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.
*

iquitit
"I look miserable as sin when I'm concentrating. It's unfortunately an inherited, naturally down turned mouth at each side, and when my face relaxes, like when I'm concentrating, I look miserable, I have a 'heavy' face that's got worse as I get older.
Doesn't matter if I actually am though because you know, what someone else thinks on a snapshot of glancing at me and judging a whole person on one physical attribute is far more important than the actual truth.
Doesn't really matter if I come into work having just won the lottery and ecstatic, when I start to concentrate, I look miserable to some people as I'm concentrating on my you know, work, that I'm paid to do, not manically smiling 24/7.
I can smile and be upbeat with people to be greeted with "Oh I thought you were going to be really grumpy!" Or calls over of "Cheer up luv, it might never happen!" - perhaps people should stop being so damned judgemental on looks alone and start actually listening to what people say and watching what they do.
Being told I'm constantly miserable is a fucking drain!"

I have got a resting bitch face too...but like you, I expect, when I am talking to somebody, or someone attracts my attention, I respond pleasantly and politely.

Ops - missed ...”want you to think” 🙄

Thanks Simon that's 2020 and this one is to start 2021.

I have googled and looked through their website no luck.

The times and telegraph have the story now as well.

I don't subscribe but both headlines have the smile all the time thing.

I expect they would have seen the actual booklet tbh rather than copying the mirror etc.

I think a lot of parents have forgotten how miserable it is trying to learn in an atmosphere of constant low level disruption- or possibly they were the ones doing the disrupting and they didnt care. This wouldnt have been my first choice of learning environment as a teen but it's a hell of a lot better than a lot of what I had to put up with.

This. I’d rather send my kids here than the “Ofsted requires improvement” school down the road!

From 2020

'To encourage a succinct and positive start to lessons all
staff follow the SUPER STAR flight and exit check process at the start and end of
every lesson.'

I've got no issue with that.

The policy has been updated for 2021 though and I don't think anyone has a copy of that on the thread?

I searched that doc and it does not contain the word whistle.

What with that and the parents talking about the new sept 2021 policy Im sure that's not the right document.

This approach is very similar to the Michaela School. Michaela children are happy, they often smile because they are happy and not because they have been told to.
The rules are there to ensure that low level disruption never happens, and their results are outstanding.
They are expected to pay full attention in lessons and to look at the teacher when he/ she is speaking.
Contrast that approach with the 'Educating Essex/Yorkshire schools and no one could possibly deny that the Michaela approach is the correct one.
In fact, it's not much different from my own schools, in the late fifties and sixties. Schools have gone backwards in terms of discipline, expectations of pupils and educational outcomes.
The policy of strictness is a step in the right direction towards rectifying this.
For people who are concerned that SEN children wouldn't manage, take a look at the Michaela School website and you may be reassured.

Cannot find it anywhere online

From the Times article

'Michaela children are happy, they often smile because they are happy and not because they have been told to.'

Totally different.

What does this booklet actually say?

That's what is needed.

The broadsheets have that in quote marks in their headlines. If they're all printing it when that's not what it says then... I get clickbait obv.

Why is the sept 2021 policy not on the school site?

Who is teece?

They won't be punished for not smiling?!!! What an odd response.

Rather than, it only means having an appropriate demeanor when talking to teachers. Or similar.

I'd love to see the original doc. This is all guesswork with people taking their own ideas about what it says/ means etc.

Why is the sept 2021 policy not on the school site?

Perhaps because the policy on the site was ratified in August 2020. And September 2021 hasn’t happened yet?

Who is teece?

The Head

They won't be punished for not smiling?!!! What an odd response

Not if she’s been asked - as she has been repeatedly- if the children will be punished for not smiling.

“Smile” and “eye contact” rules are not about masking emotion or behaving like a robot. They’re about having a pleasant, collaborative and respectful demeanour. Something so many kids lack. Why should teachers have to put up with glares, sneers and sullenness.

I've thought about it more, had a bit of a read around and to be fair, i think the minimising disruption, walking quietly in corridors and picking up litter are fine. As is sitting up straight and at least looking engaged (it drives me absolutely crazy if I'm doing a presentation at work and people are lounging around, staring out of the window and obviously checking their emails while I'm talking so i do get that it's good training)

I do take severe exception to the "smile" thing, and i wonder if it a way to duck out of a certain amount of pastoral care "well we didn't realise little Kimmy was having an awful abusive time at home, they always looked happy at school" and as pp mentioned it does already condition the girls to "smile luv... why not you fat slag" comments later on.

@MotionActivatedDog

Someone saying line up isn’t going to let 1,200 children on the school field know that lunch time is over, a whistle will.

The bell usually lets kids know when lunchtime is over.

Not necessarily; usually bells ring inside, there may be hundreds of children outside on a large field.

She can say this or that but we need to see the actual policy surely?

@SingaporeSlinky

If a lifeguard blew their whistle while you were in the pool, would you say “don’t use a whistle, I’m not a dog!”. No, it’s a simple way of getting someone’s attention without constantly raising your voice.

When you are misbehaving! That's when lifeguards use whistles. It's peremptory and shrill, harsh. Inappropriate as the default.

It's peremptory and shrill, harsh. Inappropriate as the default

Whereas bells are so calming...

Do you work in a school? If there’s no bell, how do you suggest getting the attention of 1000 children on the school field?

I appreciate the positives of a calm working environment and kids understanding there are high expectations of their behaviour.

I don't think the threat of punishments for minor infringements is helpful for a lot of teenagers' mental health.

Where and why are these schools with no bells? Do they seriously send a teacher or multiple teachers out with whistles every break and lunch time to round up all the children. Just install bells FFS!

How do these schools with no bells alert the children in the school grounds of a fire? Or practise a fire drill? Do teachers go round blowing whistles?

I don't think the threat of punishments for minor infringements is helpful for a lot of teenagers' mental health.
If no punishment is given for minor infringements, the infringements tend to escalate.
Trying to work and concentrate in a rowdy, undisciplined atmosphere can't be doing much for teenagers' mental health either.

1000 children in a field won't hear a whistle!

My schools had v loud hand bells.

I really want to see what the booklet actually says.

I’m a secondary school teacher but currently teach in an indie. I taught in what could be described as “tough” state comps for many years and the difference between them and where I teach now is staggering. Top set pupils were, in the whole, well-behaved and achieved. Anything lower down was very hit and miss. I taught AMAZING children in the lower sets but I also taught people who were (if they were not already, would go on to be) murderers, drug dealers, armed robbers, thugs and muggers. These were not well-behaved kids and they destroyed the learning for all others in the class.

My DD is primary aged but she would definitely go to this school above any school which was anything like the ones I previously taught in.

How do these schools with no bells alert the children in the school grounds of a fire? Or practise a fire drill?

Um. Will a fire alarm.

1000 children in a field won't hear a whistle!

They do. You don’t work in a school, do you?