Isolation booths

[Pliudev]

Ok I'm ready to be shouted down by long suffering teachers but isn't the use of isolation booths an infringement on a child's human rights? I've read today of a child who attempted suicide while being kept in one of these punishments booths for prolonged periods. And of a boy who spent 35 days in one. What have things come to when schools can inflict this kind of punishment? In both of these cases the children had mental health issues. If parents isolated their children in this way wouldn't that amount to abuse? And isn't it an indication of failure on behalf of schools that there seems to be growing use of this kind of punishment? And how can schools justify fining parents for taking children on holiday if it is ok to suspend their education for long periods in isolation?

I have a year 7 at home today because he had a meltdown and refused to go to school. Today would've been his 8th day of isolation and he just can't cope with spending another day there.
Yes, he deserved discipline because of his behaviour ( not especially bad, a bit low level disruptive)
But, he has missed loads of school this year from being in isolation and that shows up on his attendance as unauthorised absence. Then I get education welfare on my back.

The school ( academy, surprise surprise) lacks the resources to deal with behavioural problems, so chucks them in isolation. It's cruel, divisive and counter productive.

I have done what pp suggested and contacted the governors and my local MP, none of which want to know. This is the policy, so get used to it, basically. I send my child to school for an education, not a custodial sentence!

So, to all those people who support this practice I say: try it yourself for a whole day( and an hours detention at the end for good measure) and see if you don't feel like a battery hen at the end of it.

This policy is a ticking time bomb of litigation and if that is what it takes to end this barbaric practice then so be it.

weleasewoderick22

What could the school do instead to manage your son's behaviour?

Tell him to behave and he won't be sent into isolation!

Wow welease 8 days
:(

No wonder he isnt coping. He could easily spiral down. Is there any other school??

Robertsmithdoesmyhair. not a helpful response. I suppose you were an angel at school?

It’s really difficult. I wouldn’t want my child to be sent there, especially for minor things like uniform or equipment infractions. And even those are more likely to occur to children with Sen.. those with sensory issues may struggle more with certain clothing, and those with dyslexia / memory issues are more likely to forget kit. That’s before you get to behavioural problems from unsupported needs (and it’s not as if the budget cuts are the child’s fault).

The other side though is the education of all the other kids in the class, who also don’t deserve lessons disrupted by bad behaviour. My son’s previous secondary it was a huge issue. Constant low level disruption, and worse, and lessons that were more about crowd control than actually learning anything.

I keep getting asked for suggestions.

I put some earlier..

I don't want to out myself so have kept the following quite general..

What has worked for me (I have two children 1 with sn but in mainstream school and the other does not have sn).

I was very fortunate that at the state school my children attended they removed a class teacher from her class and gave her a full time position and and put her in charge of sen.

I am also fortunate in that I have been recovering from a health condition and while I was recovering I was unable to work in a paid capacity but during this time I have been able to volunteer at the school so got some good insight.

The school were able to keep lots of teacher assistants at a time when I know many are being cut back. The school is not an academy and I would not go near a academy for my children but I am lucky in that I have a choice.

I fought for more time outside for all children and I believe that has helped in-line with evidence/research for all children and especially those with sen.

School trips are frequent because the school expects parents to help so you can have 11 parents 3 teacher assistants and 1 teacher on a school trip for 30 children so it means behaviour management is more manageable.

The school is fortunate to be able access a forest school. They also have a caring and compassionate culture. The heads actually give a shit about their staff so try not to have them overworked.

They have a time out type room for students but it is open plan so can't in any term be seen as an isolation strategy at all.

The school work very hard with parents/families about behaviour, Sen holding seminars etc and work closely with a nearby nursery. To give an example there are coffee morning for parents so you can chat about your child and their sen with others who have sen. There is fundraising to ensure low income families can access after school holiday clubs and that their children get oppprtunities and this is done without isolating children.

I am trying to get funding to apply specifically for Sen children and behavioural issues. As a case in point I contacted an education publisher who provided the school with quality text and resources (free of charge to the school).

This is at primary level.

