My 7 year old given a detention

[fols]

Can anyone let me know if you think I am over-reacting? My 7 year old was given a detention in school this week for apparently talking while walking up the stairs. Whilst I felt this was a bit of a 'lame' reason I understand schools have rules and if broken suitable punishments given. However... I asked my son what he would have to do for detention and he said stand in the playground against the wall for the whole of break time. I thought someone must have been winding him up but thought I would go and have a look just in case and sure enough there were about 8 pupils all standing in a line against the wall in the playground. Whilst I am ok with punishments I do feel that public humiliation in front of the whole junior school is not acceptable. Would appreciate any thoughts/comments? Thanks

that sounds really horrible and a very old-fashioned punishment, and talking on the stairs hardly seems like a big deal. Is the school really strict?

Children in dc school miss playtime if they break the rules, but they just stay inside. I think making them line up against the wall is ott.

Wow, that does seem both harsh and extremely old fashioned. And out of proportion - talking on the stairs hardly warrants public humiliation for a whole break time.

Is it a state school or private?

At ds's school they have to stand outside the staff room for break so both the school and all the teachers see them. Ds is 7. He's had detention for a variety of things this term including not running in sports and drawing a bottom with poo in class apparently (according to him) because other boys asked him to and he can draw very well. I thought the first was a bit but the second made me laugh. If he doesn't behave he gets detention. I think that is fair. Throughout our lives we have to adhere to rules so no bad thing making them understand at this age.

tmmj at ds's school they either stand outside the staff room or they go to a classroom at break and write out lines. I think you are spot on in betting they will have been told several times already. I have no sympathy for ds when he gets detention as I'm pretty sure he deserves it. I do think, however, he would get less detentions (a lot are for not paying attention in class) if the work he was given in class was more interesting (he is bright and bored and finds the work easy) but that is a discussion to be left for parents' evening.

When he got detention for not running I did call the school to speak to his games master, who confirmed it and said that he was very frustrating as he made no effort but was a naturally talented athlete (I wondered if he had confused ds with another boy).

Agree with mildmanneredjanitor, its unlikely that your son just got it for talking, he probably was asked to stop talking a couple of times so technically (probably without realising) he was also disobedient. Its quite common that children report the incident as 'all I did was...' without realising that having to be told several times is actually the most important element.

Its not about public humiliation - someone has already said this and has it spot on, the teachers outside supervise them so the other teachers can have their break. Also was he standing for the whole of break? It may well have been 5 or 10 minutes.

I don't personally see the problem with the rest of the school knowing the have been naughty, I doubt any of the other kids or teachers care at all! Everyone gets detentions now and again. Nobody (I hope) will have said 'you will be on display for the whole school to see' and no children or teachers will have gone up and asked why hes there. If this did happen then yes, that would be humiliating and I would have a problem with that.

I honestly don't have a problem with him being punished if he has done wrong I just objected to the way it was done. As I was walking along the road at least 3 of the boys came running over to me shouting that my son was on detention and pointing to the wall so obviously everyone knew why they were standing there and were teasing them. It was also for the full 15 minutes. I felt like it was something out of a charles dickens novel and would have thought a more appropriate punishment would have been to sit in a class/hall writing lines or even to stand outside the heads office so it was only teachers that saw.

I don't think the punishment is a big deal, at all.

I don't see any problem with it whatsoever. As you say - there were 8 boys lined up. So, it's not like he had been singled out and made a show of.

Also 3 boys "telling" you your son was in detension is not teasing.... ??? Did you actually see these boys around him teasing him? If so, that is a seperate issue in itself and you could have spoken to the teacher about him being teased - then maybe they'd have been lined up too :)

Does the school have a 'warnings' system?
It takes three in one day at ours to get a detention. Then they go to a classroom at lunchtime where they are supervised.
I'm not entirely happy with the lining-up-against-the-wall variety I must say.

Oh yes, and parents get a slip explaining the reasons, that they have to sign and return too. (for information, not permission)

cant see anything wrong with standing against wall - surely its just so that teacher doesn't have to stay inside with them.. dont think its humiliating etc - if its the normal punishment in school whats the problem?