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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think that this merits an exclusion

54 replies

taxxigirl · 31/03/2021 21:10

A student in my child's class today (Y8 in a comprehensive, if that's important) called the teacher a c*nt and swore at them because they'd used the behaviour policy.

Apparently the student has been given a day's isolation in school. I'm surprised - would you think this would merit an exclusion?

OP posts:
PanamaPattie · 31/03/2021 22:21

Why do you care?

1Morewineplease · 31/03/2021 22:22

Doesn't it depend on your school's Behaviour Policy?

OppsUpsSide · 31/03/2021 22:23

For some children exclusion is a very real threat to them, whether they know/appreciate that or not; this is why schools remained open to some pupils during lock down.

NameChange74567 · 31/03/2021 22:24

Don't be so silly.

Thisgirlcando · 31/03/2021 22:28

I was shoulder barged and knocked to the ground by a kid that is significantly bigger than me during tutor time in October/November and told that refusing to teach them that afternoon following nothing restorative would count as strike action. I didn’t feel comfortable setting a detention because I didn’t want to sit in a room alone with them, when I complained to senior management they asked how I expected his behaviour to improve if I wouldn’t set consequences. They were unwilling to do anything.

The same kid called the head a dick a couple of days later, to his friend but was overheard, he got a 3 day exclusion for that.

Unfortunately some schools don’t see all staff as valuable!

BurbageBrook · 31/03/2021 22:32

@Chillychangchoo that's awful!

Confusedmeanderings · 31/03/2021 22:41

The thing is, many pupils view an exclusion as a day off. Whereas a day in isolation can be more disagreeable.

ilovesooty · 31/03/2021 22:44

@supersonicginandtonic

Unfortunately if you excluded every pupil who swore at a teacher you'd never have many kids in school. It's a shame really.
Exactly what my former Deputy Head said when he back tracked on a commitment to exclude pupils who swore directly at staff. Spineless bastard.
OppsUpsSide · 31/03/2021 22:46

@Thisgirlcando that is the opposite of safeguarding/standard levels of care for you or the child!

ilovesooty · 31/03/2021 22:46

Sorry @supersonicginandtonic that wasn't meant to be critical of you.

AliceAliceWhoTheFook · 31/03/2021 22:52

@fruitypancake

I think at least a day external exclusion .. I am a secondary teacher and would be appalled if not. Doesn't say much about treatment of staff by leadership. Different if they use the language but not directed at teacher
Agree with this entirely.schools need to be much stricter
Frlrlrubert · 31/03/2021 23:04

I was reading the last Ofsted for a school and under things to improve there was a comment that said something like 'exclusions are higher than the national average, although this is demonstrably working to improve behaviour, we would like to see the rate reduced'.

So it works, but don't do it, basically.

OhDearyMe16 · 31/03/2021 23:06

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

TheYearOfSmallThings · 31/03/2021 23:11

I think that merits an exclusion. The fact that so many people do not think so explains a lot about why English state schools are the way they are.

Such low expectations.

Hcolhcsra · 31/03/2021 23:17

They'd be excluded at my school but to be fair I don't think I've been sworn at once or even heard a swear word in the classroom in the five years I've been there. We're very strict but it works. Kids know where they stand and parents send them elsewhere if they won't support us. I remember almost falling over in shock on my first day when kids thanked me as they left my room (spontaneously).

Hcolhcsra · 31/03/2021 23:23

Previous school they could throw a table at you and you'd still have to present a 500 word essay on the effectiveness of the steps you had taken prior to the incident before anything was done. Even then it would be a two minute, "there, there. Now be a good boy and go back in", with SLT in the corridor.

TaraR2020 · 01/04/2021 00:17

SLT...= Sausage, lettuce and tomato? Confused

ilovesooty · 01/04/2021 00:22

@TaraR2020

SLT...= Sausage, lettuce and tomato? Confused
Senior Leadership Team.
TaraR2020 · 01/04/2021 00:23

Thank you :)

Original poster
taxxigirl · 01/04/2021 06:43

Thank you all for your input, and I'm sorry for the experiences some of you have had.

It's definitely a school by school thing, and presumably there's background for the student which might explain their behaviour. I do feel sorry for the teacher and for the kids who witnessed though.

OP posts:
Strictly1 · 01/04/2021 06:50

@GrapeLipBalm

A day in isolation is probably more of a punishment. If they are excluded they might be able to lie on their bed and play x box etc
This. I've had children who want to be excluded as they get to do as they like at home so an exclusion encourages more of that behaviour. Isolation isn't fun so discourages a repeat. Sad but true.
KingdomScrolls · 01/04/2021 07:22

I'm not sure what you're achieving with a short external exclusion, surely the punishment or consequence for the child is worse when it's internal isolation. At home they will do as they please, watch TV, play computer games etc. To be in school but isolated from friends seems worse to me. Isolation only became a thing at my school while I was there, and the children who before that who got excluded temporarily didn't have strict guidance etc at home so they'd just be out on bikes and hanging around the school gates after school. We used to call it internal exclusion, but it was an isolation unit in a repurposed shower block with constant teacher supervision, booths with big wooden dividers and no talking. I had to go in there once to go over my coursework draft with my maths teacher because he'd been called in to cover the unit when we were due to meet. It was awful.

CuthbertDibbleandGrubb · 01/04/2021 07:25

From my understanding of the guidelines about exclusion, not surprised at the decision.

I'd hope the parents would be supportive, but in some instances doubt that it would be the case.

Fembot123 · 01/04/2021 09:04

If my child was externally excluded there is no way they’d be watching tv/playing on the computer 😱

Fembot123 · 01/04/2021 09:05

But yes I work in internal exclusion and the kids seem to dread it more.