Children being treated like prisoners

[User78678]

What is everyone’s thoughts on children not being allowed to talk to or play with children from other classes?
Context….
The school classes were allowed to mix until covid hit and they then had bubbles. The headteacher decided it is easier to control the children and less bother for the teachers if they kept the children in bubbles. So here we are in 2024 and this school is still using covid bubbles.
If a child tries to talk to a child from a class other than their own, they are told off and punished for it. They are not able to make full use of the playground because each class has a small designated space, and they must not cross the “border” or “fraternise at the boundaries” or they will be in trouble. Even if the child has a sibling in another class, they are not allowed to go over and talk or play with them. It’s a two form entry and half of the year group have not seen the other half since 2020, other than in passing, because they are taken out to play at separate times.
The headteacher will not budge on this rule and is happy to keep treating the classes like they are wings in a prison. The children are being denied the opportunity to build friendship making skills because they are kept with the same class and not mixed up each year. They are not able to develop their social skills, and a lot of children in the classes don’t get on because they don’t get any space away from each other but they just have to deal with it. The children in key stage 2 are served lunch in the corridor and have to eat in the classroom. The children in this school don’t know any different, they believe all schools are like this. So you can imagine the shock they have when they go to into high school. I personally know of a child who had to be reassured for months that it was ok to speak to children from other classes and talk to them at break times, because the fear of getting into trouble for talking outside of the classroom boundaries was instilled in him from primary school.

Sounds really weird. I’d push them to try to justify this as it makes no sense at all.
My SDC’s school has a separate playground for years 3-6 which does make sense but no restrictions on anyone talking to someone from another class or year at all.

Honestly it’s true, they’re not called bubbles anymore and they aren’t done for covid reasons, but they’ve kept them in the bubbles from covid If that makes sense and still keep them away from one another.

I say “we all wrote” as in the group of us that are unhappy about it. That group is a few of us. I feel like you’re trying to catch me out or something??
I know this sounds absurd and hard to believe but it’s genuinely the truth. The ofsted inspection was done in july, the school is in Manchester and it went from outstanding to good. I’m guessing the report should be published any day now (because it’s a very long time waiting, but I’m guessing summer holidays is part of that wait). If there is a way to check newly done ofsted reports in a certain area, then keep checking and it should be up and you’ll be able to see what school it is. I’ve contacted two newspapers so hopefully they pick up on it and then they can name the school.

I don’t know if they have and the parents haven’t taken any notice, they’ve spoken to the headteacher already, or their child hasn’t told them. I can’t speak for every child and every parent.

Every parent needs to get hold of the complaints policy. Every parent then needs to follow it through, stage by stage diligently and make sure that it is stuck to. This is likely to be head, chair of governors, governor panel 1, governor panel 2 then probably DfE.
Get hold of any policies that don’t support this - there might be something in safeguarding, well-being and quite where they’re not following them. Do not write all the same letter and the same thing - everyone needs to be responded to individually and not give a quick pass at a letter that can be copied and pasted.

I suspect when you left it to Ofsted, the head said well it works and we’ve not had any formal complaints. The complaints policy has to be followed and is very time consuming for all concerned. Governors will not be happy if they’re continually being called for governor panels.

There’s no point in doing anything else unless you’ve actually used the proper mechanism open to you. The school is unlikely to comment on a press report with sad faces and dig their heels in and the head could quite rightly say to the MP, please refer them to the complaints policy.

That’s insane. Definitely go to the press. Get the parents to have a meeting with the head. They sound crazy.

Following on from my post. This is a typical schools complaints policy which meets Department for Education guidance. This is from a primary catholic academy.
Have you used it the policy for the school you are complaining about? Have you found it on theirverbsite? Do you plan to use it?

Sample School Complaints Policy

Of course we speak about school, my child is a stickler for rules so if they’ve been told not to go over and talk to the other classes then they won’t. If DC went over and spoke to a child and got in trouble, they’d then say they got in trouble and I’d ask what for and they’d say for speaking to someone from another class and I’d ask more about it. My child has more than likely said to me at one point we have to stay on our side of the playground, and I’d have assumed they meant because of the older year 5 and 6s. Because it wouldn’t even come into my head that classes are kept separated the way they have been.

I would have real concerns about how they are going to adapt to high school. It will be incredibly different and very anxiety provoking to suddenly be out of their cages so to speak. This is awful OP. Report to local authority

That is awful. Our school encourages mixing. One of my favourite things are the p7 being buddied up to a p1 (Scotland) I think it encourages a kindness towards the little ones and you see it through the school.

I also think children need to run and explore at break rather than being contained.

Not for an academy. An academy is not maintained by the LA so no LA control and very little involvement.

For an academy - school complaints procedure, Academy Trust and Regional Director (DfE).

This is really helpful, thankyou. It’s honestly such a bizarre situation and once the children had been asked about it and I asked a TA and she confirmed it. we was all like “well we know it’s true, the school year is pretty much done with now, ofsted are due in any day now, so let’s all write our thoughts on the surveys and see what they do about it!”
when we heard that school has been dropped to good, and I heard that a couple of kids had been questioned about the bubbles, we all thought yes they’ve done something about it! But they went back last week and they’re still in bubbles, so clearly not! So it’s just a case off checking it’s not just us who thinking it’s absolutely crazy to run a school like this, and making sure no other schools are running this way, and getting advice on next steps because it’s just a weird situation.

It’s not an academy, it’s VA

I would contact local press either in print or facebook pages. But I would speak to the school first. If they realise all the parents hate this they might be willing to change.

I would also tell my child that they can speak to the other children. What would happen is everyone did this? They couldn't punish them all.

Ask for a meeting with the head teacher. Either as a group or all individually. It sounds like you haven't actively complained yet.

That's ridiculous!! Do you mind sharing where in GM? Either way, this argument "it's easier to control the children that way" is silly. It's also easier for me to deal with my kids if I looked them in a room all day away from each other. No bickering or fighting! But I don't do that because it's messed up.

I've advised you and asked about the complaints policy upthread.

Please let us know how you get on, if you haven't already expressed your concern or made a complaint formally to the board @User78678

@bestbehave You’re coming across as aggressive and over-engaged on this thread. If you want to report the OP for anything, then do, but I’m reading and wondering what on earth you have against her.

Oh wow this is so fucked up. I can hardly believe it’s reading this. My goodness OP kick up a bloody big fuss. Good luck getting rid of this horrible policy

Yes, do this! All parents meticulously following the complaints procedure

I would remove my children from the school and report the school to the LEA and OFSTED