Do teachers still write the 'naughty' children's names on the board?

[Reastie]

I remember this happening when I was at school. there would be a list on the board with the names of children when they were disruptive like a 'naughty list'. I thought this had finished years ago. I'm looking at potential primary schools for DS and one of the schools I had thought otherwise looked good use this as a first defence sanction. They don't call it a naughty list, it's called something like 'name on the mountain' where I presume there's some kind of mountain on the wall where they add children's names as they might disrupt the class.

I'm sure I remember in my teacher training that this had been got rid of as the children with their names on there could be doing it for attention and would like the attention of having their name on the wall, even if it was for something negative they have done. I've never seen it done myself my any colleagues. Is this a red flag or am I overthinking?

I bloody hate attendance awards... our Head did 100% attendance awards in January for the autumn term.... when more than half my DD's class had been off with sodding covid.... DD was just lucky to avoid it so she got one... which I promptly binned.
He also sent an email before half-term saying how wonderful it was that so many children had 100% attendance this half-term... like you say, lucky they've not been ill/sent in by parents regardless! My DD has had a couple of days off this half-term due to bugs that she's caught at sodding school!

Actually I'd quite like children to feel ashamed of themselves for disrupting other children's learning.

I was made to stand behind the blackboard for (what felt like) hours when I was six. I was then hauled out and strapped across my hand in front of my classmates.
The sheer terror makes this one of my earliest and most traumatic memories, I was a good and sensitive child, it was actually a terrible thing to do to me, although normal at the time.
All I am saying is that educational practices were not always as one would wish.

Our school behaviour policy is names on the board.

I would love to know a better way?! I'm so tired of parents thinking they know better than teachers.

Its an interesting thread for sure - those who use this behaviour system find it quite helpful, those criticising it seem to have 0 experience managing behaviour in a class of 30. One teacher who doesn’t use it conceded they have a pretty easy class anyway. I think I’ve read all I need to know.

OP did you actually finish your teacher training and have you got any teaching experience using an alternative system for you to have such a strong opinion about this?

It's standard in every school I have been in. They usually have so many chances so the name is written on as a warning. If they do it again another tick goes next to it and that's a sanction

It's not about naughty or not naughty children, it's about behaviour choices.
I'd rather see clear expectations for behaviour that children understand and if this sometimes means consequences for behaviour so be it. Maybe if so many parents weren't precious behaviour would be easier to manage.

DD's school used this system. They didn't seem to understand that her 'bad behaviour' was her simply not understanding/being able to act on their expectations.

In pre-school she had no 'behavioural problems'

In year 1 she got 3 demerits for 'being disrespectful to an adult' - the same number as she would have got if she got into a physical fight with another pupil. Her crime was not answering a teacher's question. I met with the teacher at the start of the year and explained that DD 'shuts down' when confronted - it is a trauma response from the abuse she experienced in her birth family.

She said to me in year 2 'At school I always feel as if I am about to be told off, but I don't know what I am doing wrong'.

By year 3 she was self-harming in school (she would hit herself in the face) - and I was told that it wasn't fair for the other children and teachers to have to be exposed to this.

No other school would take her (we weren't in the UK), and I couldn't afford to go private, and as a single parent I couldn't stop work to home educate.

She is now in a lovely school who realise that rewards and punishments have little impact on behaviour, because the majority of the time those with repetitive 'bad' behaviour are not making a rational, calculated decision to behave 'badly', so are not sat there calculating rewards and punishments. They are reacting to their environment.

She has been diagnosed with PTSD, with the way she was treated at school number 1 contributing and increasing the impact of the abuse she experienced in her birth family. She is gradually beginning to trust some of the staff at school, 2 1/2 years in.

They get yellow and red cards. Probably not literal cards, but a red card gets a parental phone call.

She is now in a lovely school who realise that rewards and punishments have little impact on behaviour, because the majority of the time those with repetitive 'bad' behaviour are not making a rational, calculated decision to behave 'badly', so are not sat there calculating rewards and punishments. They are reacting to their environment.

I think yours is an example where the behaviour system was not used well - common sense still needs to be applied and obvious allowances and amendments made for cases like with your DD. And giving out warnings or consequences for things that don’t warrant it is never appropriate, not matter I’m what format.

