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Original poster

Just a quickie . .can my brothers school stop him from sitting his GCSE's?

28 replies

MUM2ELA · 16/05/2003 15:48

It was his last day in school today and so he and some of his friends 'scived' (truented) but got caught. They were put in a 'holding room' (sorry, is this a school or a police cell?) until my mum picked him up. The school said they would have a meeting next week to decide whether they will 'let him' sit his GCSE's which I think start in a coupld of weeks.

Ok, he's not a saint, but he isn't nasty, cruel to others, or a bully. He's just a fiftenn year old boy who isn't THAT interetsed in school. But can they stop him taking his exams?

Could my mum & dad offer to pay for the exams?

Any hep would be appreciated!

OP posts:
Jimjams · 16/05/2003 15:53

What a ridiculous threat!!! If they did prevent him sitting at his school he can always sit as a private candidate at another centre. Where are you in the country? I suspect they will let him.

I used to be an examinations officer- so if the school, do carry out their threat let me know and I may be able to help.

edgarcat · 16/05/2003 15:54

Message withdrawn

Original poster
MUM2ELA · 16/05/2003 15:58

Thanks Jimjams. We are in Wales. I just think it is so petty considering it is his last day of school (writing over shirts etc.). Most other students probably didn't even go in anyway!

Edgercat - I know they have to pay for the exams but I would have thought they may have paid already? I told my mum to tell the school that they would happily pay for him to sit the exams.

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edgarcat · 16/05/2003 16:00

Message withdrawn

SoupDragon · 16/05/2003 16:03

Are they just trying to scare him?

Original poster
MUM2ELA · 16/05/2003 16:04

Edgercat - he's no angel. BUt the 'things' he does wrong in school are 'things' like writing a not very nice poem about a teacher, walking out of registration (the teacher was having a go at him - walked out instaed of shouting back). He's no bully etc. etc. , like I said below. He's just being a 15 year old boy. I'm not sticking up for him - I know he's stupid. Its just that I went to the school he is at now (I'm 23), and I don't agree with their methods for going about things.

Things! Things! Things! I have no vocab left in me today!

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Original poster
MUM2ELA · 16/05/2003 16:07

SoupDragon - they may be trying to scare him, but considering today was the last day ever that he would be in the school, I think its a pretty useless way of stamping authority.

I am leaving work now, but will check this thread at home later to see if anyone writes any more. Thanks for your thoughts on this. I am just a bit annoyed thats all!

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Jimjams · 16/05/2003 16:12

I don't know a centre in Wales, but if he contacts the examination board then they will be able to give him a list of centres that accept private candidates. He'll probably have to pay someone somewhere along the line. If it does come to this it would be worth knowing his centre number and candidate number- both can be found out from any entrance slips he has, or from the schools examonation officer. it may get confusing if he is entering more than one board (although many centres are centres for several boards). Hopefully it won't come to this - I suspect the school are just being a bit awkward.

One place that may be worth trying if it does come to it is MPW in Bristol- I think they do GCSE's (may be A level only- but I doubt it). They are a private tutorial college and traditionally they tend to be happy to accept private candidates.

Jimjams · 16/05/2003 16:14

You can find other private tutorial colleges through CIFE- although some will be 6th form only. Not sure which part of Wales you're in, but Abbey Birmingham and Abbey Manchester may be able to help as well.

Rosiemum · 16/05/2003 16:33

So Mum2ela, you think it's ok for your brother to be rude and disrespectful about a teacher, to defy the teacher's authority, and generally ignore the authority of the school? 'Cos I don't!

And a 'holding room' is common practice within schools - we have an 'out of timetable room'. They are used as a form of internal suspension which is often more effective as a punishment than giving the pupil a few days off school.

The chances are that the school will allow him to sit his exams, what they are trying to do is to show other pupils that this kind of behaviour is not acceptable.

edgarcat · 16/05/2003 16:36

Message withdrawn

Original poster
MUM2ELA · 16/05/2003 17:11

Thanksforyour support Jimjams.

Rosiemum- purlease!!!!! Did you bother to read my message? No, I don't agree with what he has done, but DO NOT tell me that many, many, many other 15 year olds don't act like this.

My mum went upthe school to collect him and therewas a long line of parents in cars collecting their children as well!

I am sure your child/children are always 100% well behaved, but in the realworld , teenagers will be teenagers. I don't think its the fault of my brother & his friends that the school totally keep moving the rules goalposts.

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Jimjams · 16/05/2003 17:40

I have to say the punishment and crime should fit. Being prevented from siting GCSE's is a major pain in the neck- which messes up plans for the next year. Preventing a child from sitting their GCSE's should be used as a last resort - not just because they bunked off on the last day of school.

suedonim · 16/05/2003 19:11

There was a similar story in this weeks paper GCSE story in which it says Edexcel will 'do what it could' to help the boy take his exams. Maybe your bro/ mum should contact the exam board? HTH.

Claireandrich · 16/05/2003 19:15

It is very unlikely they will carry out the threat BUT I do understand why they kept him in a room, made parents come up, etc. From a school, and a teacher's, point of view leaver's day can be a nightmare. Pupils forget any rules and think they can do what they like, with no regard to anyone else. No I am not saying this is what your brother has done but some do take advantage of a lax approach on this day. They have to realise that for the rest of the school this is just another school day. Pupils are generally wanred about behaviour and consequences before hand too. As I said to start with this is probably just a threat but it's done to make him and his friend's think about what they are doing and why.

beetroot · 16/05/2003 19:19

This reply has been deleted

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Rosiemum · 17/05/2003 18:12

Beetroot: I'm sure all pupils at your brothers school were warned that they must be in correct school uniform to sit exams, otherwise they would be excluded. It was not the school in the wrong here, but your brother for putting himself above the schools' authority. If the school let your brother sit his exam out of school uniform they would have set a precident for others, and created a real rod for their own back in getting any pupil to wear uniform. I appreciate it was probably upsetting for your brother, but put yourself in the schools' position - they have the welfare of far more than one pupil to consider.

