To wonder what has happened to my Son's school

[k2493]

Just posting for thoughts

Both my kids have gone through the same secondary school. When my daughter started, the school was lovely and new with around 750 kids.

Fast forward to 2024 and there is now 1500 kids and it's become like a dictatorship.

Due to the number of kids, the school has put lines either side of the hallway that they have to walk within otherwise they get detention.

Every hallway is a one way system.

The minute they arrive in school, they have to remove their coats or it's detention even with no heating in the middle of winter. The other day my son arrived back to school to find that there were long queues outside while they did two uniform checks at the door. By the time he got in, he was frozen. Immediately he got shouted at for still having his coat on even though he had just stepped in from the cold.

He then went around the corner and got shouted at again even though he tried to explain it's really difficult to be expected to stay warm, keep moving and remove your coat all at the same time. Nope. Threaten with detention again.

AIBU to wonder what has happened to our education system? I'm lucky in that my son is quite strong minded and just brushes it off but what about the kids who's mental health this is impacting? Surely we want our kids to remember school as being enjoyable for their education and friendships rather than for being shouted at every two minutes for not walking between lines or not taking their coats off the minute they arrive in school?

Ruler gate has hit a new low. Kid in DDs class drew a line under a title, when they weren't even told to. It was a bit wobbly. Teacher asked why it was wobbly and he'd forgotten his ruler. So he got detention.

It's just ridiculous. Getting detention when the teacher didn't even ask them to use the equipment forgotten. How was that justified? It didn't disrupt anything, didn't disturb others asking to borrow anything. If the poor kid hadn't tried to hand draw a line no one would even have known.

Bloody ridiculous.

I'm thinking of starting a competition, whoever gets detention for the dumbest non issue gets a £50 Amazon voucher. Make the school look as stupid as it is, and give the kids a laugh about it.

😂 Oh dear! It's funny but sad too!

Same here!

But surely it's a vicious circle? How can a parent or DC have respect for a school like those discussed? I have lots of respect for my Dd's school as it's a good school. I can't say I have any respect for the awful school many of her friends go to.

It really hasn't.

That's abusive. I would be kicking off so much about that, reporting to Governors, my MP. Absolutely disgusting. If they can't get Primary DC to stand in a line without resorting to this they clearly have real issues.

Then you'd have even more behaviour problems.

Honestly I did. I lost my mind and went absolutely mental at the head teacher. he denied any responsibility in the matter and blamed his teachers for the idea. Spineless man. To be honest I didn't think at the time what to do I was just so angry. But I'm logging everything and If it happens again or they do something else then I will be taking it further.

It's not one school. It's a fashion that is spreading to many, many schools. And they're not all big. Our local school following this is only 4 form entry - smaller than my Dd's school.

Exactly - most parents are invested.

This is so true. My child’s school is exactly like this & has created a very negative atmosphere because of the zero tolerance approach to any minor misdemeanours. I also can’t stand their ridiculous ‘SLANT’ system which expects kids to behave like robots not individuals!

They actually use these methods in Primary schools in America.

How pathetic is that

Wow sounds like my daughter’s school. It’s depressing isn’t it…..

Have only read through the first few pages but this is how my DD's school (Academy) has gone. New head back in Sept & so many very strict rules which don't make a lot of sense - just before Xmas students were told that even one occasion of being late to school would be a detention AND they cannot use public transport issues as an 'excuse' - genuinely mind boggled by this as its well known in our area for busses to be cancelled/short staffed/broken down (that's a topic for another day!) but there are to be no exceptions to this rule and if it happens a second time, it's an automatic after school detention.
DD has SEN (med/physical and ASC) and gets taxi to school. We have spoken to the company re the new rules about lateness as it's making her so anxious but they can only collect her so early and the variabilities of the traffic/weather/accidents are very much beyond anyone's control!
Her school also don't allow coats inside but as she is in a w/chair she often has to go outside to get access to other parts of the campus; she struggles to maintain & regulate body temp as part of her medical issues and she has a muscle disease that causes extreme fatigue as well as an upper limb disability making taking her coat on/off extremely arduous. Her already high levels of anxiety around school mean that getting her there at all now is a daily battle.
I don't know what the way forward is as I genuinely feel for staff and other students hearing some of the behavioural issues that go on at times but it feels like a sledgehammer to crack a nut approach.
No doubt too that covid lockdowns did such a number on tweens & teens in terms of them missing important normal milestones, broadening their confidence, natural social behaviours & growth mindset that they are far less well-rounded and emotionally mature than young people gone before them - in our experience and compared to my other children anyway.

Same at my dds school. Detentions for ridiculousness, behaviour points no one knows why or who put them, but follow them for their entire school career.

I am realistic about my childrens faults, ultimately they are good teens who won’t question, won’t explain as they feel it will be answering back and rude. They volunteer for things and do good in the community, yet none of that is recognised. A forgotten ruler is. it doesn’t teach about real life, it’s crowd control. And I understand why. It’s just sad, the children don’t get to flourish they are just zero toleranced into submission. What works for one doesn’t work for all. For some it will breed nothing but resentment and a hatred of school (authority) and learning.

mine started secondary during the covid periods so had no inductions, they struggled with it, to the point I was really very worried, for them the lockdowns and home schooling was a blessing as it just gave them a chance to find their feet a bit with the changes.
I do appreciate that for a lot it was horrific (which is also my one size doesn’t fit all point)

in my dd’s secondary school they are not allowed to wear coats (and has to be a proper coat not a hoodie type one) in school. They’ve just changed the uniforms but as DD is year 11 she is still in the old style. Skirts are banned altogether because of a few who couldn’t abide by the rules. Yes, doesn’t matter to their learning what length of skirt they are wearing but to me, if they can’t abide by a simple rule then all of them have been punished (fortunately my DD prefers trousers), they also have the one way system but so did I and o left school over 30 years ago so not actually a new thing

My son is in year 8. It’s ran exactly like this and like a business. It’s an academy so sponsored by businesses. They get behaviour points just for breathing. Kids are like performing monkeys and cogs in a machine. Stat driven with no real pastoral care. Kids are ridden hard to produce good results and demonised for the smallest of things. It’s like they don’t want them to think or have a mind of their own. The ones that do go against the system are weeded out and excluded for the most pitiful reasons.

That is SO ridiculous! I hope you told your son he didn’t have to do the detention?!

Was your school in Warwickshire by any chance? I went to a school like that and we called the teacher's by their first names as well. My daughter's school sounds like a prison in comparison and I don't think I would be the strong person I am today if I'd gone to a school like that

Maybe because people like you believe children should be treated like prisoners. You get the respect you project to others

Exactly why my neirodiverse child camt attend.
7 to 10 pieces of homework every week and detentions if u don't do it!

Yep because lord help us if some of the kids have a little giggle in class from time to time to lighten the mood.

Why can't they attempt the homework

The ironic thing is, a business is ran nothing like this….in terms of how staff are treated.

Children in many secondary schools today are treated like criminals…..and in fact, burglars get off with much less!
I totally agree with your post 100% - it’s shocking and the people arguing for it worry me.