School where children must smile all the time, follow whistled commands and never glance out of the window

[Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g]

www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/parents-slam-school-rules-always-24451911

Sounds horrific. I'd home educate a child rather than send them to a place like this. I can't help thinking one of the responses on Twitter I saw may be right - are they trying to drive out children with additional needs who might pull down the GCSE results? My daughter is an adult now but she would have been destroyed by an environment like this. She's very bright but on the autistic spectrum.

Parents have criticised strict new school rules which include "always smiling", never looking out the window and even asking permission to pick up a pen.

Natalie Teece, the newly-appointed headteacher at John Ferneley College in Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire, has drafted the guidelines ahead of the school reopening in September.

The new rules were delivered to parents in an e-booklet, along with three videos explaining the research and the reason behind them.

Ms Teece said that when 11 to 16-year-olds students return to class, they will be expected to "always smile" and learn to respond to a series of whistle commands given by staff.

They also must enter the classroom in single file, "never forget to say Sir or Miss", always sit up straight and must thank their teacher as they leave the classroom after a lesson.

Walking in a group of more than two people and looking out of windows in class are also banned.

Turning around "even if you hear a noise" is forbidden and pupils have to maintain eye contact with the teacher whenever they are talking, the rules say.

Kids have to wait to be told they may pick up a pen or ruler and if a teacher says hello to them they should make sure their reply is "upbeat".

.......

One rule about lining up said staff will be using whistles to direct kids, with five sounds meaning they must move to their line up area, and one indicating pupils should be silent.

Another about "tracking" the teacher said: "You don't pick up your pen or your ruler, or anything else, until your teacher gives you the signal.

"You never turn around - even if you hear a noise behind you. You don't look out of the window. You don't lose focus."

A rule on sitting up straight said: "You never slouch. Be sitting up straight you are demonstrating physical respect. [ ...] No exceptions. No excuses."

And another said: "You always smile. You are polite and welcoming. When you greet somebody you smile, when a teacher says hello to us in the corridor you reply with an upbeat 'Hello Miss!' or 'Morning Sir!' and you smile."

The guidelines inform students that they are "extremely fortunate to be in a school that is very popular" and must walk around the school only in single file or pairs.
*

This happens at a school near me. The head tells parents who ask about SEN provision not to send their DC. And if it transpires that a child does have SEN later down the line they deny support and minimise it so they don't have to deal with paperwork etc. This is a 4 form entry outstanding primary school in a fairly naice bit of a city.

This says it all, and in my experience this is not the only school of this type behaving this way.

Are parents really happy with the fact that the teachers who are supposed to be enforcing the rules are actually breaking the law themselves in a big way, every day? It's not exactly setting the best example, is it?

No it isn’t, do you really think the school bell is linked up to the smoke and heat detector system?

Ours was. Of course. Things may have changed since then

When was the last time you spent 5 consecutive days in a school?

2002

Follow up question:

How many schools have you spent 5 or more consecutive days in over the last decade?

like I said, things may have changed.

But schools without bells that can be heard outside so they have to send a teacher with a whistle? Bonkers

Teenagers generally aren't known for been smiley at the best of times.🤔🤣

My ds has adhd.. he would be kicked out in a week. He constantly day dreams looks out the window and has sensory issues and wouldn't cope with the whistles..

I do wonder what the provision for sen children are as its a legal requirement

@WhenSheWasBad

But I wonder how their pupils cope when they have to go to college or university and start thinking for themselves

Probably extremely well, as they will have received a decent education due to the lack of low level disruption in their school.

Apparently not. Because essentially, in subjects that require critical thinking like History and English Literature, they're all taught to churn out the same answers rather than analyse and work out answers for themselves.

God help the kid with scoliosis

Oh ffs.

I enforce “sitting smartly” in my classroom. If you don’t work in a school, it’s very difficult to understand why that’s important - the difference between a class of children sitting up and focused v a class of children slouched/turned round/sideways is remarkable.
I teach a child scoliosis- i make reasonable adjustments for her. Would it help her force everyone else to not follow my rule? No. The school featured in the OP has an SEN policy that make reasonable adjustments.

Starlightstarbright1

I don’t think they would get them tested then they don’t have to make provision for them so they then can kick them out at will.

@MotionActivatedDog

I see what you did there

@Terhou

This happens at a school near me. The head tells parents who ask about SEN provision not to send their DC. And if it transpires that a child does have SEN later down the line they deny support and minimise it so they don't have to deal with paperwork etc. This is a 4 form entry outstanding primary school in a fairly naice bit of a city.

This says it all, and in my experience this is not the only school of this type behaving this way.

Are parents really happy with the fact that the teachers who are supposed to be enforcing the rules are actually breaking the law themselves in a big way, every day? It's not exactly setting the best example, is it?

V high performing secondary near me does this.

The head said it openly at the prospective students talk thingy. And some other stuff i thought awful.

This school is for children who are organised, work hard etc etc if your child isn't like that they will struggle.
Ok.

