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Primary education

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Original poster

punishment at pimary school

38 replies

natallsto · 05/03/2011 19:27

dear mums i am really strugling to understand my 6 year old daughter's head teacher who punished my daughter on friday over anonimous claims that she was being agressive/pusshing her best friend on the playground. The headteacher phoned me at work to tell me that my daughter was being punished and because somebody reported anonimously that they have seen my daughter pushing another child(this being her best friend) and the head teached questioned my daughter and she admitted!!!!. First of all my daughter in never been agressive, she could not harm a fly, she had never had any problems at school, pre school or nursery. This is the first accident I have heard of and she was straight away punished to do not go out in playtime and do not sit down or bend her knees. Please help

OP posts:
Feenie · 05/03/2011 19:32

What would you like us to help with? Your dd admitted that she had pushed another child, and had to stay in (standing) at playtime, yes? Pretty standard stuff, I would have thought. At least she told the truth, that's good.

Tw1nkle · 05/03/2011 19:35

To not sit down and bend her knees - how odd?

Is that a normal punishement, I've never heard of it, other than a torture punishment where you have to stand straight against a wall.

If my DD had been told to do this, I'd have something to say about it!!!

Re the punishment in general though, if she admitted it, I can understand them seeing through with something or they'd look a bit daft.

rainbowinthesky · 05/03/2011 19:38

What sort of punishment is that?? I'm a teacher and I would be furious if dd was made to stand, not bend kneesor sit regardless of the crime. Is it a private school?

missmehalia · 05/03/2011 19:38

Physical restriction of her sounds extremely dodgy. The rest sounds straightforward. In your shoes, I'd only have an issue if she got punished for something she didn't do.

I don't get the knee bending thing, though.

Original poster
natallsto · 05/03/2011 19:42

i dont get the punishment either
she said she was just playing I also dont understand why the teachers who were outside with the children did not notice anything, the other child did not complaint, only when the anonimous misterious person came to the head teacher and complained they asked my daughter and she was forced to admit

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Original poster
natallsto · 05/03/2011 19:44

are the head teachers allowed to rely on evidence from anonimous people, I asked for the name of the person and the head teacher said she would not disclose it

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Tw1nkle · 05/03/2011 19:45

All does sound alittle strange!

I'd ask for more info about the punishment though definately!

Original poster
natallsto · 05/03/2011 19:45

what arethe rights of a 6 year old to defend herself, she said they were just playing and still she was punished? is this legal?

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Original poster
natallsto · 05/03/2011 19:46

thank you for your answers
and help

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Feenie · 05/03/2011 19:46

I don't think she would have been punished if she hadn't admitted it - what do you mean she was 'forced' to admit?

hocuspontas · 05/03/2011 19:48

It just sounds like she had to stand against the fence or railings for some of her playtime. She was probably trying to sit down and was told to stand up again.
Sometimes if things come to a head at the end of playtime, problems get sorted out afterwards as the whole school need to get back to their classrooms. Maybe it took a while to get to the bottom of.

rainbowinthesky · 05/03/2011 19:49

It all sounds very odd. Did she admit it because she thought that's what she was meant to do? Was she pushing as part of a game or with the intention to do some harm? WHo told you she wasnt allowed to bend her knees??

mrz · 05/03/2011 19:49

The not bending knees bit sounds odd but standing outside the head's door instead of going out to play is pretty standard.

I would imagine the other child would have been questioned too. That type of punishment wouldn't be given without checking what happened.

Original poster
natallsto · 05/03/2011 19:51

my dd told me she was not allowed to bedn her knees and sit down

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rainbowinthesky · 05/03/2011 19:52

I would ask the school about the bending the knees thing.

mrz · 05/03/2011 19:53

I can understand the no sitting but not bending knees seems an odd instruction

Original poster
natallsto · 05/03/2011 19:53

it was investigated but I was not there, the two children and the anonymous person were questioned and a decision was made by the head teacher to punish my daughter as I said she had never had any problems at school, so I dont understand the whole punishment thing, I could understand that they asked her to say sorry and do not do it again, but I think punishing her is a step too far

OP posts:
mrz · 05/03/2011 19:54

Have you asked the other child for her side of it?

Original poster
natallsto · 05/03/2011 19:56

yes she said they were playing and my daughter pushed her but it was all part of the play

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Original poster
natallsto · 05/03/2011 19:56

the other child have not complained

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Original poster
natallsto · 05/03/2011 19:56

it was the anonimous person who started the whole thing

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rainbowinthesky · 05/03/2011 20:01

natallsto - it all sounds very odd. It doesnt sound aggressive and not sure how another child could have judged it this way if your dd and her friend didnt view it like this and no adults saw it. Rings alarm bells for me.

mrz · 05/03/2011 20:02

It doesn't really matter if the other child complained or not. Someone (not sure why they are anonymous) had observed the incident and reported it and the school seem to have taken it very seriously...seems odd for a playful push really.

Original poster
natallsto · 05/03/2011 20:23

Here's a summary of my issues:

First, I find it strange that some anonymous person who works across the street from the school who doesn't know any of the children could somehow specifically point out my child as hiting her friend - when none of teachers see anything, and neither child brought up a problem to the attention of any teachers.

Second, this is a situation where no one cried, no one got marked or anything, and my child and this "victim" are best friends - her mother called me later that night to setup a play date that both girlds are excited about - which makes all the stranger which makes it seem very sketchy that anything actually worth punishing happened in the first place.

As far as the "admission" these are 6 year olds, I'd wonder how leading the questions were.

And then as far as the punishment, not being able to sit down or bend her knees, having the teacher tell her I was very cross with her (I wasn't, but that probably upset by daughter than the forced standing) seems over the top for a playful shove.

Don't even get me started on the number of times my daughter has been pushed or shoved while playing (and unlike this incident having the bruises/cuts to show for it) without any teachers doing anything to help her!

OP posts:
rainbowinthesky · 05/03/2011 20:26

So it wasnt even a child who reported it but an adult who saw from the street? Is this a private school?

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