I fully agree with those who say Brexit means shit practice and poor funding decisions can take place and take place under the radar. It probably will take a legal route to stop this shitty practice in schools.

Kneeljustkneel. We are waiting on an adhd assessment ( there's a 30 week wait in my area). I do understand that the school can't treat him as having sen without a diagnosis, but the problem started when they got rid of the most of the teaching assistants that would help him concentrate. I'm in constant communication with the school about his problems and I've tried to support them, but I need to support my son too. I'm not a snowflake parent who thinks their child can do no wrong, but the punishment doesn't fit the crime iyswim.

The ironic thing is that I've just got a text to say he's in isolation with an hour detention after school and he's not even there!!

I am so sorry to hear about the 30 week wait
And I agree if they decimate teacher assistants then it is just a downward spiral

I had very bad social anxiety as a teen, and never was disruptive in school classes. I used to get bullied a lot, so in many classes I would be praying inside that no one would notice me. Hence, would never put my hand up let alone disrupt other students or answer back to teachers

I was put into isolation for not sewing a tiny embroidery badge, of my school house, on to my blazer. (School house similar Gryffindor) I used to paper clip it to my blazer but the teacher claimed it looked messy/ inappropriate

It was so bloody ridiculous because how the fuck was that disrupting other student students learning?!

Also, so many other students would get away not only with being disruptive but bullying others (to the point I would force myself to throw up to miss school)
But ime the teachers would often be scared to ever discipline them and turn a blind eye. I’m certain many teachers saw/heard the bullying

Being the socially anxious teen, I didn’t dare argue my case so accepted isolation. I know the disruptive kids from school would have become angry

Although that being said I enjoyed isolation because it meant I wasn’t paranoid about bullies lol but still it’s the principle that annoyed me

We lease- I hope you don't mind me asking but did he get 8 days for 1 offense, is it a go to isolation every day until you X or has he misbehaved 8 times?

I'm not supporting the practice and I realize I'm lucky that my kids have no SEN and haven't been sent to isolation but are punishments like picking rubbish better? It's obvious that 35 punishments in a term for the same thing is pointless

At my kids school forgetting equipment is a Sente toon and for uniform you only go to isolation if you don't come in the right stuff the next day?

Child with ADHD, struggling to concentrate and behave in lessons. Gets put in isolation. How the fuck are they expected to cope with that?! Totally counter productive.

It’s like we used to beat left handed children until they learnt to write with their right hand.

Welease - get it completelty. My daughter is being assesed for asd but she "acts out" by being anxious or crying or melt downs after school. So usually not in trouble at school but completely see that boys typically react differently and arr then punished :(

My duaghters done so well this year - but its only because she has an awesome ta in her class who "gets" her and helps if she can see my daughter needs space/translates if shes confused etc. Im well aware they wont do that at secondary.

The policy of mainstream inclusion has failed children and schools. Schools do not have the funding to support children adequately.

Schools seem increasingly authoritarian in the UK. It's mind boggling that they can treat children like this. That article is awful - why would you do that to a child? How are you allowed to do that to a child and the only recourse to stop it is legal action? It just seems wrong.

My yr 7 has fairly mild SEN, and whilst he's never ever been disruptive, he can struggle with remembering the endless, arbitrary, low level, frankly petty 'rules' they have in place at his school. Your tie must be a certain length or you mustn't carry your bag in this way etc., etc.,

They do the isolation thing as well and he's absolutely terrified of getting things wrong and being punished. It's really stripped him of all his confidence. The difference of the approach towards pupils between his holistic, strong on pastoral care, empathy driven primary school and this 'outstanding' senior school, is eye watering. Ideally I would move him into the private sector, but those with good SEN programmes are far and few between.

And to find so many teachers that think these kinds of punitive regimes are just fine. I don't understand at all.

Thankyou finishers.

I'm tired of people jumping on these debates and assuming that the kids in isolation are little shits!

The whole social care system in this country is in tatters, children are being let down spectacularly. I agree that some children are little shits, but there's no pastoral care to deal with it.

When I suggested moving him to another school ( they are all academies in my area), I was told that there would be no point as they all have the same policies. What am I supposed to do?

