Do teachers still treat pupils according to socioeconomic backgrounds?

[Floogal]

Reading the 'being poor is...' thread, this poster put how her DC was humiliated by a teacher for not going on holiday, then given detention for lying. 😡
Me personally, I used to go to a forces school

If I’m absolutely honest, our preconceptions of children are heavily affected by their background. But most of us try to see past this to the children who are in front of us.

When doing my PGCE a few years ago I had a row heated debate with the Geography tutor who said we should use the children’s knowledge from holidays, etc., to make Geography relevant. I pointed out very… er, forcefully, that not every child has the luxury of holidays, and they should not be made to feel lesser because of it.

Hmmm, this is quite an unpleasant opening post. You make it sound like ALL teachers used to do this as a matter of course and wondering if ‘they’ still all do.

If your question is, ‘are there some awful people out there working in jobs and if so, should you complain. Then my answer is yes.

This is discussed quite a lot in Sociology A-Level, it was an eye opener for my daughter who hadn’t really picked it up until that point and then recognised it to be quite true in some teachers, not all but certainly a few.

In my experience yes. My children were once eligible for free school meals so classed as pupil premium children. They get this for six years after even though I am no longer eligible for the help.
This has led to being offered breakfast club/ homework club/ and social skills lessons.which was the one that well and truly got my back up 😳 these all only available for the pupil premium children. also their books being chosen every year to show to assesors 'what the pupil premium kids can do'

My children go in daily with breakfast , homework complete and have no problems with social skills. Children should be looked at individually to see how the are getting on in school life, not just putting all kids in same group like, oh they are poor they surely aren't doing their homework

@lavendermouse I do appreciate that you feel like that’s some kind of judgment, but actually the school are required by the DfE to use the pupil premium money specifically only on the pupil premium children, and on things like skills classes for them and so on, as a condition of receiving the extra money.

So it’s not personal, it’s merely what the school has to do with the extra payment. If they don’t do it they don’t get the pupil premium money and the governors are required to monitor the use of this (I’m a school governor hence why I know!)

I totally understand why you're not keen on this, but the reason your children will have been offered these extra sessions and their books are shown to assessors is that all state schools are required to report on what they are doing to help all children who qualify for pupil premium, and assessors look separately at progress/achievement of those pupils. If your children's books are always chosen to be shown to assessors it will be because they are achieving well and show the school in a good light.

also their books being chosen every year to show to assesors 'what the pupil premium kids can do'

This will be because the use of PP has to be audited both by the school and by governors each year and if Ofsted are in they will also look at a record of this. There will normally be a specific Pupil Premium link governor who monitors this, but all governors are required to — it’s to audit the use of the extra money (which has to be spent on the PP children only) and as a way of monitoring what the school is doing to help low-income pupils especially. Their academic progress has to be specifically tracked.

It’s a good thing, and means it’s less likely that disadvantaged children slip through the net either socially or academically. I appreciate that it feels like your children don’t need this — but it’s there as a safeguard to help those who do ❤️

Yep. My son was the “single mother’s child” throughout his education even when both his divorced parents are highly educated and well off.

Someway it was expected there was something very bad going at home that they couldn’t put their finger on even when DS had a much more stable and happy set up at home than many of his peers and I always expected better manners and much more considerate behaviours from him than most parents do from his children.

It’s better to offer the help or not surely? The system can’t allow for every nuance and it’s better you just say no than some kids be missed.

DD gets offered all sorts of extras through school due to having an EHCP, including various holiday clubs and activities over the summer - she was too busy with a sailing holiday and camps with Scouts and the Church youth group, then camping as a family.

Now I think about it, I was sent info via post-adoption about free/very low cost holidays for children who are unable to access mainstream holiday schemes due to social/emotional issues. It didn't apply to DD, so I just deleted the email.

It didn't occur to me to be offended... as a PP said, surely it is better that it is offered?

Got cut off before finishing question.

But went to a British forces school in Germany and the officer's children were generally treated better and got away with bullying

To all those that replied I understand that it's for the children but singling children out infront of their peers with letters for clubs etc and for them to be taken from lessons to do social skills classes with the dinnerladies isn't the best use of that money.
Given that two of them have struggled with maths since the beginning and one I'm having to push for a dyscalculia assessment and am just told no, there's no funding for extra help. I cannot understand.

My primary was in the middle of an rough estate - pretty much all in the same position. They kept the uniform very simple - polo t-shirt and skirt/shorts/trousers. So I never really felt any different. The one thing they did I wish all primaries did it - no outdoor shoes inside we used to put them in a little cubby and put on daps - shoes lasted longer but also not sat in class with cold wet shoes with holes :)

Secondary school was a massive catchment area. First real exposure to difference - holidays etc hated mufti day glad to be in a uniform - and they where strict so no designer trainers allowed so kept it fairly equal.

I never felt the teachers ever made me feel any different- the only time I ever felt different. I had the most amazing opportunity for a weeks trip to experience different activities fully paid for - I realise why I was picked as I got older! obviously I never got to go on the ski trips or abroad trips but being a large school only 30-40% of the year went so I never felt singled out.