Mum2ela: I did read your message. I also teach boys like your brother. Teachers do not 'have a go' at pupils without good reason - funnily enough we have the pupils' best interests at heart! However, as Claireandrich pointed out, leavers day is a very difficult day for the school. All the staff want the pupils to remember the day and have a little fun, but on the other hand they must guard against the 'fun' getting out of hand and affecting the rest of the school or resulting in petty, or serious vandalism of school or teachers' property. By acting in the way he did, your brother challenged the authority of the member of staff, and the school. If the school allow this to happen and do nothing, they are again setting a precedent they will find very difficult to break. I'm afraid bad behaviour on leavers day is stamped on very heavily as it then sends a message to others in the school that this behaviour will not be tolerated. It is very unlikely that the threat will be carried out - IMHO the best thing your brother could do would be to write a letter of apology to the Head. Surely if his GCSE's mean that much to him it's not too hard to swallow a little pride?

edgarcat · 17/05/2003 19:35

Message withdrawn

Jimjams · 17/05/2003 19:37

err I am a teacher.......

edgarcat · 17/05/2003 19:38

Message withdrawn

hmb · 17/05/2003 19:45

The school that I am in at the moment is very strict on leaving day. I think that stopping him from taking his exams is a a bit too much, but I also understand where the school is coming from. On leaving day pupils will (and have) comitted acts of vadalism on school property and staff cars. The feeling that the school has is that if they let the students get away with too much, the day will spiral out of control. And in the end, the day would be spoiled for the pupils and staff. So to stop that, they step in at an early stage.

Oakmaiden · 17/05/2003 19:54

Rosiemum - actually you are not entirely correct - some teachers DO "have a go" at pupils for no reason. When I was at school I was very well behaved, polite and inoffensive, but there was one particular teacher who would "have a go" at me EVERY lesson I had with her - for the smallest of reasons - like I hadn't got enough blotting paper of stupid things like that. On one memorable occaion I recall her shouting at me and threatening me with punishment if I didn't stop talking. To which I replied "but I wasn't talking!" (and I hadn't been). So I was sent out of the lesson for "answering back".

There are some odd ones out there - just because they are teachers doesn't always mean the are entirely reasonable and don't take badly to certain people for strange reasons.

JJ · 17/05/2003 21:25

Oakmaiden, I think everyone has had a problem with a teacher at least once. Mine was with my 5th grade teacher who would regularly take me outside to yell at me. And then there was the 10th grade math teacher that saw fit to make fun of our class to all the others. I'm sure I wasn't the perfect student but did (and still do) tend to follow rules, although probably less when I was a student. What I'm saying is that I was not a discipline problem.

But what I got from my time at school was that the vast majority of teachers want me to learn and take the time to do that. My two inspirational teachers (they weren't so inspirational but led me to discover my love) were both men grounded in their subjects who loved teaching. Most of my high school curriculum was chosen because I knew I'd never get those subjects again (economics and history being the main two) and I'm still thankful that my teachers were wonderful in those subjects. I still might pursue economics-- I have that love from high school.

I think it's wrong to assume anything than the very best of teachers. Yeah, so, a few that you are going to encouter will be bad. The vast majority want your child to learn. There's really no other reason to teach. (I'm guessing... from a non-teacher.)

Anyway, let him apologize. Then I hope they'll let him sit his exams.

Original poster
MUM2ELA · 21/05/2003 08:01

HI everyone.

I just thought I would update you with what happened in case you are interested.

My dad had a meeting with my brothers school yesterday, along with 7 other parents of pupils who had acted 'incorrectly' on their last day.

They are allowed to sit their exams but they have been told that they are not welcome back into the 6th form to do their A levels.

Rosiemum: I understand that leavers day is meant to be a bit of fun (under control), but thie year in the school (for the first time) the teachers decided that it was business as usual (lessons as normal, assembly) and that no-one was allowed to write on shirts etc. I think some of the students weren't sure what to do with themselves as they had seen the activities that usually go on every year and assumed it would be the same for them. My brother now wishes he had stayed at home like most of his year did, rather than go in and truent and be in this mess. I think he probably just wanted to spend the day with his friends.

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SofiaAmes · 21/05/2003 09:15

Wow, I've just read this thread. I'm amazed at the inappropriateness of the whole thing. It sounds like the school has issued a punishment completely out of proportion to the crime and then rescinded the punishment. In my book that goes in the same category as bad parenting. (eg. constantly threatening to ground your child for a month for not eating sprouts and then never carrying through with it). And on top of all of that, isn't it a diservice to society to prevent an already disinterested teenage boy from continuing his education. Wouldn't a more appropriate punishment (and more useful to everyone concerned) have been to have him stay after school, (or during his summer holidays) and write an essay on behavior, or Chaucer, or something self-improving?
This is a bit of a bugbear for me at the moment. My 9 year old stepson is dyslexic and has a useless mother who doesn't help him with his school work. Consequently he can't read or write and as a result is always causing trouble at school. He has been excluded three times already. His behavior is not excusable in any way, but he and society would be better served if he were given more schooling as a punishment rather than less. (At least he has finally just been statemented so will be getting a little extra help).