laps as a punishment in LEA school.

[hanadavis90]

what are your thoughts on primary schools using laps as a form of punishment for children?

what about if it was entire years bunched up together because the teacher cannot control a few, so just makes them all do it.

they didnt get to change into their PE shoes or anything, so this was done on a horrid wet day in their uniform... :/ is this just me or...

Look. Hinting and ellipses aren't very illuminating methods of getting your point across - quite confusing.

Tell us what happened and then you'll get comments.

If it shakes the silliness out of them, why not?

(Add your own provisos about anyone with crutches or asthma inhalers.)

Getting naughty kids to go for a run sounds like a great plan.

Hate group punishments.

Exercise should never be used as punishment, but regular (daily at least) exercise and a bit of fresh air (if framed correctly) would almost certainly improve behaviour generally.

I still remember having to do this once at Guide Camp, only that time, we had to run round the field in the dark in our pyjamas as a punishment for giggliness and partying.

Our tent's occupants were actually asleep at the time. OK, I'm bitter.

One of dd's teachers in Primary used to take the class out for a run round the playground occasionally. Not as a punishment but more when she felt cabin fever was setting in. I don't think anybody complained tbh and she was a very popular teacher with both parents and children alike. Likewise they'd go out of assembly and take the long route outside school to get back to the class instead of a quick dart up the corridor. I think it can be a useful strategy tbh.

I've seen it done, as others have said, not so much as a punishment but more on a "these children need to get the shakes out of them." I've seen it done very effectively and the children concentrated much better afterwards.
My dd would not have chosen to do it, but even she admitted that she felt better afterwards.

I don't see the problem in it.

Yes - go out, run off some steam and calm down when you get back.
It's not like they were asked to put on shorts and thin T shirts and run 3 miles in the rain.
Our school often takes the yr1 and R classes out for 10 mins and tell them to run about if they are acting like a box of frogs.

The behaviour/discipline policy should clearly say what the punishments are for the degree of misbehaviour. If running in uniform is one, then so be it. I doubt it though. Whole class punishments are rarely in a behaviour policy either. Therefore, was it a punishment? Or is it a calming down strategy?

The more important issue is why the teacher cannot control a few children and what is being done about this. It is not the fault of the whole class that this is happening and, if I was a well behaved child, I would be furious about this and complain to the Head of Year. I know this involves sticking one's head above the parapet, but in the long run, it needs to be done because unfair policies rarely work. Will the class be sent out every day? What work will get done?

Poor teaching . Don't agree with group punishments.

sorry for the late reply, i've been at work. i'll reply from the bottom, up;

this is not in the behavior policy, nor is it the 'norm' the the children's school, not when i was a pupil, nor now.

i did not mean years as in, one entire year, i meant years as in the entire junior school. i've been told by several parents the general consensus from the kids is that some children where being rowdy, so instead of picking those children out to deal with, this senior member of staff made all children queuing to go back into classes after break, run laps of the field.

as someone here mentioned, alot of the 'good' kids where annoyed, and injured. one of the girls sprained her ankle, another had an asthema attack. that's just in my daughters class alone. and then some of the kids where left to wear wet socks for the rest of the day (their school don't allow the kids to play on the grass in wet weather, they play on the yard generally) so all the little girls wearing tights and pretty clarks shoes... soaked. and left like that. the little girls wearing ballet pumps which of course came off.... soaked. the boys wearing boots... blistered. it's not really ideal, and considering all these kids have PE trainers in school for PE..... it kind of takes the mick...

i don't think i'd mind so much if anyone involved seemed to enjoy it....maybe in the summer, in the nice weather it could be nice and have the desired effect, or if it was one class and the teacher suggested it prior to demanding they run laps at the blow of her wistle randomly with no choice or warning, but in the winter, where its been raining, you're cold and probably getting wet/injured... thus far i have only heard that the kids wern't okay with it.

my opinion is i send the kids to school to learn. school is education, not boot camp, not childcare. i send them because they receive an education. and this is not, in anyway an education, nor is it appropriate punishment.... what would the children have learnt other than when an adult says run laps, regardless of how it makes you feel or if you 'deserve' it. you do as your told and noone will care.

it astounds me how many people on this thread are okay with it.

Well of course the kids weren't ok with it. It was being used as a consequence. I'm sure they will have been warned, several times, before it actually happened.
So what are your suggestions for keeping some sort of discipline? Put yourself in the teacher s shoes.
And yes, they will have learned that they are to do as asked, by an adult. The first time of asking. Is that not learning something, then?
'Education' can't take place if some are intent on not doing as they are told.

What, the entire junior school was misbehaving, the entire junior school was warned and the entire junior school continued misbehaving jamdonut? Unlikely. And even if they did, physical exercise in inappropriate footwear isn't remotely an appropriate consequence.

Perhaps what they've learned is that some people abuse power and being innocent is no protection. Good lesson in these days.

But seriously OP, if your DC was upset I'd have a word. Perhaps someone could do with a reminder that there is a discipline policy. (Or indeed a H&S policy, there are reasons they aren't allowed to run around on wet muddy fields in their school shoes.)

Children shouldn't be at school in shoes that are not appropriate to run about in regardless if it's hard ground or not. That line of argument only weakens your stance against the complaint with the school about collective punishment.

School shoes aren't generally chosen with the expectation of running about in wet fields. I think DD is the only girl in her class with school shoes that are potentially suitable and who wouldn't get soaked feet. We had to go to the internet to find a "girls" style with velcro that was closed on top, there was nothing on the high street, it's not the norm. They go in the playground not in the field in winter. Wet grass gets the top of your feet wet, wet playground doesn't unless you're silly enough to run through puddles.

At our school the kids have wellies in school for wet days. They also have plimsoles or trainers in school which could be worn and at least changed out of afterwards.

But I really doubt our school would do anything on a wet field - they've cancelled sports days because of wet grass before. Too slippery.

our kids have wellies and trainers in their pe kits in school aswell.

Little girls wearing ballet pumps. In November???

loads of little girls wear the ballet pump type shoes clarks sell, with tights. they have a little thin strap across the front....

It's good for them to run around. Why are children upset at that?

Good for them to run in appropriate footwear for fun. Not good to present exercise as punishment and do it in footwear designed for playground/indoor use on a wet field so they have wet feet for the rest of the day and are at risk of slipping over, getting muddy, twisting ankles or worse. Think that was pretty clear in OP's posts.

Will never understand whole class punishments. It kind of gives the impression to kids that your damned if you do and damned if you don't. Pointless exercise, no pun intended.

sounds as though they didn't quite think it through...
however as a concept getting a child to run a lap of a playground / field / etc. is a long long way from abuse!
and education is more than the 3Rs - learning to be a decent human being is certainly a part of it, understanding that actions have consequences and that sometimes corporate actions have corporate consequences is all good learning...

I cannot agree that group punishments are "good learning". They breed resentment, are a consequence of poor classroom management and expect the children to tackle the culprits rather than the responsible adult. It is not acceptable and it is not just running around for fun - it is punishment for well behaved children. I would love to see this punishment used in front of an a Ofsted Inspector - although the teacher would already be viewed as inadequate before it got to the run around the playing field punishment!