Should a school be able to produce a record of detentions/punishments and why they were given?

[LittenTree]

For the first time ever I am planning on tackling DS2's primary school about this.

Since he's been in Y6 he is constantly coming in despondent or even near tears as he has been given yet another DT, missed break or missed Golden Time- never individually, but either as part of 'his table', his class or his year. When I ask why, he'll say 'because of kicking/ swearing/ pushing people over/ playing catch/being on the astroturf pitch/not being on the astroturf pitch'. So I will say, regarding the first three 'Did you swear, kick or push?' to which he will say no. And I totally believe him because he is quiet ('must speak up more in class'), shy, unassuming and by far the smallest boy in the year. He is immature but in a cuddling teddy, baby-noises sort of way, not an attention seeking, loud and boisterous way- at all. One of his favourite things is mentoring the Year 1s as he thinks they're 'sweet'. He is average academically- very!- but gets top marks for effort in everything. He is however, not very articulate so it's hard to be able to interrogate him to the level I'd like to ascertain exactly what happened and when. But that's not to say that everything I've heard so far points towards him not being 'in the wrong'. In fact, often he doesn't know exactly what he's being punished for!

So why is he constantly being punished? Why am I not being called up to the school every other week to discuss his dreadful behaviour? We have never, never heard mention in any school he's been at (Infants, Juniors, then this primary since Y4) of behavioural issues- in fact, the opposite!

I was unable to make parents eve but I want to see the teacher (young man) asap. I think I will ask prior to meeting him that he has a) a record of DS2 academic achievement with him, and b) a record of all the DTs and other punishments DS2 has been given.

I am hoping to make the point that they are, with their heavy handed mass-punishments, damaging DS2's Y6 experience- and highly likely, that of other quieter DCs. I think mass punishments are lazy and counter-productive. If the idea is to get the DCs to exert 'peer pressure' on the wrong-doers, they'll rightly get the school's anti-bulling policy jammed down their throats by the trouble maker's parents! And they're risking that change of mindset where a well-behaved DC begins to think 'Why behave? I'll get punished anyway along with the miscreants so I may as well get in there and earn the punishment!'

Sounds like you have a point. I do think there is a place for mass sanctions in schools but this sounds over the top. The school should have a rewards and sanctions policy and a record of all sanctions given out. It may be a pita for the teacher to extrapolate the info of just your dc from the record (they can't show you everyone's record) but they should still do this on request. Asking in advance of the meeting is best.

There is another thread about mass punishments which has been started very recently. I've never been party to one, so personally I don't know of the logic behind them. But intuitively it doesn't seem right. Common sense would suggest that if someone in the class has done something wrong then that person should be identified and disciplined accordingly. The idea of punishing the whole class or group for the activities of one individual would appear to be silly, inappropriate and potentially ineffective. Because presumably the offender doesn't feel as if he's been sorted out for being bad because everybody got the same treatment.

You need to ask the question,but you also need to accept that you might get a somewhat different answer to what your child is saying to you. So I think that you are correct to be asking for the information before getting to any blame position. If the school cannot give you the information, then you need to be able to document what has happened or happens in the future before you take it further (head teacher)

Some teachers use mass sanctions as a way to make the children feel they are responsible as a unit, rather than as individuals. It can be a way of bonding classes together.

I tend to go more for the 'giving each table one piece of paper and one pen' and watching which groups manage to work together, or which squabble. It's the same sort of team building/ joint responsibility thing, but not as a negative.

IMO sometimes whole class sanctions are done out of laziness, sometimes it's done out of wanting to rule with an iron fist and sometimes it's done because it's impossible to work out exactly who is at fault. Sometimes it's a teacher at the end of their tether. Sometimes it's a teacher's style.

I agree it's not fair on your son, and I would complain. My school brought in a new behaviour system where all children start on green, and can be moved up for good behaviour or down for poor. It helps to identify exactly which children are the repeat trouble makers (if they reach red, they fill out a self reflection sheet).

Ask what the behaviour policy is- it does tend to be a weakness in a lot of schools, and so teachers end up making up their own system.

I have an issue over the group punishment thing too, I think it is lazy and shows that the teacher has little authority over the children. Also, my DS is 5 so I think they are maybe a bit too young to use this approach on anyway.

Numerous times my DS has been upset as they have been kept in due to the same 1 or 2 boys doing something and not owning up. I find it astonishing that all the DCs know who did it but the teacher never seems to be able to get to the bottom of it.

I must say, I think I am losing the plot as I seem to feel quite strongly about many issues regarding schools - apparently lack of effective discipline is another!

Juniper904 - I wish all teachers address things with such a sensible and dedicated attitude!

In answer to your title/question, then 'no', day to day behaviour management in the classroom isn't all recorded in miniature. Dententions mean different things to different people/schools... I' wouldn't expect "being kept back for 5 mins' to be recorded - that would come under classroom mangagement, but I would expect a note of formal detentions.

Surely the most productive way to move with this would be to approach the teacher to ask for a meeting, and say what you've said in your OP - that your ds is becoming despondent, or coming home in tears. Say that you are puzzled as to how he has suddenly started getting so many punishments for behaviour when he's gone 6 years through the school without a similar level of crime/punishment. Then ask the teacher if they have any concerns about his attitude or behaviour or any notion of what could have changed too much. See where it goes from there.

Thanks everyone for their input.

I shall find a moment to ask DS2 to tell me in detail what has happened/how he feels about it, making it clear that he has to be telling me the truth (he is very much the sort of DC that would earnestly tell the truth- it's one of his -ahem- 'problems'. He is guileless and as simple and honest as the day is long, even to his own inadvertent detriment!). Then I will go and see his teacher.

I think my gripe is really that if his behaviour is so bad as to deserve weekly DTs/loss of privileges, why have I not been summonsed to the school to discuss?!