Almost every day, dd comes home complaining of disruptive children in the classroom. How could/should a teacher handle?

[Earlybird]

Ever since this school year began, the teachers of dd's year have struggled to maintain order in the classroom so that lessons can be taught. In fact, things got so bad that the school shuffled the students/classes a few weeks ago to try to separate the troublemakers. I have no idea if things have actually got better, but the disruption is still a big factor.

The head of the school wrote to all the parents in dd's year to explain that he will now advise teachers to send the disruptive children (who happen to be boys), into the hallway or to the office of the assistant head who will essentially scold them and inform their parents.

This is a flawed solution, because while the disruptive children are out of the classroom, they are not hearing what is being taught - so when they return they are disruptive again as they missed the lesson.

Another 'solution' seems to be that the teachers are sitting the attentive learners next to the disruptive children. I suppose they are hoping the 'good' learners will be a calming influence. What is happening instead is that my dd is coming home tied in knots because she's had to contend with naughty children.

What can/should the school be doing about this issue? What should the parents (of 'good' and disruptive) children be doing? What should I be doing?

Fwiw, these children are 10 so should have more restraint and self-discipline......but somehow they simply don't.

Any advice much appreciated.

Watching this thread as dd1 class is having same problem this year, and say this years teacher is lovely but not strict at all.

lisad - how old is your dd?

She's 8, in yr4

It at least sounds as if the school are taking it seriously. dd suffered experienced this last year (year5) and it felt as if it got brushed off - not Disruption. All you can do is ensure that your dd is behaving and if she has an issue concentrating due to the behaviour of others that she flags it up to the teacher or another member of staff. Also may be worth getting other parents onside as more than one complaint gets taken more seriously.

were they disruptive last year and in previous years?

Are they actually disruptive or just bored boys?

At 8 /10 boys are not programmed to sit still and concentrate for long periods like girls, a run round the playground would be better than a telling of.

No wonder boys are falling behind in education if teachers haven't got a clue how to engage them at this age.

are you a teacher op,
i wondered why you were askign what the teachers should do.

what you need to ask is what your DD should do in this situation?

I'm not a teacher but have a 10 year old boy.

In his class (Y6) if the obvious methods don't work (warnings, separating troublemakers..) they use internal exclusion (making troublemakers sit in another classroom to do work) . For kids always on internal exclusion they put them on behavioural report and stop them from joining in "fun" classes like PE.

In my opinion, this doesn't really work. There is a boy in ds classes who has been sent to the Y4 classroom almost daily since mid-September (I know this as my dd is in Y4) and he's all about being on behavioural report.

and likely to be counterproductive if they need ot let off steam ro gain self esteem from doing well in those subjects. Our issue was more with a lack of discipline and seeming reluctance to implement the policy or disregard for the punishment given.

ironically, two of the worst offenders are related to the teachers! One is the grandson of the maths teacher, and one is the son of the English teacher. Everday dd comes home with another story of how both of these boys constantly interrupt, are attention seeking, etc.

As I don't have a boy, I don't know what is typical behaviour and when they are being exceptionally (and unacceptably) bad. The entire class has a 'reputation' at school for being difficult, but things were much better last year when older/more experienced teachers somehow handled things better. I suppose I hoped this group of boys had 'grown out of it', but sadly the problem seems to be worse than ever.

I feel so sorry for the children who are behaving and want to learn. I do not see it as a problem with the teacher who is "not engaging" these little troublemakers.

Children and boys in particular misbehave like this beacuse firstly they are allowed to do what they wish at home. They then carry this attitude to school and make it increasingly difficult for their teachers to get them to behave.
Unfortunately, if the school does not have much support from the parents of the disruptive children then it can be difficult.

I would be very annoyed if my child was prevented from learning by the constant disruption of naughty children and I would be looking elsewhere to send my child to school.

Our system has changed so much and is now so "child centered" that troublemakers who are just there for the fun have to be tolerated, understood and engaged! In the meantime some of the quieter nicer children become overlooked.
I am speaking as a parent and a teacher so I see it from all sides. I don't know what the solution is but perhaps a group of parents should approach the Head teacher collectively and demand that the troublemakers are separated and that appropriate sanctions are imposed....i.e parents called in and asked to take their children home. Eventually the message will sink in with the parents if they are "hassled " enough by phonecalls.

