School gave detention unfairly

[mamatiger83]

Just a bit of a rant!
My son is in senior school (year 7) and has an app on his phone in place of a homework diary. I have the same app and as such can see when he is set homework assignments and check in to make sure he has completed everything that needs doing.
He has homework due in tomorrow, this is stated clearly on the app. It is not a massive piece of work and doing it tonight would have been no issue for him.
His teacher today has issued and enforced a lunchtime detention for said homework not being completed! I am furious and waiting for a member of guidance to call me back. I imagine I will not be the only parent complaining as 90% of the class (I am told) have also not completed the homework as it is not due in until tomorrow!!!!

If it's anything like the app used as ds's school teachers enter homeworks & tasks with due dates. Students can enter personal tasks such as remember to bring in PE kit or maths textbook etc & they can mark teacher set tasks off as completed but they cannot alter the homework task or due date set by the teacher.

Hi sorry for the delay in updating!
Yes ds is allowed to use his phone on breaks and lunchtime as long as it is not in the school building which is how he called me and didn't get in trouble.
I have spoken to the guidance team who queried with the teacher and she admitted the mistake and will apologise to the class tomorrow. It's not ideal but I'm happy to hear it hadn't been denied and my son won't get a dreaded behaviour point. There's nothing that can be done really aside from an apology.
Oh and all who had a lunchtime detention get to go in first for lunch tomorrow since they missed the majority today and to quote my son the food they had left was completely disgusting.

@Kazzyhoward it is the same app, this is the first time there's been an issue and I'm hoping the last!

I'd ask for the detention to be carried over for future. Dd would like having a Get out of jail free card. I'm not sure if the school would allow it, but I'd ask just in case.
Do you know what happens with behaviour points? They brought them in at dd's school when they introduced SIMs, but they didn't explain to the parents what they get them for and what happens if they get them.
Glad they have accepted it was wrong and I hope your son feels ok about it.

Perhaps the teacher will be shamed into listening the next time the class try to explain a mistake has been made.
Personally I would complain. It's so unfair. Mistakes happen but not to realise something was up when loads of them hadn't done the work and not to listen to an explanation is heavy handed at best.
Poor kid.

I'm not anticipating him getting another detention to be honest however if he does get one I'm sure it would be deserved and I wouldn't undermine the schools authority (without good reason obviously)
In my sons school it's just a reward system, though I've yet to see what the incentive actually is! Ds is happily plodding although which is all I'm really concerned with.

I wouldn't hesitate in complaining if something like this were to happen again @Wolfiefan in this case though the teacher just seemed to take it on the chin and I'm happy the class will get an apology. Like you said previously it promotes a good example of respect.

I really hope they do get an apology. Y7 students in particular can be really anxious to avoid detentions. Having to sit through a detention you KNOW isn't deserved and worrying about what other consequences you might face could be really stressful for some kids.
Here's hoping to no more mistakes and no more detentions.

Fingers crossed, I will be the first one on the phone however if no apology is forthcoming. Thanks for chatting with me :)

My ds school use Smhw too.

I'm glad it's sorted and they are doing something good to counteract it. (First lunch)

I agree with whoever said above that teaches should listen to students and remember they are human and make mistakes as much as the next person.

Do schools that have SMHW have planners that need to be signed by parents too? Or is it instead of them?

Instead of planners, at least in ds school anyway. The app is on my phone and synced to my personal calendar so I receive an alert when homework has been set the same way ds does.

It's a good idea. The only detention dd has had was because she forgot to ask me to sign her planner/I forgot to sign it. It would be good not to have to remember week in week out!

I remember having to get my parents to sign a homework diary back when I was in school ( so many years ago!!)

There may have been the odd occasion my siblings and I forged a signature or 2!!

I probably would have done that too. In fact i remember forging a sick note! Dd doesn't take after me and is a good girl!

As well as planners in ds school - that we sign weekly.

All ds planner ever says is "toilet x time" and me writing that he needs to leave at 3 every week because he sees his pysch. They log any lunchtime dt is there too (ironically!)

Mama I signed every week for my dad - on his instruction! And he was a secondary school teacher! He just said if I didn't do my homework that was my own stupid fault if I was punished - that he wasn't going to check my planner against my homework anyway even if he did sign it!

Oh crap. I haven't signed that diary for weeks. Hope DS is a good forger! (I certainly was!!)

I think the outcome is good. People make mistakes, it wasn't the end of the world, and she has been honest and held her hand up to it. I wouldn't be cross and would just park it now!

Yes you are right

I'm pleased the situation resolved.

As an aside I would strongly advise secondary school aged children to sort these problems out for themselves rather then phone mum at lunchtime and get them to phone school. Similarly as great as it is to synch his homework to your calendar it is HIS homework and he needs to manage it - by all means have a chat about it in the evening but if you micro manage everything for him he is never going to learn independence and how to resolve problems for himself.

We have SMHW but then gave to sign a planner (that has pretty much nothing in it,..) and a reading diary that DS has lost. I just write his reading signature in the planner too.

I don't think there was a way he could have sorted this himself to be honest, he did try to explain to the teacher. I'm proud of how he dealt with it, he did the detention, was not rude and told me afterwards.

Similarly I did not say I manage his homework just that I am aware when he has it. If I give him a nudge to do it that's not a bad thing I'm a parent who cares and is interested in my sons education.
I would imagine most parents are similar?

I'm pleased the situation resolved.
Well, its not really resolved as they've had to serve an illegal detention. I'd be expecting them to give the time back in lieu at an enhanced rate.