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.

YANBU op. My son has ASC and spends, on average, one or two days a week in isolation due to lack of provision. He is rarely given work to complete and when he once asked for something to do he was sent to the offsite centre for "breaking the no-talking rules". It's a ridiculous draconian policy.

Oh for goodness sake. Children (or teenagers) were messing about throwing acorns. Really? None of you were silly in school? The punishment is ridiculous imo.

My belief was isolation was for the violent, naughty children that the teachers couldn’t control. From what I read on MN isolation is being used as a regular punishment which is just archaic, it’s like secondary schools have gone back 50 years.

DS has said he wont be throwing acorns around, or anything for that matter, this isn't normal behaviour from him, he was doing what his peers were doing, kids will make silly and stupid mistakes, and will continue to do so, however they also learn from those mistakes, and I believe ds has.

I got really bad migraines, I endure complete vision loss and sickness, I also have to wear tinted glasses and also my computer screens also have to be glare protected. Only mine is caused by being dyslexic.

Sorry, I think that's utterly ridiculous. The "could have been blinded" child was also throwing acorns with gusto. This was not a bullying or malicious incident it was silly playground stupidity and a whole days isolation for just ONE of the children involved is pointless and baffling actually. I don't get the reasoning behind it. Stupid.

Ds is 12

Still old enough to know better.
Old enough not to give in to peer pressure and to make his own decisions.
Isolation isn’t meant to be the most pleasant or productive use of his time. That’s the point.
Perhaps now he will behave and quit wasting the time of staff.

The isolation sounds awful. Sitting staring at a white wall all day?! Have we been transported back to victorian times?

And to those of you sneering and pulling a face because OP took her son to A+E, ffs I would take a child who was vomiting, had a headache and had photosensitivity to A +E without even calling 111. Have none of you idiots heard of meningitis?

I am a primary teacher and think this is a ridiculous punishment. If that had happened to us in the 1960s l would have been shocked. But to happen now to a 12 year old for what was a bit of messing that went wrong. I could not imagine doing that to a child . Sitting there all day staring ahead. Its outrageous.

the school wasted an entire day of your son's education? not on

expecting a 12 year old child to sit for a whole school day with nothing to do is not OK.

and yes, the people going on about OP's DS bad bhaviour - you never did anything daft at school? never made a bad decision with unexpected consequences?

Kids will be kids, so theOP's son should have known better, well perhaps the victim should have known better also and not joined in, then he would not have been hit! Blatant lack of communication from school staff.

Yes I agree he is definitely old enough to know better, however hes a growing developing child and owned up to his silly actions.

I'm complaining about his punishment, I am complaining about the schools own isolation policy not being adhered to.

If teachers cannot provide school work, alternative measures in my opinion should be provided, his own school has an segregated isolation building, if this had happened DS would have avoided hospital treatment.

And yes I am fully aware his actions could also have prevented another child from injury also.

sorry that should say *NOT complaining about his punishment

I wouldn’t complain if it were my child. He’s old enough to know better, and I’d consider it a lesson well learned. You wouldn’t be doing him any favours by undermining school authority either. You won’t always be able to step in and complain when life doesn’t go his way. Perhaps he’ll think before he acts in future.

Robot would you put your ch8ld in a small confined space for a whole day for a pretty low key misdeed. I guess not. As teachers we are in loco parentis so act like parents of a child and l would think it would be a rare parent who would administer such a punishment.
I work in the lrish system and have never heard of such a discipline measure being used here.

Ah, diddums, Op!

I am blazing at all you parents who are moaning about this. YOU are the reason state education has gone down the pan. The boy wasn’t sent up a chimney or down a mine. He wasn’t denied food, water or the toilet.

What is seen in that “School” programme is exactly what is happening in schools across the country now. It’s like the Wild West, with a mob culture at breaktimes and lunchtimes

It may seem like a bit of youthful silliness to you, but I can assure you that unless you have worked in a secondary school recently and seen what goes on on school yards for yourselves, then you should not be whingeing about isolation policies which have become essential so that teachers can attempt to give your snowflake an education .

Had my own son been given an unfair detention? Oh yes. He has. Class told not to get out of their seats in a computer lesson. Son went to help someone who was having difficulties logging in and that meant he got out of his seat to go 4 computers along. Did he get a detention for being out of his seat, even though it was just to help his classmate? He did. Did I think it was a bit harsh? Yes. Did I complain to the school? No. I told DS that while it not be the fairest detention ever given, the instruction had been not to get out of his seat, so he should have done what the teacher said. I told him that I agreed with the detention and he had to do it, no complaints.

Job done, lesson learned. He will ask the teacher in future if he wants to help a classmate.

I bet my life your child and his mates had already been told by yard duty staff to stop throwing acorns, and ignored them all.

Sorry *RoboticMary, could you elaborate in what way would I disadvantaging DS by my in wishing to complain, how would this be undermining the school authority?

DS has no clue I am unhappy that the school has not adhered to their own isolation policy, he does not even know I have spoken to his HOY

I wouldn’t complain if it were my child. He’s old enough to know better, and I’d consider it a lesson well learned

I agree.
Had it been my DS he would have had sympathy / treatment for the migraine and a bollocking / “your own fault” for getting into that situation in the first place.

All the guff about the isolation room is deflection away from the issue at hand.

What kind of A&E doctor saw a child/ teenager for a migraine and advised that it was due to being in isolation? How did they know?
Why did you take him to A&E?

Well curlyhaired you would have lost the bet!, no one know they were throwing the acorns until the injured child reached a teacher who then stopped the acorn throwing.

And once again, I am NOT complaining about DS being punished in isolation, I am wishing to complain that the schools own isolation policy was not adhered to!

The problem with migraine is once you have it, it can lead to other things you cannot do.

It becomes a lifetime issue.

It is not just a headache.

Glad I HE my dyslexic, adhd child or he would have been in one of those booths permanently.

I don’t understand schools.

If you asked for a day off to attend a funeral they would be climbing the walls telling you how he would miss so much school yet are not concerned when they put the same child in isolation for the day without any work.

I think schools need to make up their minds if school work is that important

If this happened at break how exactly would teachers find time to instantly send work. They are teaching. They don’t have time to instantly set work appropriate for isolation. May be in a meeting at lunch or have lesson prep to do.
If a child misbehaves and the punishment is set for the following day that’s different.
You clearly have no idea of how teaching works.
Ensure your child does learn from this and so never ends up in isolation again. Job done.

“Sorry *RoboticMary, could you elaborate in what way would I disadvantaging DS by my in wishing to complain, how would this be undermining the school authority? “

Sorry for jumping in but I feel so strongly about this. You are not backing the school up and supporting their behaviour policies which have been put in place to ensure your child achieves a decent standard of education. It’s as simple as that. It really is. Stop it. Just stop.

Also ds has advised he was not the only child to endure the white wall hell (as he now calls it) he advised other students were subjected to this, others did have teachers who sent down school work.

I'm in two minds in making a complain, however on the other hand if I don't make a complaint nothing changes.

3. Teachers to make sure the child is where they should be.

This one you won't get very far with as the isolation supervisor is the one that will be registering him.

If your child behaves then something does change.