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AIBU?

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Original poster

After school detention every time they're late...

136 replies

OhBitchPeas · 09/01/2023 08:21

Is that usual for secondary schools? If you're 2 mins or 2 hours late it's an after school detention every time.

Is that the usual? If

OP posts:
NEmama · 09/01/2023 08:22

Standard

Opossummer · 09/01/2023 08:22

Yep.

Unananana · 09/01/2023 08:32

Seems normal.

Sirzy · 09/01/2023 08:33

Unless there is a very good reason for being late then it seems fair enough especially for repeat offenders

Plumbear2 · 09/01/2023 08:57

Yes it's fair. In my kids school it's lunch time detention.

sparepantsandtoothbrush · 09/01/2023 08:58

You get one warning at my DCs secondary and then it's a lunch time detention. Repeat offenders get an after school.

Mariposista · 09/01/2023 09:04

It's fair, unless there is an exceptional problem with public transport or a case of force major (in which case by explaining what happened, the detention should be waived). There is no excuse for getting up late or dawdling.

HiccupHorrendousHaddock · 09/01/2023 09:07

It’s the norm here too.

Ihatepcos · 09/01/2023 09:08

Not the norm around here. Is your child regularly late?

PollyEsther · 09/01/2023 09:09

Absolutely the norm. The days of detention being a punishment with actual meaning are long gone. They're dished out for every transgression these days, not like when we were younger and if you got detention you knew you'd pushed too far and gone over the line.

Weatherwax134 · 09/01/2023 09:32

It's the norm here, if the bus is late etc., then the detention isn't issued, or if someone has called school to say the students will be late for a reason. However, if they're just late because they set off late, were dawdling etc. then it's an after school detention.

RudsyFarmer · 09/01/2023 09:34

We used to be out on the late register but I never got a detention ( it also wasn’t my fault as my mother was always late and the traffic was HORRENDOUS£.

Nogbreaks · 09/01/2023 09:39

Twice in one week gets an afterschool detention at our school. Pretty standard.

LlynTegid · 09/01/2023 09:43

Pity it could not be the parents. We all know people who are habitually late for everything, perhaps it would install a sense of timekeeping in them.

The use of detention as with the rigid rules on school uniform have become the norm for many schools as the only things they can enforce. In part this has come about because of parents who somehow think any standards or rules don't apply to their children.

Pixiedust1234 · 09/01/2023 09:43

its normal and has been for decades.

What isn't normal is to be consistently late for school, or work, or concerts, or cinema. Is there a specific problem?

Pterrydactyl · 09/01/2023 09:57

It’s usual unless there’s a good reason for it.

For instance DC1 gets the school bus, and if he’s late because there’s a problem with that, he doesn’t get a detention.

Original poster
OhBitchPeas · 09/01/2023 13:06

Pixiedust1234 · 09/01/2023 09:43

its normal and has been for decades.

What isn't normal is to be consistently late for school, or work, or concerts, or cinema. Is there a specific problem?

Rather judgemental tone there.
Happy Monday to you too!

OP posts:
Original poster
OhBitchPeas · 09/01/2023 13:09

Thanks for your help everyone!

I have one in year 11 and one in year 7.

It used to be 3 lates = detention.

Then all the staff left, last year was a year of supply teachers and general chaos.

Now there's a new head, new everyone, there's not one teacher who didn't quit.

Now it's detention after all lateness so it's gone from one extreme to another and I wondered what the norm actually was.

OP posts:
PAFMO · 09/01/2023 13:11

Yes. If ours have 5 lates/detentions, a parent gets summoned for a meeting with the HT. And if the lateness is more than 15 minutes, they have to wait for the start of the next lesson.

PinkButtercups · 09/01/2023 13:16

I think when I was at school it was 3 lates then a detention but no one ever went to their dentitions. Not much they can do really.

Testina · 09/01/2023 13:17

“Now there's a new head, new everyone, there's not one teacher who didn't quit.”

The entire teaching staff in a secondary sized school all quit?

Re the detention: I think that’s heavy handed and I don’t think it’s the norm - but it’s a large minority.

MrsR87 · 09/01/2023 13:29

OhBitchPeas · 09/01/2023 13:09

Thanks for your help everyone!

I have one in year 11 and one in year 7.

It used to be 3 lates = detention.

Then all the staff left, last year was a year of supply teachers and general chaos.

Now there's a new head, new everyone, there's not one teacher who didn't quit.

Now it's detention after all lateness so it's gone from one extreme to another and I wondered what the norm actually was.

In my school, and what seems to be the norm in my area, it’s 3 lates = 1 after school detention.

However, the you’ve just had a new head teacher, they will want to be seen to be putting their stamp on things, especially anything that Ofsted would classify as a problem for the school. So if they were having problems with habitual lateness, it would be an unsurprising move.

Original poster
OhBitchPeas · 09/01/2023 13:33

Testina · 09/01/2023 13:17

“Now there's a new head, new everyone, there's not one teacher who didn't quit.”

The entire teaching staff in a secondary sized school all quit?

Re the detention: I think that’s heavy handed and I don’t think it’s the norm - but it’s a large minority.

All of them.

Im not exaggerating.

That includes non-teaching staff as well. SENCO, deputy head, house heads.

All of them. It's an absolute shit show.

The SENCO told me that the English teacher is on sabbatical, the English teacher is one of the originals and apparently that's the only way she would return is if they agreed for her to have a sabbatical.

OP posts:
Jimboscott0115 · 09/01/2023 13:38

PollyEsther · 09/01/2023 09:09

Absolutely the norm. The days of detention being a punishment with actual meaning are long gone. They're dished out for every transgression these days, not like when we were younger and if you got detention you knew you'd pushed too far and gone over the line.

Exactly this OP, detention used to be a big thing when I was as at school (left in '99 so not that long ago) but nowadays schools have confused instilling values and respect with discipline.

It's becoming very common for detentions to be dished out for everything you could think of nowadays and I think schools have it horribly wrong. I challenged it and received a patronising response around preparing kids for the world of work, cue me laughing when I told them most of their rules are irrelevant in most workplaces.

Unfortunately, this likely ties into the teaching issues where we've lost thousands upon thousands of good strong teaching staff due to incompetent government and have ended up with a lot less good, strong, experienced teachers.

whattodo1975 · 09/01/2023 13:40

OhBitchPeas · 09/01/2023 13:09

Thanks for your help everyone!

I have one in year 11 and one in year 7.

It used to be 3 lates = detention.

Then all the staff left, last year was a year of supply teachers and general chaos.

Now there's a new head, new everyone, there's not one teacher who didn't quit.

Now it's detention after all lateness so it's gone from one extreme to another and I wondered what the norm actually was.

In fairness is sounds like the new head teacher is trying to install a bit of discipline after a shit show. Which is fair.

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