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.

Because as far as I am aware the children never mentioned it because they didn’t know any different. The older children would do but I don’t know if they told their parents or not, and what their parents did about it. My child has a few close friends and always talks about those friends and the games they’ve played, little disagreements they’ve had, and just things DC has done during the school day. My child only vaguely remembers the other half of the year group, and was lucky enough to transition from nursery to reception with the same friends. So there was never a reason for it to be brought up.

Then yes, same applies regarding the school complaints procedure then you could contact the LA ( who can't overturn the outcome of the schools process) but in some LA’s there are advisers who work with schools and may follow this up.

If the LA has advisory staff, they will already be aware though, via monitoring of safeguarding, pupil and staff voice, regular visits as will diocesan advisers.

Could it be that your interpretation is more dramatic than what is actually happening! A meeting with the HT would possibly explain the schools reasoning and ve able to allay your concerns. (or not). This would start the process of complaint.

Truly awful OP. I hope you get somewhere soon. Might be one time when the newspaper picking up on a post on here is worthwhile.

My child tells me about what parts of school they hated that day, the parts they loved. If someone done something funny, if someone was upset. If they had a visit into the school, games they’ve played with friends, disagreements they’ve had. Any minor bumps or scrapes. We always talk about school. I’m not saying DC is an Angel, because they’re definitely not lol but DC is good in school and always follows the rules, so would never have been in trouble for “fraternising at the border”, and that’s the only way I can think it could have ever come up, id they’d been in trouble. If DC had a friend or relative in another class ans I asked if they’d played with them, then DC would say no because we would get into trouble and i would question that more. But there has just never been a reason for it to be brought up. My child just thought it was normal for school to be like that.

Ofsted and the LA will refer the OP to the school complaints procedure and are unlikely to get involved ( as LA and OFSTED policies state) until this is complete. ( unless serious safeguarding).

Ofsted may contact the LA and an adviser would deal with this on OFSTED’s behalf, gathering evidence of what is happening, unpicking the reality rather than hearsay and reporting back. But that would be it. Few parental complaints to OFSTED result in any actual actions.

(and actually for this school OFSTED inspectors have just spent two days in the school and verbally feedback to the LA, dioceses and school leaders, as well as reporting). This would also be used to support the information back to OFSTED from the LA. I do wonder how two inspectors, for two days in school, didn't notice this level of segregation, they go, outside, they spend time in the lunch Hall, they meet with parents, pupils and staff.

Obviously complain - head - exec head - governors - local authority- ofsted- MP

I wonder if a petition would work? To the local authority?

Yes you are alone. And you’re being really weird about it too.

In Manchester there was one RC primary inspected in July and the outcome was requires improvement. None of the RC schools inspected in June went from Outstanding to Good.

I have to go to work now, so it will be later on tonight or tomorrow morning that I’m back on here.
I just wanted to say thankyou to everyone who has given advice, I don’t know how to “like” comments on here, I have tried to reply to everyone but I can’t keep up! Lol

I know some people are trying to find flaws in what I’m saying, or trying to make out that I’m the worse parent ever because I wasn’t aware of this, but there was no reason for it to ever come up in conversation. My child is happy with their friends and if my child was told not to go over to the other classes then they won’t. If SC had gone over and got told off, then DC would have told me and then I’d have questioned it more. DC doesn’t have relatives or friends in other classes so I’ve never asked “did you play with such a person today”. We always speak about school, it’s just something that has never came up and my child has never known any different in the school so has never had a reason to mention it.
I don’t know if other children have told their parents and they have already been in and spoke to the headteacher about it. All I do know is that a member of staff told a parent. I shouldn’t have used the word leaked as that was a bit dramatic.
And I know that this is one of those posts that are so bizarre that you read it and think nope, that can’t be true, they’re definitely trolling!!
But it is a genuine post.

Report isn’t out yet, I don’t know if it was you who I replied to further up but I said it should be out any day now so keep checking.

I think I’ve explained to you around 3 or 4 times now. I’m just going to stop replying to your comments because I don’t know how else to explain it to you.

Maybe this school!

However, leaders will have had verbal feedback at the end of the inspection and a draft of the report. In my experience, if these were the reasons for the RI changes would have been made at the start of this academic year, not part way through.

Could be a more general RI, including for leadership and management which indicates possibly more issues and some lack of capacity for improvement.

Jesus Christ, would you like a pair of tweezers to really pick this post apart? I say rumour because it’s not yet been confirmed online, but all the staff members know that it got dropped from outstanding to good. No I’m not a staff member, but I’m not going to disclose how I know that because it’s irrelevant. If you don’t believe me that’s fine, but questioning every sentence isn’t going to “expose” me as a liar because I’m telling the truth. I’m not entertaining you anymore.

I can't believe this is going on. Actions:
First year after COVID restrictions ended - internally complain to Head, then the Chair of Governors/Head of Trust.
Second term - OFSTED and MP
Third term- the press!

Astonished at the timeline here.

🤣🤣🤣🤣 you need to fizzle out your weird obsession with picking this post apart lol

I just checked and it’s not been updated yet so it’s a different school. I was constantly checking in half term, but then I read on google that reports aren’t usually published in half terms. So that’s why I’m guessing any day now because it’s been around 9-10 weeks!

Thankyou, I am definitely taking everyone’s advice on board. It’s just such a bizarre situation and something I didn’t know where to go with. I know my points and reasons for wanting this fixed but it was just a case of where do we start?

I start work at 10am and finish at 8pm, so other than my break (if I get a chance to come on here), then I probably won’t be back on until 10pm by time I’ve had tea and a shower. If not then I’ll be back on tomorrow morning. You are honestly so weird. You don’t even make any sense. How would my child getting into trouble have anything to do with what I posted about?
You make absolutely no sense.

Parents shouldn’t be told the OFSTED grading until the report is published. Rules are relaxed now in respect of staff knowing and SLT can tell someone close to them, but it must still stay confidential to the parent group.

How do they manage assemblies, trips to local church (which I assume happen as catholic school)

I just wanted to say I’ve taken all advice on board and feel a lot more confident going forward with this now. I start work in 25 mins so I’ll be back on later or tomorrow morning.
Thankyou xxxx