice by now.

Dukes, you are hilarious.

You think I'd allow a school to make my child ill enough to require hospital treatment and sit idly by? You don't know me madam.