Controversial Behaviour Policy changes

[Chattonnoire]

I am looking to get some insight into the changes taking places at a number of Free Schools, especially London, that have been making dramatic changes to Behaviour Policy since Michaela Community School made headlines as being the strictest school in Britain:

time.com/5232857/michaela-britains-strictest-school/

metro.co.uk/2017/09/11/britains-strictest-school-bans-pupils-from-looking-out-the-window-and-smirking-6917747/

www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/news/13422769.The_secrets_of_Magna_Academy_s_transformation__Students_who_walk_silently_between_lessons/

I noticed, that the comments at the end of these articles were mostly negative from parents and students in these schools, and don't appear to be in line with the "hard sell" the schools are making it out to be.

The impression is that teachers are asserting control over the difficult and disruptive students at the expense of the rest; the average student is muted in these "silent transitions" to and from classes and expressed feeling unhappy and the environment oppressive and weird.

None of the students have the authority to question the new policy, too afraid of being given 90 minutes detentions on the same day regardless of any commitments they may have (Medical or Sporting...at the expense of either their health missing long awaited NHS appointments or financial loss for missed activities to lower income families, as many students on free school meals) for often arbitrary and minor and low level disruptions such as is listed on many of these schools behaviour policies.

So they are being taught not to learn any assertiveness, question authority at any point, to conform, never to speak out, contest or oppose injustice, and may in fact have long lasting emotional and psychological negative impact on these teen developing minds in the real world, where they may not be able to defend themselves from unfair treatment from employers, or even personal relationships.

I am concerned about how fitting and convenient it is for the staff of schools in managing the delinquents, but how damaging this can potential be for bright and able children to be treated with less freedom than correctional facilities. Mental health and self harm and teen suicides statistics are already depressingly high, and with high pressured expectations and penalised for low level infractions can sabotage a once engaged teen's self esteem. A friend's 14 year old son recently committed suicide. So this really touches a raw nerve.

I've seen how a hostile school environment can crush a student with so much potential too many times.

I can't help but thinK of Pink Floyd's "Another Brick in the Wall" with faceless children put through the grinder...sorry for the grim comparison....but I can't shake it.

Is this radical new Behaviour Control in developing adolescent minds a good thing, or setting them up to fail in the real world in order that the schools get "Outstanding" Ofsted reports as inspectors come and see automatons walking silently through schools for fear of punishment and exclusion?

Are any of you in these super strict schools and finding it great or awful?

*If you are a teacher or part of school staff, please indicate in your response, so an understanding of your perspective is made clear.

Thank you

School pupils are children and need to be treated as such.

MilkyTea20 seems to have very similar views to SunnyShades and SunShades who were both posting this kind of thing back in July.

I remember those threads tiger.

I’m wondering where milkytea thinks pupil’s arms should be if not on desks. Perhaps she thinks there hands should be in there laps as they as they stare and nod at the teacher (or whatever slant stands for). Or perhaps she thinks they should hover a couple of inches above the desk!

In shackles, I expect!

To me their posts read like some deeply dodgy disciplinarian fantasy. I think not engaging is the best strategy.

NobleGiraffe

Doesn’t your DS have some sort of movement break card where he can get up and walk around or stretch? That would seem like a reasonable adjustment for SEND students that even a strict school should accept?

Thanks to your earlier post, I did for ahead and make a request for the school to possibly provide him with a movement card to use during lessons to stretch out without fear of punishment leading to detention, as well as during lunch break to get out of canteen seat once finished eating.

The request was granted!

I don’t feel the policy is right for the body of students, but at the moment my DS has the ability to use this card to reduce the stress and anxiety that might be caused by the long intervals of static seating with low level disruption he might unintentionally cause as he shifts and taps in discomfort.

I think as far as my DS goes, it’ll be a great improvement. He’ll also be able to use the card as a signal if he can’t “raise his hand” in class, if migraine setting in.

