Isolation rooms in schools

[Chichi444]

Hello !

So my sons school has very strict behaviour policy which includes Isolation rooms which pupils are sat in without the freedom of leaving even for just going to the bathroom unless accompanied by a member of staff and and are expected to remain silent and have no school work given to them and these pupils are given no movement breaks.

This punitive measure is given for even the most minor slip ups such as not having the right uniform or for more serious behavioural issues.

My 11 year old son in year 7 and he was given two consecutive days of Isolation which he sat for 7 hours in a row without movement break so altogether 14 hours , for nothing which was severe enough for to be punished that way.

I was told that he was to sit a third 7 hours in isolation.
Ive decided to challenge their decision as I feel the reason for it didn’t warrant such harsh punishment.

Ive wrote to the principal requesting to review but meanwhile my son isn’t in school as the school told me that whenever he returns to school he will have to sit the isolation.

Now what I’m asking is has any parent out there ever challenged the school on such matters what was you experience and eventually the outcome?

Any input would be so helpful thank you!🫶

I’m quite shocked you don’t see this as a major transgression. Under what justifiable circumstances would he be entering that horrific racial slur into google translate?!

However, if accurate, 7 hours sitting still with no work or movement is of course inhumane. I would double check with the school that’s definitely what happens if I were you. Your son may be exaggerating a little- but if true it’s awful and I would also challenge it as a policy. Though I would be asking for my child to have a 90 minute detention or similar for what they did, and I would take away their devices. I really think what he did was bad tbh.

Some mothers just can't accept their little Prince's aren't perfect.

Yep this. Those scoffing I don’t agree with no work being set if that’s what happens.

There needs to be zero tolerance of racist speech. It is not unheard of for children of dual heritage to use such words to abuse children of single ethnic origin or in connection with colourism - and, thanks to their use and the historical/social context, many children are hurt to hear the words from children of similar origin. It's also impossible to have a selective ban - oh, Nigel can say it to Tayo because he's nearly the same skin tone, but Michael can't because he's a bit too pale for it - would be ridiculous. And this extends to computer use - trying to find a way to call other children names but deny it (or to use their own language so they know effort has been put in to find a way of abusing them whilst getting it past staff) is a cynical attempt to get away with using racist language.

Personally, I'm fine with actual suspension. Five days a term and they're off to alternative provision and up for managed moves to avoid the prospect of permanent exclusion and a PRU. He'd have two months in which to behave more or less perfectly now if they'd done that.

Some kids where I work saved up detentions so they can have a nice quiet day in isolation. We had one girl who used to do it because it was quiet and no one disturbed her.

I'm highly dubious that he had no work to do, also that he wasn't with other students.

We also spend hours trying to understand why the kids behave like they do. In my 30 years of working in schools no child is in a PRU because of being in isolation, so much will have gone on before that and there's no places anywhere now near me.

Whatever happened to a good talking to by a member of staff? He just needed to be told!

Seriously @OhDear111 – don’t you think what the OP’s son did was incredibly inappropriate and he needs to understand that? I am sure a member of staff has talked to him about that tbh. But sometimes more needs to be done.

I wonder if some of those posting here who are horrified at the idea of a secondary school having an isolation/exclusion room have DC in secondary? Many if not most secondaries (all the ones I know about) have some similar set-up. Of course it’s more than possible to go through an entire school career without setting foot in it, and that is what all of us would hope for. But sometimes a student needs to be removed, and sometimes their behaviour is just not acceptable. When a year 8 student swore at me in my lesson, I refused to have him in my room for his next lesson two days later. I bet most of us would have something to say if we were spoken to in that way at work.

I don’t have a dc at school and reading MN I’m eternally grateful for that! However in a grammar school county so many our schools will be different. Plus I’ve been a school governor.

Seriously @claryin total honesty, the punishment should fit the crime. This search went nowhere. He didn’t use the info as far as we know and why did he look it up? No one knows that either. We just put in place horrible punitive measures and yes, a good talking too would have sufficed. We have become a society that punishes children routinely but, whilst I agree this was wrong, many behaviour policies allow for students to be talked to and warned. I think he’s y7! A warning surely? He’s been there a term.

We don’t know whether or not he used the info nor why he did what he did. It’s more than possible that someone at the school has discussed these matters with him though and does know.

I’m sorry but I don’t agree that talking to him is enough. Use of a racial slur is much more serious IMO that you seem to think. Othering through use of pejorative language is a massive no-no and I think a serious sanction is in order.

I would warn a student about talking in class with a rule reminder. If they used a racist slur I would take it a lot further.

The incidents which the school says he sitting isolation for are not taking place in the classroom

one was for simply searching inappropriate language into google translate that was marked down as racist comment

What were the other incidents?

I would check with the school about him being given nothing to do and having no breaks as that's unusual. Teenagers can sometimes exaggerate when in trouble to get parents on side.

since you’ve told us what happened to him you have to tell us why

My oldest is secondary age but in my country isolation rooms do not exist and likely would be illegal because the rights of children are followed strictly (perhaps too strictly sometimes) so they have to manage discipline without this option. As far as I understand it (not something I've experienced with my oldest as she's pretty well-behaved so just judging from the discipline policy in her school) if a child behaves so badly they shouldn't be in the class they get sent home. Which might be something they want in the moment but if they miss too much school from being sent home they'll fail the year and have to repeat it and they won't want that!

I think posters have issues with the lack of education and movement breaks, not isolation.

