Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

School detention for forgetting a ruler?

454 replies

Wizardo · 22/02/2024 11:04

Just interested - how many people have secondary school aged kids whose school gives a detention for forgetting basic equipment like a ruler?

I wonder does it really teach kids to be organised. Surely it just means disorganised people get lots of detentions? And feeds anxiety?

My schooling in the 90s felt pretty strict but this seems borderline bonkers. My dd currently “can’t borrow a school library book for the rest of the year” as she’s so anxious about getting a detention because she handed her last book in two weeks late. So now we are visiting our local library instead to provide her with books to read! I have obviously told her to just get the detention over and done with but she is adamant and determined to avoid it.

vote Yabu for No detention given
and Yanbu for Detention given.

OP posts:
dimllaishebiaith · 24/02/2024 13:10

calimali · 24/02/2024 12:59

Again, there is a massive difference between a 10p biro and a week's shopping. No one in the family is going hungry to buy a pen that will probably last the whole school year.

No one in the UK is living in absolute poverty. Relative poverty, yes. I see it. It is appalling in this day and age. But no, not absolute poverty. There are children in the world who truly cannot afford a pen, but not in the UK.

Enabling poorly behaved children to get away with not having a pen on the grounds that they are poor is doing them no favours. Schools are trying to equip them with life skills - which includes being responsible for organising themselves and remembering the very basic tool they need for the day. It is hardly a shocker that if you are going to to school you need a pen. It really isn't about pens or poverty. It is about following basic, sensible rules. Just as they will have to do once they leave school.

Edited
Show quote history

The term absolutely poverty is a defined one. I'm not plucking words out of the air to make it sound worse than it is. 23% of children live on absolute poverty in the UK. This is a defined statistic I have already provided the reference for upthread. Just because people live in different levels of poverty elsewhere doesn't mean me using the defined term is incorrect.

A humans three most basic needs are food, shelter and water. If they cannot buy one or more of these things they cannot afford anything else. I didn't say they couldn't buy it, or that they wouldn't buy it in the post you are responsing to. Im discussing the use of the word affordably. If you cannot afford food you cannot afford a pen. Yes it might be cheaper, but that's not the point I am making at all.

Enabling poorly behaved children to get away with not having a pen on the grounds that they are poor is doing them no favours.

And I havent suggested doing that....

Goodkat · 18/06/2024 21:56

FunLurker · 22/02/2024 11:13

They get a negative/behaviour point and 3 strikes and detention. This could be for forgetting a stationery item, having shirt untucked, walking wrong side of corridor anything really. But if caught vaping they just get isolation for 1 day. Fighting is isolation for 1 day. Swearing is also a negative. They get positives for holding doors open and handing books out, which is basic manners really

When do the 3 points renew? I mean is it if you get 2 negative points over the course of one day it's punished? or are you only allowed 3 points the whole week?

Daisybuttercup12345 · 18/06/2024 22:33

Smartiepants79 · 22/02/2024 11:16

As others have said if it happens regularly it’s a real pain. What happens if none of them can be bothered to remember their stuff?
It sounds like it would be more helpful if you could try and find her some systems that mean she is forgetting less things. A spare set of equipment that stays in her locker at school? Does she use reminders for things like library books. Local libraries fine you for late return and can stop you borrowing if you constantly return things late or not at all.
Kids will forget things, adults forget things, in the real world that has consequences. It’s not a big leap for school to also have consequences.
I would also be taking the drama out of the detention.

Our library doesn't fine for late kids books, only adults.

FunLurker · 19/06/2024 06:16

Goodkat · 18/06/2024 21:56

When do the 3 points renew? I mean is it if you get 2 negative points over the course of one day it's punished? or are you only allowed 3 points the whole week?

Show quote history

It doesn't get renewed. They also get strikes, so years 7-9 get 3 strikes, 10+11 get 2. These are like warnings ,so if messing about they get 1 strike , then 2 strikes then on 3rd strike they sent out of the room, if they then keep coming back in class or refuse to leave they get a detailed. These reset every lesson. The teachers don't all follow the rules which is a pain, wish they were all on same page, so to speak

New posts on this thread. Refresh page
Swipe left for the next trending thread