One is the grandson of the maths teacher, and one is the son of the English teacher.

That part is confusing me, do they have different teachers for different subjects, and yet they act up for all of them? Coz Earlybird said elsewhere that it wasn't such a problem with previous class teachers.

EB: are you still in TN? Because maybe very different expectations there about how to deal with these things; have to factor that in, methinks.

In dd's school, when they have had disruptive children, the Head usually works quite closely with them on behaviour related plans....from what I've seen, the relationship with him is such that they tend to modify their behaviour in order to please him, and the personal touch makes a huge difference. That said, its a small school - and he teaches p/t in KS2 so is part of their daily lives.

Missing PE sounds daft - the most disruptive kids seem to be the ones who benefit most from letting off steam rushing around in the fresh air for half an hour

Sounds so hard for your dd, OP.

I don't think you're allowed to stop children from taking part in pe as a punishment, as pe is a mandatory part of the curriculum.

Earlybird, that's really odd. Having same disruption problems in dd's class and one of the main perpetrators in the dd of a teacher at the school. She bit someone the other day (she is 9!!!) because she was mad about doing poorly on a math test. Only good part is that dd who is never silent, is looking pretty well behaved and manageable next to all the other disruptive behaviors. Dd's teacher sends the most disruptive kids to younger classrooms. I don't think it's very effective. Unfortunately most of the disruptive kids really need aides, but don't have them.

My grandson is 12 now and has lived with me since he was 2. He started in Reception at the local school and he was there for 1 month only.
When collecting my grandson each day, I would find a distressed, strung-out teacher. Grandson would mention the names of the same children every day [always boys]. Chairs being thrown, same boys bullying other children. We ended up in A&E once when one of those little chairs they use in reception was lobbed at someone and it hit my grandson.

Along with issues, mainly an ability to concentrate in the mayhem in the class, I removed him and he is now home educated.
The same troublemakers he was in a classroom with are now 12 and are the biggest troublemakers on the estate.

I really don't know the answer Op.
Low level and constant disruption forms a part of too many classrooms. I've been volunteering in a primary school for a few years now and I'm always dismayed at the sheer noise and movement levels in class. It makes it so hard to concentrate. And it also means the teacher has to repeat everything ad infinitum because half the clas aren't listening or can't hear.

The problem is that schools can't win. If parents don't look to their children's behaviour at home, then it becomes a ''them and us'' situation between parent and school. Many, many teaching hours are lost dealing with low level disruptive behaviour in the classroom.

I am always impressed with the level of calm and quiet in DS's school - and it is one of those where all the classrooms open out into the corridor, with no doors.
From Reception there has been a whole school policy of quiet times and behaviour, it is standard in every class, and the discipline around it quite feroscious. They are removed from the classroom and sent to sit outside the office, or in the Dep head's class, or they miss some playtime. They are also allowed to earn treats - as a whole class.
The Head always makes a point of praising individual children during assembly, after each item she will say 'how lovely to see so and so sitting so sensibly and enjoying the music, well done so and so' or whatever all the way through.

As a parent, DS used to get into trouble for talking on the carpet, or on their tables, and I discovered that he was finding it rude not to reply to things that were said to him by friends or not to answer questions if other children asked them. I coached him on how to handle ignoring other children or give them a silent signal that he would not respond, and to explain at play. And to ignore disruption and get on with his own thing. Most children have to do himework with a degree of background hoo ha!

I do so feel for you, but don't really have the answer, other than to do what we did and move our dd, she is now happy and learning and says it is sooooo calm!

My dd's YrR year was so bad, when we finally took the decision to move schools in Year 2 (the class remained to be manic, with several disruptive children in it), I was told, by the head, that the childred 'rampaged' in YrR and she apologised, saying that although they were still a 'handful', by Yr6, they would be a lovely group!!

Apparently, she was really limited to how she could deal with these children (they were sending 4 yr olds to the head!) and they were one of the worst groups they had ever had come through the school, because of the 'strong' characters in the group.

If we hadn't had the option to move her, I can't think what we would have done, other than a formal meeting with the head, following up in writing and hoping they sort it out.

Best of luck!