Our parents are also very supportive and we expect them to provide a.. something like.. help with homework, organised and structured environment (or something)

To me it read as, if the child is very clever and hardworking but their family isn't the right 'type' then nope. Not interested. Nice.

And then.

The school has no resources to give the assistance required for children with SEN. there are plenty of excellent schools locally that do this well and they would be much better options.

I thought that was illegal???!!!

Anyway that's an aside!

'I teach a child scoliosis- i make reasonable adjustments for her. Would it help her force everyone else to not follow my rule? No. The school featured in the OP has an SEN policy that make reasonable adjustments.'

My friend wasn't diagnosed until she was 14 though!

So she would have got no allowances.

Many conditions develop slowly and so family etc don't notice.

Because essentially, in subjects that require critical thinking like History and English Literature, they're all taught to churn out the same answers rather than analyse and work out answers for themselves

Why would a strict behaviour policy mean the pupils aren’t taught how to analyse texts?

I'm most interested in what it actually says about smiling, though!

Used to spend hours a day day-dreaming at school looking out the window. Always did my homework and got good grades.

I imagine if I'd had to look at the teacher and smile the whole time I'd have bunked off. Responding to whistle sounds is bizarre - surely language developed for communication and achieves it better than a whistle?

What that headteacher is imposing should be stopped, it's more North Korea than anything I've heard in ages. Forced smiles?????? Good grief

No way I'd keep my sons at that school.

I genuinely don't see the issue with most of these rules. They won't be as strict as they're being reported; the media loves to blow things out of proportion. I don't see the problem with the head trying to teach children to be respectful of authority. Secondary schools nowadays are full of kids who have zero respect and the whole class suffers because the teachers spend all their time dealing with the little sods. Things like not blocking the corridor, waiting to be told to use equipment and trying not to lose focus in lessons seem entirely sensible to me.

@Hallyup6

I genuinely don't see the issue with most of these rules. They won't be as strict as they're being reported; the media loves to blow things out of proportion. I don't see the problem with the head trying to teach children to be respectful of authority. Secondary schools nowadays are full of kids who have zero respect and the whole class suffers because the teachers spend all their time dealing with the little sods. Things like not blocking the corridor, waiting to be told to use equipment and trying not to lose focus in lessons seem entirely sensible to me.

I see your point. I went to a girls' grammar where we all stood up every time a teacher came into the room etc

I couldn't have coped without daydreaming and looking outside though, but maybe the teachers would hopefully allow it as long as the person wasn'y disreuptive.

Still wouldn't send my DC to that school though.

wasn't disruptive (can't type!)

I will concede that if the kids are actually expected to smile at the teacher for the entire lesson (1 hour straight, 5 times a day) - that’s bonkers.

I’d be shocked if that is the policy though.

Still wouldn't send my DC to that school though.

I wouldn't either. But this kind of discipline isn't bad for kids who really need it/not learn these things at home.

[quote Bobbybobbins]@MotionActivatedDog

I see what you did there [/quote]

The current policy on their website says that staff should greet the kids at the beginning of their lesson with a smile. It says bugger all about the kids having to do the same.

@Hallyup6

The current policy on their website says that staff should greet the kids at the beginning of their lesson with a smile. It says bugger all about the kids having to do the same.

It does in fact - I can't be bothered to go back to check, but there's some bollocks about the Super Star principle for lessons: Super relates to the beginning of lessons, and S stands for smile, U for uniform - I've blocked out the rest of it

I'd never send any child of mine to a school where it's considered acceptable to address the female teachers as "Miss" when the male teachers are "Sir". Miss X, Ms Y, Dr Z or Mr A, fine, but not a blanket "Miss".

Of course, that school sounds ghastly on many other levels too.

I'm hoping the kids rebel, Lord of the flies style. Lock the teachers up in the changing rooms, face paint with whiteboard markers, set up traps with school ties etc. "FIGHT THE POWER" in huge burning letters in the grass on the school field.

These are just normal expectations in any decent school. Focus on the teacher, walk one at a time through the doorway. Dont get out of your seat without permission
Nowhere does it say children are expected to smile all the time. It does say smile and say good morning miss rather than grunt, if a teacher greets you. Surely thats just good manners, don't weallteach our children to respond politely?

@Hallyup6

The current policy on their website says that staff should greet the kids at the beginning of their lesson with a smile. It says bugger all about the kids having to do the same.

Yes I mentioned upthread that I'd had s good hunt.

The policy on their site is from 2020.

This is specifically about the updated policy which will be effective from sept 2021. I can't find it anywhere.

So no one AFAIK on the thread actually knows what it says!

@a8mint

These are just normal expectations in any decent school. Focus on the teacher, walk one at a time through the doorway. Dont get out of your seat without permission Nowhere does it say children are expected to smile all the time. It does say smile and say good morning miss rather than grunt, if a teacher greets you. Surely thats just good manners, don't weallteach our children to respond politely?

I completely agree.

Parents who dislike completely normal and sensible rules like the ones in the policy, tend to be the parents who are in complete denial about their little darlings behaviour.