Would you have said something?

[Pyrrah]

I got the very suprising news that my DD has got a nursery place at the local CofE primary school, so I went to drop off the acceptance slip this afternoon on my way back from Central London.

The time I arrived just happened to coincide with the end of school and as I stepped off the bus, I was really shocked to see two of the pupils - aged approx 7 or 8 start shouting abuse at the bus driver and making movements as if they intended to kick the bus.

I stopped to watch for a bit (there was an incident a couple of weeks ago in the same bit of road where two slightly older kids started throwing rocks and sticks at the bus to the extent that the bus driver lost his temper, got out, chased the kids down the road and threw a big chunk of tree at them) and the next thing the boys' mothers come round the corner and seem to find their behaviour funny.

I was very tempted to say something to the school when I went in, but didn't.

Instead I'm now worrying about just exactly where I'm sending my DD that has children that young behaving like that - and worse, their parents condoning it. And this was supposed to be the least rough of the schools round here.

Yes, tell the school to report the incident.

I would report it to the school, they won't remember you they'll be no come back. As for the school, even the best have their 'interesting' families. Unfortunately often when you meet the parent of a difficult child you realise where it stems from and respect is sadly lacking in some areas.

I'm not sure I'd want my children within a hundred miles of a school which tolerated urchins like that.

learnandsay - It's behaviour out of school, so exactly how does it show that the school tolerates that sort of behaviour? As nmason said, even the best schools have their 'interesting' families and difficult kids.

Yes, report it - school would want to know it's going on as they're in uniform and it reflects badly on the school.

learnandsay where do you get the idea that the school "tolerated" the behaviour? Quite possibly, school is the only place that those children are being taught to behave properly, since it sounds as if the parents were being a bit useless.

Some schools have strict policies about how children behave both in and out of the school, (especially when the children are wearing school uniform,) because it reflects back on the school. If this school doesn't tolerate this kind of behaviour then perhaps it should review its enforcement procedures. Because they seem to have room for improvement. If the school does tolerate it then perhaps a hundred miles is too near for my little darlings.

Is it a school bus? Poor bus driver sounds like he could do with some support. Even if 'public' bus think school should be informed. If children in uniform they are still 'representing' school.

We always wanted to know if kids behaved badly on the bus as we can help where the driver feels he has no authority. The bus is a privilidge and if the kids won't behave their parents have to find an alternative way of getting them to school. Soon makes them sort their kids brattish behaviour out. Don't worry too much about the school though, with us it is a lovely school but a couple of kids who behave horribly outside when their parents are not present.

you do need to say something. The school can't take action unless they know.

"Some schools have strict policies about how children behave both in and out of the school, (especially when the children are wearing school uniform,) because it reflects back on the school. If this school doesn't tolerate this kind of behaviour then perhaps it should review its enforcement procedures."

If the bus was a school bus, then absolutely report it to the school, as their responsibility and ability to enforce definitely extends to school buses and there are measures - including withdrawal of the right to have a bus pass, as candr mentions - that can be taken.

However, as to L&S, given that several of the children at my school come from 4 or 5 miles away, and I should think frequently 'play out' in their school uniforms out of school, could you explain to me how I am meant to monitor and enforce their behaviour from the end of school until their bedtimes??

Despite our very 'interesting' intake, the behaviour of our children in and around school, and when out on school trips etc is recognised as 'outstanding'. That is because, in school, we have consistent rules, known sanctions and people in authority who care about behaviour. Outside school, many of our children have none of those things - so to judge our schoiol by the 'out of school' behaviour of a few children would be unjust as the contrast between the in-school and out of school expectations and environemnts are so extreme.