But in most cases I would say of course children can be rational and calculated in their behaviour - and if it is due to impulse then they need a way to support them in managing these impulses. Having a rewards and consequences behaviour policy is an effective and simple way of doing that.That is part of learning and growing up. I do sometimes think this airy fairy ‘reacting to their environment’ attitude to children’s behaviour is bizarre - do people seriously not remember their own childhood?? Of course children knowingly misbehave… often it’s minor, sometimes not so minor, but either way that is literally part of being a kid.

I'd be interested to know how many people are actually trained teachers on this thread. How many need to manage 30 children each day and, not only ensure that learning is not disrupted, but also ensure progress for all pupils?

Of course those children on red/storm cloud aren't naughty but that's what the children come back saying.
Sarah is naughty, she hits and is always on the storm cloud.

That's why I don't like it, because the other children can clearly see where there are in relation to each other. Then poor Sarah is getting called naughty by her peers, and even if they didn't witness the hitting or weren't involved because they were playing elsewhere, they ALL know Sarah did something 'naughty' that day because it's clear to see.

Perhaps I'd prefer it more if it was just a private list the teacher had, so they could check were each child was and just tell the child privately they've moved onto the cloud. Does it need to be viewed by all the class where everyone is?

I am a retired teacher. We used a system of merits and demerits in my junior school. It worked well and there was very little disruption.
I too get so sick of parents thinking they could do better and complaining if their own child is disciplined. They should try teaching a class of over 25 children for a day and see how they get on.

Perhaps I'd prefer it more if it was just a private list the teacher had, so they could check were each child was and just tell the child privately they've moved onto the cloud. Does it need to be viewed by all the class where everyone is?
Just how long do you think it would take for the teacher to have a little chat each time a child is disruptive? It's easy to see you have never been a teacher.

How do you tell a child anything privately when you're teaching a class of 30? I'd spend all of the lesson pulling children aside for private chats and not actually teaching anything.

I know this is outdated view, but we are raising these children to join society. They need to have a sense of acceptable behaviour and manners.

If a school has found a system that works for them and they get a overall good response leave it alone.

I think of my dad with his left hand tired behind his back at infant school as he was left handed. Also getting the lash for being late for school.

People are upset about rainbows and storms 😂 you know naughty is still a behaviour

Some of the whinging on here shows why the behaviour in our schools is often dreadful. Telling a child they have made the wrong choice or broken the rules is not cruel or humiliating. It simply states the reality and reminds them of the expectations in that setting. The alternative is that other kids spend their day in a noisy, unpleasant environment where not much learning takes place and the teacher spends teaching time trying to persuade kids to behave.

@Realityloom That’s probably why it was a great school. Zero tolerance for bad behaviour means that teachers can teach and not spend most of the lesson on the ‘naughty’ ones!

If 'Sarah' is hitting others then she needs to know that it's unacceptable and the other children deserve to know that someone will be punished if they are punching others. Children deserve to feel safe in the classroom.

As teachers we have a responsibility to teach children right from wrong. If a child see another child punching others and not being punished then they will either think 'Oh I can punch others as nothing will happen' or 'There's nothing to stop others punching me, I don't feel safe.'

Of course those children on red/storm cloud aren't naughty but that's what the children come back saying.

In fairness, the children who go on yellow (or very rarely red) in DS's class definitely are naughty. This would be obvious to anyone (including the other children) with or without it being on a board. There are several children with SEN in the class and they rarely go off green because they aren't being naughty.

Young Relative did work experience in a school for a few weeks, and moved because the behaviour was so appalling. She’s in a catholic school now and she said the difference is astonishing!
She said they write names on the board of children who have been given a warning!

The question is how do you use systems like this when poor behaviour' could be symptomatic of a underlying neurological problem or borne out of a complex homelife? Are we in danger of shaming children for behaviour which is the result of external circumstance or disability

I am all for class room discipline but should teachers use information like continued presence on a cloud as a stimulus for further investigation?

Teacher here YABVVVVU

Ffs

There is a version of this in every school, it may not be on the board but lists are made, whether its on a visible board or one of the many virtual recording apps that are pushed.

You need to remember there's only 1 teacher and TA to around 28 kids. Kids know right from wrong even from a young age. Children copy it only takes one child in a class to cause disruption and distract the class and before you know it that could is then encouraging other kids to do the same as then. Even if you have 1 child with external circumstances that doesn't excuse anything.