'Naughty' at school. How do I deal with this at home?

[RatOnnaStick]

So DS1 has been gaining a reputation over this term for naughtiness which has culminated in him being sent more than once to another class (penultimate punishment before head's office). Today's offence was doing star jumps behind teacher every time she turned to face the whiteboard. He got laughs and kudos from his playmates and a huge telling-off (of course) but nothing seems to make him actually change his behaviour.

In truth the class is full of boisterous boys and there have been several whole-class punishments for misbehaviour over the last year. For a while it all settles down and then a few children start mucking about again and generally encouraging the others to follow and the whole cycle starts again. DS1 is, unfortunately, an instigator in this along with about 4 or 5 others.

What can I do at home to get him to understand how disruptive his joking can be?

How old is he?
If he were my son, he’d be writing an apology to the teacher for starters. As he is keen to do lots of exercise (the star jumps), I’d have him doing extra chores and having less tv/screen time. Physical chores could include raking leaves, gardening, washing the car.... I find that if it’s cold or even raining then he’s more likely to be sorry.

He's 7, yr2. The written apology is a good idea. Physical outdoor stuff is part of the weekend anyway which he always enjoys.

We have a very similar class in the school where I teach. They have a notorious reputation within the school and parents of some of the better behaved children are beginning to loose patience with all the shenanigans. We are beginning to move towards more extreme measures i.e. Internal and external exclusions. I suggest being proactive and asking for a meeting with the teacher to devise a way forward in terms of a behaviour plan. Daily communication is key. Rewards and sanctions that you have agreed together with the school and your son would seem a good place to start. Supportive ( to the school) parents generally have children with acceptable behaviour unless SEN is involved so I'm sure you will see a difference soon.

Is he like this at home? Is he rude to you or behaving badly at home? If not it may be ineffective teachers. It's not just him so maybe the teacher isn't very good at class control.

I think the written apology is a great idea.

I wouldn't go blaming the teacher, as Mamabear suggests: many little boys (and girls for that matter) behave totally different when they have an audience of their peers. Chances are he is charmed by being the attention of the class and simply hasn't thought about what it is like for the teacher or the children trying to learn. A letter is ideal because it makes him reflect on that.