Whole class detentions

[RainbowCottonCandy]

Aibu? Yr 7 child. Some of the class were messing around in corridor. Only a group of them yet the whole class is been kept behind tomorrow for 15 mins. Teacher has viewed cctv so knows who was responsible.

It's wrong
I'm a teacher and I wouldn't do it

I worked in a school where whole class detentions were seen as a 'lazy' form of punishment as it's never the whole class , even if there was just one child behaving then why should they be punished?

I bloody hate this. I would like to see evidence that it is a more effective method of controlling bad behaviour than only punishing those involved because I don't think it is. Kids who behave badly at this age don't really care about others in the class, especially if they're not friends. Punishing good kids because of the bad ones damages the good ones' relationship with the school. And punishing a whole class because you can't be bothered to find out exactly who was involved is just plain lazy.

As the teacher can work out from the cctv who the culprits are, I agree that this is likely to be counter-productive in the long run for the teacher, as well as a lazy way to discipline.
The teacher runs the risk of encouraging an attitude of "may as well be hung for a sheep as a lamb" among the well-behaved majority.

It’s a lazy method. I’d just collect my DC, they can’t stop you.

Shit

what is the school / teacher like otherwise?

Some will miss their buses? Or is it before lunch?

Yes it’s unfair. I think the thinking behind it is that the innocent kids will be so annoyed with the misbehaving ones that they will shame their peers into behaving better. But it doesn’t work imo!

I'm hoping teacher will change his mind. He is the Head of year though! I'm not going to complain over 15 mins but I do think it's unfair.
Most kids walk to school so missing buses isn't the issue it's the fact it's unfair.
I suspect the teacher knows this as the usual minimum detention is 30 mins not 15.

I didn't think there were any teachers left who still though collective punishment was appropriate

I trained eleven years ago, and it was very much regarded as an outdated and appalling practice then.

Challenge it in writing, OP, and ask for a response explaining why collective punishment was felt to be the appropriate consequence in this instance. This HOY sounds like a bully who doesn't expect his slovenly practice to be scrutinised.

It's lazy and leads to bullying. I would think very poorly of a school who used this as a sanction

Do you otherwise rate him?

And the school?

on the basis of this…. And fact he is a senior teacher, I’m guessing it’s not an outstanding school

“Hoping the teacher will change his mind”

well he isn’t going to do that of no one stands up to him is he?

My DD's teacher did this until I complained to the Head.

Happened in my primary school - lead to a lot of nasty physical violence against the actual culprit , let alone bullying. It also didn't do much for my regard for those in authority.........

This used to happen in my day, the only detentions I got! Wasn't fair then and certainly isn't now, to those children who weren't responsible and it does look like: don't know whose responsible, so you'll all pay, kind of thing. Surprised they still happen.

It’s just lazy and even worse since he knows exactly who it is. It won’t achieve what he wants either as what’s the point in behaving after someone else gets you a detention anyway.

I was still at school 11 years ago and my teachers were definitely doling them out. Although the school was rated inadequate by Ofsted that year.

This idea that peer pressure will improve behaviour just doesn't work. The kids who cause problems aren't friends with the ones behaving anyway, and don't give a shit, so all you do is alienate good kids and create divisions.

I really disliked whole class detentions. Why punish everyone rather than clamp down on the actual culprits.

I complained after a spate of whole class detentions when my DD was in year 5. My point to the teacher was you spent a whole year saying to the girls 'don't keeping running to the teacher and telling tales' then the following year 'you hand out class detentions because you want the girls to police the other girls actions and get involved in playground spats'.

If something 'kicked off' in the playground it normally involved the same group of girls. My DD got fed up being punished for something she wasn't involved in or didn't even see!

I also asked the teacher to explain to my DD why she was being punished when she (and her friends) hadn't done anything wrong. Thankfully the teacher took my comments on board and actually dealt with instigator of the bad behaviour.

on the basis of this…. And fact he is a senior teacher, I’m guessing it’s not an outstanding school

outstanding means nothing. I also think people are here are going a bit far.Ok maybe he got it wrong but he's human, we all mess up sometimes at work.

It is lazy. And in some cases, it is hoped peer pressure will reveal the culprit of whatever the class is being punished for.
I was in a class detention because a pair of scissors went missing. It went on for weeks, and no one owned up.

My DD's teacher did this until I complained to the Head

why not complain to the teacher? I hate how people do this,if somebody had a problem with you and complained to your husband rather than you how would you feel?

It's lazy and shit.

Basically ime it's used by teachers who want the others kids to step up and control the perpetrators rather than doing it themselves.

I hate it even more as pastoral support because it doesn't help us support the anxious children or those who we want to learn to take responsibility for their own behaviour.

I had a teacher like this in what I think is year 4 at school, though it was not detentions but other punishments. I can understand this if the culprits are unknown, but not otherwise.

The defence of the teacher was that this reflected real life in that the actions of a few can cause inconvenience for many.