There are many careers where we need to remain professional when sworn at. Teens are flooded with hormones and shoved into a situation many adults could not cope with. I would expect swearing to be an occupational hazard. I am not saying there should not be consequences but schools cannot break the law just because teachers are in a career they are not suited to.

@clary
There is no evidence he used a racial word against other people. All we know is that he looked up a translation on IT. We are not aware of him using any words openly. It’s not a crime to look up a word. If he did go around racially abusing other dc, that’s entirely different. Maybe he did. If it’s misuse of IT, and did not affect anyone else, then I still maintain a stiff reminder of school policy is required.

When many of us were at school, and even when my dc were at school, (it’s not that long ago!) dc were hauled in to see a member of slt and reminded of rules snd expectations. I do think schools need to review whether they should be treating dc like this because Im not sure it’s producing young people of whom we can be proud. It breeds resentment and doesn’t help, as evidenced by the numbers of dc excluded and in Prus.

We don't know what the other incidents are as OP has only told us that one. She wrote

The incidents which the school says he sitting isolation for are not taking place in the classroom
one was for simply searching inappropriate language into google translate that was marked down as racist comment

Wow. OK.

Firstly, several PPs have expressed surprise and shock at the idea of exclusion rooms at all (or that’s how I read it). I agree btw and have said so that work should be provided (and I would be surprised if students are forbidden from working – OP has not come back to confirm this tbf). If I misread the PPs’ shock and it was just the lack of work they were unhappy about then I fully agree with that. And an isolation room is not against the law fgs.

Secondly – swearing as an occupational hazard? You think it’s OK for a student to tell a teacher to F off (or worse)? What are these “many careers” where that’s an occupational hazard? Why is being in a classroom a situation many adults could not cope with? Lots of adults have to cope with that actually. Blimey.

And to @OhDear111 – the criterion for a school sanction is not whether an act is a crime (thank goodness). Not having the correct equipment or uniform is not against the law. Neither is being late to your lesson. Neither is telling someone they are a *. All of these would be sanctioned by most schools. Tho apparently the last one is just an occupational hazard and teachers should just put up with it.

I agree. Do not subject your child to years of potential abuse in that school. The punishment is disproportionate to the crime.

I don’t think any teacher should be sworn at and my take is more about lack of work and they probably need some break time.

No one should just have seven hours of nothing, if that is happening.

I can understand why as research shows they do not work. Schools that prioritise draconian measures think that doing well for the children that fit into their neat boxes is doing enough and the remove their focus from any children they are failing. They ignore the fact that these children do not disappear but need to be mopped up by society. Changing the mindset from 'isolation' to 'one to one' changes the dynamics.

Customer service, hospitals, prisons, shops, road workers, solicitors. Likely more careers need that mindset than less I'd expect.

You do not cope with the situation. You've said you remove any factors you cannot cope with such as DC swearing. Children do not have the option to remove the factors they cannot cope with in the classroom.

I haven't said the child needs to commit a crime. I've said schools have a legal duty to educate children in their care. Refusing to do this without providing them with an alternative way of accessing that education is unlawful.

Remember these children are the ones that need intervention the most. Sadly there seems to be a new culture among teachers that problematic children are everyone's problem but theirs.

Customer service, hospitals, prisons, shops, road workers, solicitors. Likely more careers need that mindset than less I'd expect.

No @Thedefault those jobs don’t expect abuse. And they will have notices up telling you so. In every such setting I have been to lately. Gosh, I mean if this is the mindset of a lot of parents no wonder they are unmoved when called by a teacher. I would be horrified if my DC swore at a teacher. Or anyone on your list.

The crime comment was addressed at the PP who said the child’s action was not a crime.

In those jobs you are expected to continue working in a professional manner in these situations and expect to come across them at some point. A doctor that is sworn at will not leave the patient to die. When I am sworn at in court, I will remind the person swearing at me that that is not acceptable but I cannot just abandon the court room. I do believe you should expect as a teacher in a mainstream classroom in our shitshow of a country that you should expect to teach children from difficult backgrounds that need support regulating their emotions.

OFSTED regulates Academies!

Who said anything about abandoning the room? All I am saying is that swearing at a teacher (not that the op’s dc has done this) is not acceptable and should be sanctioned. If a student swore directly at me (not a side comment about the work for example) then I would not have them in my lesson next time. Actually it only happened rarely I’m glad to say.

I can understand why as research shows they do not work.

Do you know what? My extensive teaching experience tells me that teachers having the option to remove disruptive children from the classroom improves behaviour and learning. Not being able to remove disruptive children from the classroom breeds further disruption and damages the education of the whole class.

I suspect your research concentrates on the removed child only and not on their impact on their teachers or the rest of the class.

I am not saying children shouldn't be removed from classrooms. I am saying they need to be provided with an adequate and suitable education somewhere.

The fear of the cane controlled the classroom, but did not improve the long term outcomes for children. Your solution may be great short term but you are not looking at your job holistically. Is it really better for your star students to grow up in a community with many adults that have been let down by the education system and therefore have limited legal means of earning money or means of regulating. Wouldn't it be better if everyone left school having had the opportunity to be the best version of themselves? A mainstream teachers job IMO is to grow the next generation, not just the ones they have taken a shine to that likely already have plenty of parantal input and would do well anywhere. I believe a good school has good outcomes for all of the children. This starts with schools and teachers adapting attitudes based on the knowledge we now have to work with students that are struggling. It happens at my DCs mainstream school so it is possible.

On another note I have no idea why I didn't think academies were not checked by Ofsted!

headteacher. Not principal