I'm at my whits end with it all 🥵

finishers
You are talking about primary school yet the articles in the op are referring to secondary.

How so you expect schools to manage behaviour in secondary school?

weleasewoderick22

As hard as it must be for you and your son, what do you want the school to do differently?

Schools just cannot afford to pay for 1:1 support for all students that would benefit (and that number seems to be rising).

I just don't see what schools are meant to do now. They are being expected to plug every gap.in society - watch out for radicalisation, CSE, students with mental health disorders, work with parents who aren't coping, provide food, clothes, laundry services to students whose parents can't or won't but who aren't supported by social services, support students who are waiting for CAMHS, solve knife crime, provide sex education because parents aren't.... Then if they've got time they could maybe teach the subject that they've trained to teach.

Gosh sorry to have written such a long post^^
Essentially, what I wanted to say is that I could accept isolation if it were for students who were actually disruptive

Disruption and bullying completely ruined my learning in some classes. Some kids could never be disciplined enough, but from my experience the teachers were too scared (or lazy) to ever bother doing anything to intervene

Meanwhile, harmless students like me were harshly disciplined because they knew I would never retaliate

Also, fwiw I did not go to a particularly rough school. It was in a decent area

littlechirstmasmouse- lots of the suggestions I mentioned could apply at secondary school level.

I don't think isolation booths can be used at primary or secondary.

We have heard from parents on this thread who have had their children placed into isolation booths or rooms and it doesn't seem to be of any real benefit and can cause long term damage.

I don't think that all children are little shits.

I think that mainstream inclusion without full support is failing many students but until the government funds education properly I don't know what the answer is.

I have many examples of shocking behaviour that teachers have been expected to deal with whilst still trying to teach a class of 30 students. How can they do this? If some students are disrupting a classroom that is impacting on the education of everyone in that class. What do you want the school to do? Have the teacher just sit with the one SEN student and ignore the other 29?

And it won't only be 1 student with SEN in a class of 30 but at least 2 or 3.

If a student with SEN has a meltdown and hits his neighbour should the school ignore that? Should the classmate accept being hit because the child has SEN and his needs aren't met?

I'd love to see some strategies that schools can use that don't involve employing more staff.

I appreciate schools saying what are we supposed to do. I do really get it. But a response to a huge national crisis in SEND funding that has led to a death isnt to go 'what do you want me to about it' children are being massively failed. We all need to speak up, lobby, vote for change. Get it on the agenda somehow. I think its sad how resigned people get to bad situations.

Nutsfornutella. It was for: forgetting his pencil case. It put his arm up to tell the teacher and was put in isolation for being disruptive ( I don't fully believe he was not disruptive, but I think isolation is over reacting)
He then failed isolation 6 times because he really struggled to be quiet and cried. He asked them to phone me but they refused. I kept sending him back to get it over and done with but he just couldn't, so had a meltdown. For that he was excluded for two days last week. When he went in on Monday he was told he still had to do two days of isolation and it was at that point that he said he just couldn't do it any more and refused to go to school.

I've rung the education welfare officer and asked her to be at the meeting on Monday to balance things out a bit, but she didn't turn up. No apologies, nothing.

I don't know where to go from here. Home schooling is not an option ( I work) and my son doesn't want to leave the school because he has friends there and all the other schools have the same policy.

He's lost all his confidence. I went to parents evening a just after Xmas and a lot of the teachers couldn't tell me anything because he's spent so long in isolation

Isolation booths are not like solitary confinement in prison. It's a room with lots of desks and dividers between them. Anyone who makes them out to be hell-holes has only ever read about them.

They are not all like that. One of my local schools has individual booths with a door for each. I imagine all the schools in the academy trust have the same set up.

finishers

Sorry I must have missed them. What strategies could be used in secondary?

I saw you mentioned employing a teacher for SEN which most schools do but how does that solve behaviour issues in the classroom?

You mentioned parent helpers on trips. Not sure the relevance to behaviour in secondary schools and you talk about forest schools - again, how does that help.in secondary?

grasspigeons I agree and think you are spot on