AIBU to think some school policies are at least partially responsible for the rise in pupil unhappiness?

[Alittlebitofmin]

A friend’s kid described school like a prison. He is likely to be a school success story set to get really good grades, but sees school as something to mainly tolerate. AIBU to think the school system itself is at least a significant partial reason why teenagers report lower levels of happiness at schools in England? Schools seem increasingly punitive and restrictive, pressure seems high, some children are even made to feel guilty if they have a day off sick.

Why are we still talking about pencil case charms ??? That poster was talking about Australian faith based schools . Most UK sad face September news parents would have an absolute coronary . They are like the 1950s !

London inner city schools have been on the up
sincr the 90s . They had money pumped into them left right and centre . Everyone wanted to work in London when I was training . Inner city Leeds or Hull not so much . They used to get the police dogs out on leavers day in a school I knew of in Hull !

Micheala?

DD wouldn't have coped, let alone thrived. A complete people pleaser, she would be constantly second guessing and over thinking every tiny thing she might have done wrong.

She had a very zero-tolerance rules based primary (no other option as i couldn't afford private) and started self harming because she was constantly afraid she was doing something wrong without realising it.

They get the results by selection - parents avoid if their children wouldn't cope, and SEN is bullied out.

I worked briefly (non teaching) in a high achieving state grammar in Bucks, they also had police sniffer dogs in. 90% wealthy families, of course many of their darling boys were taking drugs! But that's OK, because it's just a youthful phase. Unlike those dodgy working class youths in the inner city comp...

People would really like that to be true. Actually the proportion of kids on SEN support at Michaela is higher than the national average.

Fair enough. There are some forms of SEN that will absolutely thrive in a highly regimented system. It would have destroyed DD's mental health.

Michaela just posted their results.

Trying to pretend that this has nothing to do with their extreme micromanagement of pupils would be silly.

It goes back to selection. They select children who will achieve in that environment. So yes, their pupils achieve. That's not an argument for extending that environment to the majority of schools.

Just as schools that select for academic ability will get better academic results than schools that don't select for academic ability.

I disagree. They select pupils who will benefit from their approach. They get rid of pupils who aren't coping with their approach. That doesn't equate to their approach working for all - or even a majority - of pupils.

I was a straight A student at GCSEs (and then A levels). I don't think i would have coped with that micro management. And I don't think it is healthy. At some point pupils go out into the world. They need self management skills.

Schools which select kids based on academic ability don't even do that well.

It suggests that 'petty' rules may help to improve results, doesn't it?

For pupils that benefit from that environment. DD was mentally destroyed by a far less rigorous regime, because she desperately wanted to comply but was constantly on edge in case she made a mistake.

Her sister, with attachment disorder, would probably have done well, she was very good at manipulating and controlling adults. She could play the system like a pro.

(Adopted after years of neglect)

No it was to clear them off site as they were on the roof on leavers day .

Throwing bricks

Sorry to hear that. DD's inner city comp didn't have those issues. So I don't think it is representative

I find the 'extreme micromanagement' - to use your words - of young people quite worrying. The justification of good exam results doesn't justify the long term consequences of denying teenagers any autonomy.

It might please teachers and parents, but surely an important part of the teenage years is developing autonomy? Thinking for yourself, even if that means disagreeing with adults?

Yes, i do equate the emphasis on blind obedience with the Nazi regime and 'just obeying orders'. Because it seems to me that michaela is based on 'just obeying orders' rather than developing the ability to think independently.

That works, of course, in succeeding in exams that work to a marking scheme. Pupils can be trained to maximise marks.

But surely education is more than exam marks? It is about teaching young people to think, analyse, and make decisions based on evidence?

I'd be interested to know how the former Michaela students do in other 6th Forms where they are expected to be more autonomous.

It also means "parents didn't treat" as well.

Baital

As you have pointed out

If there wasn't a school uniform there would still be a dress code.
And there would still be parents banging on about how the dress code is restrictive, nothing to do with education, based on preventing the "male gaze" etc etc.

But as Noblegiraffe has pointed out its the majority of parnets that want uniform.
Even to the extent that when given the option for polo shirts over shirts they choose shirts. (Yes, a sample sioze of one school).

@Baital

But surely education is more than exam marks? It is about teaching young people to think, analyse, and make decisions based on evidence?

If you ask any teacher what they would like education to be this ^ is likeley to be the answer.

But the government, DfE and mant parents have made it all about exams.
And this was stated by many teachers and we were told to shut up and stop whinging.

As I said in my other post "you got what you wanted."

Its not about 'hard' 🙄
Its about overly strict rules for the sake of it, rather than the comfort of the students.
what is the 'right way' to lace shoes though? Ever consider that some people have different foot issues like wide feet or high arches and different lacing patterns help that? The shoes are neatly laced, they are the correct shoes, its just nitpicking for the sake of it.
The bag charm is to identify the bag when you have 20 kids who have similar or same bags and they are supposed to put their bags in a group.
Ill give you a third example. Wearing a plain tshirt under the school dress because the student feels the cold. A tiny bit of tshirt the same colour as the dress shows above the dress and student gets in trouble.
Its a waste of teachers time, and it disingages students as it teaches them rules for the sake of it are more important than being comfortable so they can focus on school work.

Nonsense. Our primary had a uniform but it wasnt excessively restrictive. Nobody complained.
Our high school is ridiculously nit picky about uniform and every single parent I know thinks its ridiculous.

Not me. I have never been asked.

I think a lot of people suck up the more pointless rules (including parents and staff), but it doesn’t mean they don’t cause unnecessary friction or reduce trust and respect. Some schools have bullying cultures - if staff feel bullied by staff, why wouldn’t the children? There can be a uniform, without the disruption to lessons of children and teachers pissing around with requests to remove a blazer. Were parents asked “would you prefer a uniform” or were they asked “do you think it’s beneficial that your child gets a detention for removing a blazer on a bus in high temperatures?” A child shouldn’t have to be in the no-win situation of getting a detention for being late to a lesson because they didn’t want to leak through their sanpro. I’ve seen lots of polarisation in some responses with no nuance whatsoever.

Maybe that school hasn't experienced the same issues. My own critical thinking skills, and my experience working in multiple schools as supply leads me to the conclusion that individual schools have different challenges to deal with, different behaviour patterns seen in their pupils, and respond accordingly.