Opinions on this new service at school please

[nutcracker]

Dd's have come home with this letter

'Occasionally children come into school upset because of something that is happening in their lives. Things like a pet dying, or a close family member ill, or in hospital. We want to offer the children in both key stages the oppurtunity to discuss these worries before coming into school.

We are opening a 'Drop-In' time in the dinning room from 8:30-8:50 am every morning to help children make a good positive start to the day.

Our pastoral staff will listen and respond to the childrens concerns and needs. We will pass on to the staff if the children need further support and if you, as parents need to be involved we will contact you.'

Can't decide what I think about this really. Does anyone else have a school that offers this ?

the more I think on it the more I think its a rather good idea

but at a crap time

It can be important and/or useful for teachers to know what is happening in pupils' lives. The school day is very structured and it can be ridiculously difficult to slot in times to chat and share events.

Last year, when I had my own class, I would spend the first 10 minutes of the school day doing a Check-In to ask how teh children were feeling. I only had time to choose four children but the information I found out during that 10 minutes was usually the most useful to me: e.g. dad had left on business for 3 months that morning and child hadn't been able to say goodbye; brother had seriously burned his arm and been taken to hospital; police were at a house in their street last night; child got hardly any sleep due to sn sibling's behaviour.

This sort of information was going to affect how that child performed in school that day and I would have to make allowances for that.

This is the sort of information the parent would usually know already - we're not talking disclosures here.

This sounds like a lovely idea a chance to listen to all children and not just 4. Tell your school you want more info, though.

i think its another instance of school taking over the parenting of out children. If children cannot talk to their parents then maybe some PARENTS need to enhance this skill, therefore what is really needed is some effort to change the school.parent culture. maybe with parenting classes - disguised as soething else, communication skills etcetc.

i think this is a short term measure devised by a well meaning social liberal, a plaster for an illness that deserves real treatment.

Agree with Custy.

And if the school day is that structured at primary level perhaps the school day needs changing.

I think it's a great idea actually.

If a primary-school-aged child's grandparent dies, they may be dealing very well and appropriately with their grief, but they still need people at school to know that; and that is probably the first thing they need 'dealing with' on their first day back in school.

The start of a day in a primary school is usually incredibly busy: everyone has 'a little something' they need to tell the teacher, the register needs taking, important notices read out, dinner money and trip money collected in, etc. etc. And in many schools that all needs to happen in 5 mins flat before whole school assembly!

If the child can be helped and supported by the school before the start of the school day, it's ideal IMO; rather than trying to deal with it publicly in front of a whole class.

In secondary it often works this way anyway. Parents or students come in early to advise SMT of significant "goings on" that all staff need to be aware of.

When my primary school-aged children's grandparent died, I had a word with their class teachers before they went into school. Surely the drop-in idea just adds another layer. Is someone taking notes to pass on to class teachers? Room for error? This idea just doesn't sit well with me.

i mean, thats the thing really, isn't it

arguably the parents should be the first port of call (don't really believe this, tbh, think kids should have as many trustworthy adults around as pos really and their choice of whom to turn to, but)

if my kids didn't, for whatever reason, want to talk to me, I'd be delighted if they had another adult, with distance on the situation, to talk to.

My mum, a teacher, was reading this thread. She felt it was great. She teaches 11 year old boys and says a similar scheme in her school has, to an extent, broken down some of the barriers these kids have to discussing their feelings.

overall i think its frightening how much your local education authority raises your child.

its like the state is bringing up your child - inflicting its own sense of good, bad, values, ambitions etcetc.

be very careful when addressing "those poor poor children who have no one else to talk to"

becuase what you are really thinking is " this doesnt apply to me - or isnt likley to"

sit back think about it.

your child is moulded by its school 6 hours a day.

we s parents like lemmings follow societies rules - work harder, get mortgage, pay for car, must enter into mass consumerism, need therefore to work even harder.

so your working hard.

suddenly theres a breakfast club
an after schools club or activity or homeowrk club

your kid is at school from 8am until 5pm

howver i fully accept that the ruling major force in a childs life is the power of parent. its what fucks up many kids - all of us to some degree.

all i am saying is that schools have more and more powers to take over the wellbeing of your child.

becuase government think that you are incapable.

instead of addressing this at an adult level - they address the reformation of society through the school system. Using their power as an authority over you as the parent.

but worse, using their power as an authority figure over children.

so beware this slippery slope. that tells you how to feed your children through school, how to talk to your children through school, how to sexually educate your children through school,

as a parent we essentially end up creating money for the cycle of mass consumerism and capitalism entering into a system where we find we have little choice but to leave our children for 8/9 hours a day. perpetuating the cycle.

Oh, round of applause for Custardo. You've put it much better than I could.

Three cheers for Custy!

cwor. ta!

Brilliant post, Custy.

Schools are in loco parentis, yes. Can't get away from that. Well you can, you can home ed.

Breakfast/after school run by completely different staff and different organisation. You can choose no childcare, childminder, family, nanny, etc.

Changing adult behaviour is addressed via social work, NHS, community ed, etc. Referrals, liaison between them all going on the whole time.

The primary school curriculum is overloaded - many people think so including teachers. E.g health ed, personal/social development. Very valid point.

Don;t understand your last sentence, custy. Do you mean schools encourage children to become mass consumers and capitalists?

no, meant mass consumerism is a cycle we want more - we work more.

i just dont get the problem, tbh

they are not raising these kids

they are offering a listening ear before school.

imo schools should be doing this anyway. they shouldn't be places to go and get learning and then come home.

i am fairly often a shite parent. I lose my temper and don't bake nearly enough cakes or recognise their emotional needs yada yada. I study and MN when I should be talking to them. for this reason i donate money to childline every month. so that if need be my kids can talk to someone about me.

I thought this was standard nowadays. Our primary school and secondary school have offered this for years. It's a lunchtime drop-in session, although children can also put notes in a special box if they want to book a session.

It's all handled very professionally, only qualified counsellors take the sessions etc.

I think it's great such services are offered, although as a parent I would be upset to think my children didn't come to me. But having said that, the important thing is that children talk to someone responsible, and many children don't have that do they.

i think it is a good idea, but would be good to do it at lunchtime aswell maybe.