To think children shouldn't be swearing in primary school

[Dishwashersaurous]

I'm genuinely interested in opinions and how this would be tackled in other schools.

There is a boy at my son's school who every single lunchtime will come and swear aggressively at my son. I understand he also does it to other children.

I've told my son to report to a teacher every single time, which he does.

However, it appears that there is no consequence or punishment for this child for the swearing. Then the next day the same thing happens again.

I intend to talk to the school about it because my son is now dreading breaktime and being sworn at.

However, Aibu to expect children not to swear at a primary school and that there should be action by the school to stop a child who does?

Eh? The upper echelons are full of degenerates

Swearing has becoming completely and utterly normalised. Whether or not you think that is good or bad, right or wrong, the effect of that is when you want to escalate an argument, or even use language to shock, there is nowhere to go; you've used up all your ammo.

I think it would be brilliant to denormalise swearing, but I guess that boat has sailed, largey due to mainstream media like the BBC who choose to stuff it down our throats in every drama.

God I feel old sometimes.

There's a huge difference between swearing and using language aggressively towards people. I find it very hard to believe all these people claiming not to have known what swear words meant in late primary - I'm 57, went to a nice friendly school in the Netherlands and by Yr6 I absolutely knew what those words were, what they meant and when they could and could not be used.

We always taught our kids never to swear 'at' people, but that there was nothing wrong with saying 'fuck that hurts' if they had hurt themselves. Because that isn't aggressive towards anyone. They're perfectly functional young adults now.

Swearing at school was always a hard no though, I hope the school sorts this out.

It might seem over the top but the school isn’t overly strict. But they do have behaviour under control and have good results etc so I agree with something they’re doing in their behaviour management.

I'm shocked some people think it's okay to use swearing in the playground. My DS age 5 told a kid had taught him some
"Bad words" but he wasn't allowed to say them. I asked him to whisper them just once to me and they were bad bitch and fuck off.

I was pretty gutted my 5 year old had learnt about swear words already! I mentioned it to the teacher who said he's aware and deals with it with the other child at the time

Primary children swear at school because they hear it at home. If they don't hear it they don't do it.

I had a five year old foster child once who used to come out with words like 'fucking slag' and 'bitch'. Took him all of three weeks to stop using those words after he moved in with us. Children are a reflection of their home life.

My parents were pretty liberal in a lot of respects but swearing was very limited to shit/bugger/damn and only in appropriate contexts - ie you hit your thumb with a hammer/fall over the cat/cut yourself..

Really did not hear swearing in the playground in primary school ('84 onward) with the odd exception which was obviously where a kid had heard it, repeated it for effect/to try it out, got a bollocking from a teacher/dinnerlady and stopped. Certainly did not hear children directing it at one another aggressively, it'd just be the odd giggle and whispering and then an 'I dare you' to say it out loud at which point they'd be caught because little children are no where near as subtle as they think they are.

So I don't agree that they must be hearing it at home - they could just as easily be hearing it from other kids. Equally, just hearing it at home does not automatically equate to using it at school, it is possible to teach kids about context!

No. Swearing has always happened in primary schools. It's not about whether there's a reason or justification for it. Kids push boundaries, try to get a reaction, and enjoy saying things among themselves that they know wouldn't be allowed in front of adults. It is normal behaviour. If it is done within earshot of a teacher, kids will usually get in trouble for it. It's unbelievably naïve to think that primary school children don't swear! The aggressive attitude to your son is a different matter though, and yes school should be dealing with it.

In my school, the punishment is usually 10 minutes' time out and we will notify parents. I've been called a cunt by a 5 year old!

Primary schools can and do have consequences for children swearing but they can't stop the words actually coming out of their mouths. So, yes, it shouldn't happen but yes, it will.

I’m a teacher. The kids sometimes swear, we have a word of course and explain it’s not appropriate for school but it’s low on the list of concerns to be honest and ultimately just words they have overheard.

My DCs went to an elementary school where there was zero tolerance for swearing or using coarse language in speech (in the US). Parents would be called to a serious conference if it happened more than once.

I consider such a rule a very basic part of establishing a positive school environment.

deprioritisng it doesn't help

Agree.

The school DCs attended was a private (RC) elementary.

It may be in some schools - it wasn’t at DT’s. It was clamped down on. It wasn’t acceptable at school or at home. DT’s and their friends didn’t swear even if they knew the words.

They are just words though. Frankly schools have bigger concerns.

That’s just a lazy excuse. Schools (and parents) should deal with poor language. It wasn’t acceptable when I was at school and shouldn’t be now.

Big difference between one swear word for stubbing a toe and someone calling people effing slag, stupid effing bitch, piece of effing shit - we had this and it was used to bully. School should do something about that I feel.

I went to a lovely, tiny primary school in the 80s, parents who I don't remember swearing at home and I know I knew swear words in primary school.

10 yo dd was called a fucking piece of shit at school by a boy the same age recently. Because no teachers heard it they wouldn’t reprimand the boy. He’s from a naice middle class family but has a foul mouth. Personally, I never heard most swear words until secondary, I feel sorry for my kids not having the same.

I'm mid 30s and went to a very large primary school in a not so nice area and I only remember hearing swearing once or twice and it was quite shocking and dealt with very seriously by the teachers, I don't know what's happened that this is accepted as the norm now.

I certainly wouldn't be happy if my daughter was being sworn at aggressively at school, I would hope the child in question would be sanctioned appropriately

There is zero tolerance in our prep school - if a child is heard swearing, parents are informed and they are firmly told the language is not appropriate. Second offence is instant temporary exclusion.

It isn't acceptable in primary schools imo and excusing it because there are bigger problems is simply deflecting. If a school has zero tolerance for small misdemeanours, rebels will be looking to break these rules instead of resorting to worse things to gain attention.

Well it is now. But it wasn't always that way. Every generation basic standards of conduct get looser and looser

What age are you referring to?

After all, a 4 year old swearing is very different to an 11 year old swearing.

It says something if swearing is seen as something not worth bothering with in Primary School these days.