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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Being made to sit on the floor

277 replies

MandaLo · 27/09/2023 17:10

I'm genuinely interested to hear what others thoughts are on this.

DS10 is in a class with a teacher new to their school. She's very young but seems quite pleasant when I've spoken to her.

He told me last week that as a punishment for talking the teacher is making children sit on the classroom floor for 30 minutes each time. It hadn't happened to him though.

Today he came out of school to say that he'd asked the child next to him what book they'd chosen from the library and was made to sit on the floor for half an hour. He wasn't massively upset, just said that his bum went numb from it.

I've never come across this before. DS said some children are constantly on the floor. Does this sound ok?

OP posts:
FoodFann · 27/09/2023 19:58

They should be following a behaviour policy, which most definitely will not include physical punishments. It’s really not okay. IMHO it is a sackable/disciplinary situation.

cherish123 · 27/09/2023 20:01

Of course it's okay. It's her job to discipline him.
YABU
He was probably interrupting or chatting.

Pixiedust49 · 27/09/2023 20:03

FoodFann · 27/09/2023 19:58

They should be following a behaviour policy, which most definitely will not include physical punishments. It’s really not okay. IMHO it is a sackable/disciplinary situation.

What? Is this a joke?

cherish123 · 27/09/2023 20:04

@FoodFann are you for real?!?
No physical punishment was mentioned by OP.
Children are regularly moved if they talk or disrupt the class.

ArseInTheCoOpWindow · 27/09/2023 20:04

Littlemissalone · 27/09/2023 17:51

Over reaction. I make my young pupils sit on the floor or away from others if they talk or make noises when I am. It's a natural consequence and it works for me. It's not in the behaviour policy but so what? Teachers do their own things to manage minor disruptions.

Stop shitting on teachers. The majority of us try our best and just want children to learn. If your child is talking when they shouldn't be, then they are disrupting other children.

This.

How else are they supposed to deal with troublemakers?

Stand them in the corner? Hands on heads?Theyve got to do something. What would you suggest?

Hercisback · 27/09/2023 20:05

@jenpil Attitudes like "it's OK to talk about your book when the teacher is talking" are exactly the type of attitude that's a bloody nightmare to deal with in the classroom. No it isn't OK to be talking about anything when the teacher is talking. You should be silently listening.

rollonretirementfgs · 27/09/2023 20:05

Seems weird, but he knew the consequences but still spoke to his mate

irisretic · 27/09/2023 20:06

This isn’t out of the 90s as one poster said, it is out of the 60s and is shaming the child. I don’t think that is acceptable.

Takeitonthechin · 27/09/2023 20:14

If she'd have taken the ruler and hit his bum, then maybe I'd be upset, but having to sit on the floor for talking when he wasn't suppose to be is a very minimal punishment imo.
The thing is, will he learn from his mistake!

bemorebernard · 27/09/2023 20:24

Why can't they just send them up the heads office anymore

onestepfromgrace · 27/09/2023 20:28

My reaction would have been well you won’t do that again will you?

He’s 10 he was sat on the floor, it was a one off for him, it’s not punishment or shaming it’s consequences.

No wonder children are growing up with no resilience.

The teachers are under enough pressure give them some respect, the schools are underfunded and overstretched, most do a great job that many parents take for granted.

Stop insinuating she doesn’t know what she’s doing because she is new. Don’t add more pressure to her day by complaining to the head.

ffs I despair

OCDmama · 27/09/2023 20:42

I dunno, I don't think YABU. Something about this makes me feel weird and uncomfortable, and I think you might feel that too OP.

I think maybe it's the physical requirement to sit uncomfortably on the floor for a relatively long time. It seems quite a lot to me.

Lancrelady80 · 27/09/2023 20:44

bemorebernard · 27/09/2023 20:24

Why can't they just send them up the heads office anymore

Because with Federations, many schools now have an Executive Headteacher who is head for several schools. Therefore they may only be in on certain days. One school I worked at had an Executive Head who only came to our school one day a week, and sometimes timetabled himself to have a working from home day. Plus courses, meetings with Multi-Academy Trusts, parents...

The school I now work at has one Executive Head shared with two other schools. There is no Deputy, but each school does have one teacher with similar responsibilities for extra pay, in case shit hits the fan on a day the head is elsewhere. But those teachers are also full-time classteachers and would not really have time or patience to deal with low-level disruptions, as their own classes would be disrupted too.

Moonlightonthemoor · 27/09/2023 20:50

Warning - children being subjected to physical punishment during assembly on a regular basis!

Being made to sit on the floor
ShutTheDoorBabe · 27/09/2023 20:53

bemorebernard · 27/09/2023 20:24

Why can't they just send them up the heads office anymore

If you send a child to the headteacher for every minor indiscretion such as talking when they ought to be listening, there would be a queue a mile long outside their office and no-one actually in the lesson!

I think some posters are just writing any old shit just to try and stir up trouble tbh, with suggestions of sacking the teacher or it being a physical punishment and shaming the child etc etc. and trying to make it an anti-teacher pile-on.

Singleandproud · 27/09/2023 20:53

Sitting on the floor as a collective or for small group work or even if that's the child's preferred working position is not the issue.

Sitting on the floor as a punishment is.

LolaandChai · 27/09/2023 20:56

Littlemissalone · 27/09/2023 17:51

Over reaction. I make my young pupils sit on the floor or away from others if they talk or make noises when I am. It's a natural consequence and it works for me. It's not in the behaviour policy but so what? Teachers do their own things to manage minor disruptions.

Stop shitting on teachers. The majority of us try our best and just want children to learn. If your child is talking when they shouldn't be, then they are disrupting other children.

^ This 💯

Strictly1 · 27/09/2023 21:00

But is it a punishment or is it you’re not listening so sit closer so I know you’re listening.
Children often sit on the floor in assemblies/plays etc. it’s hardly a punishment!

Rudolphthefrog · 27/09/2023 21:19

OP what kind of “sitting on the floor” are we talking about? My initial reaction was based on the fact that of the three y6 classrooms I have been in recently, none of them had what you might call a carpet space, or in fact anywhere anyone could sit on the floor except in between desks, surrounded by chair and table legs, on fairly muddy/wet/gluey tiled floors, unable to see. I think that’s really inappropriate.

Others seem to be talking about moving the child to some sort of designated carpet area to listen to instructions like you might have in an infant’s classroom - in which case I don’t think it’s quite as bad as I thought. Albeit I’m not sure expecting a child to produce good quality written work in that position is reasonable.

OldChinaJug · 27/09/2023 22:01

FoodFann · 27/09/2023 19:58

They should be following a behaviour policy, which most definitely will not include physical punishments. It’s really not okay. IMHO it is a sackable/disciplinary situation.

And what would you do with a child/children who consistently talk when they've been asked not to, when they've been told not to, when they've been reminded of the expectations, when they've been given a clear warning about what will happen of they continue to talk and not do their work and they still continue to talk? Just let them?

Being moved away from others they are disturbing is an appropriate response. If there are no free tables in the classroom to sit them at there are two choices - make them sit outside the room or tell them to sit on the carpet and complete their work there.

Or the third option, let them get on with it and them keep them in for the whole of their breaktime to do the work they missed? And what of the other children who couldn't do their work because of the interruptions? Do they have to miss their breaktime too?

Totaly · 27/09/2023 22:59

So which would you prefer - your DS disturbing the lesson and then sitting on the floor so the lesson can continue - or his disturbing the lesson and then given a detention.

At least this way the lesson could continue and your son was there to listen and later join in.

gemma19846 · 28/09/2023 18:15

They should have their behaviour policy on their website

itsalongwaybackfromsorry · 28/09/2023 18:16

Assemblies can be 20-30 minutes easily and children sit on the floor.

It's not a physical punishment ffs.

Skodacool · 28/09/2023 18:42

The school should have a written behaviour policy. Ask for a copy then you can see whether the teacher is following it.

Sherrystrull · 28/09/2023 18:52

It's standard practice to move children apart if they are talking when they shouldn't.

If the classroom is full it is impossible to move them to a different chair as there are no spares.

I often move talking children from the table to the carpet. They can see the board better, are away from distractions and are able to concentrate better.

Im honestly agog at some of these responses.

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