So I’m not changing policy, but slowly inch by inch getting concessions to improve the environment for my DS...for now

wonders how certain posters think children should be treated and whether this extends to how things are at home

Several of those strategies used by these schools would be seen as Child Protection issues if used by parents.

Aso in breach of the ECHR.

Could be a really interesting case testing whether schools are no longer 'in loco parentis'. If they're not, what are their liabilities now.

Woman110178

Several of those strategies used by these schools would be seen as Child Protection issues if used by parents.

This is what I was thinking, wondering why a school is allowed to havevpolicies tgat would invite Social Services to investigate families reported as implementing these measure at home on their children?

Also in breach of the ECHR.

ECHR? Not familiar with acronym

European Court of Human Rights

European Court of Human Rights

Thanks!

Will ECHR matter after Brexit?

Is there an equivalent in UK to go to if needed?

Thanks Tiger
ECHR is separate from Brexit, it's not the EU court.

It's the convention on human rights in Strasbourg.

In theory it still applies, despite the 'brexit'.

www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/theresa-may-brexit-white-paper-eu-european-convention-on-human-rights-tory-mps-a8444386.html

It was an ECHR case which after all got rid of corporal punishment in schools.

www.coe.int/en/web/human-rights-channel/-/how-two-parents-stopped-corporal-punishment-in-uk-schools

woman11017

Good to know, thank you

ECHR links and advice on taking action, for info.

Even without any litigation, it might be worth reminding schools enforcing unfair treatment on our kids, of our children's ECHR rights.

ttps://www.equalityhumanrights.com/en/what-european-convention-human-righ
www.equalityhumanrights.com/en/our-legal-action/inquiries-and-investigations/legal-aid-victims-discrimination-our-inquiry

I’ll definitely read up on it today woman11017.

I feel the school needs help. As indicated earlier in the thread by NobleGiraffe, there is an underlying behavioural issue that needs addressing, and the policy is extreme on those that don’t have these behavioural problems, but after a week of the new policy being implemented, the really problematic students...well, remain problematic! They don’t care about being punished for poor SLANT, keeping quite in corridors or stairwells for ‘silent transition’ or 24h in-school exclusuions and continue with defiant behaviour that teachers (and other students) shouldn’t have to tolerate.

These teens don’t care about the consequences. But their behaviour is causing a totalitarian regime on all students and not having an impact on those it’s meant to deal with.

What to do?

I can't believe what I'm reading in this thread. The ECHR aims to prevent abuses of human rights such as torture, abuse and ensure freedom of expression.

It's certainly not concerned with children having to do as they're told at school.

Milky if a parent did the stuff at home that this school is doing in the classroom (sit still, don't speak, don't smile, don't look out of the window) that would most certainly be classed as abuse and social services would be very interested.

There is a huge gulf between total anarchy at school and the kind of regime the OP is posting about. 'Children doing as they are told' in a normal school sits neatly in between the two. I do hope you are not a teacher.

@pointythings

I'm a headteacher actually. Can you explain why children need to move, speak or look out of the window when they should be concentrating on their work?

I would have thought arguing it from the fact that a school has a duty of care would be the place to start TBH.

Children need to be allowed to move around during breaks. They need to have the time and space for normal social interaction at school. In lessons they should absolutely be concentrating - but the odd look out of a window is really not a flogging offence in the way you seem to think it is. Persistent low level disruption needs to be dealt with, but doing so does not require the kind of regime described by the OP - the school my children attend is evidence of that. It isn't a nice school with an exclusively middle class catchment, it's very mixed - but somehow it manages. This kind of regime is lazy because it treats all children as bad before they have even done anything. Normal human behaviour is punished. It's pathetic. I am so, so, so glad you are not the head at my school. You really shouldn't be in charge of anyone's education if you hate children this much.

To me their posts read like some deeply dodgy disciplinarian fantasy. I think not engaging is the best strategy

Same person was posting on another thread that 16 year olds should be doing 4 hours homework every night and 8 hours a day at weekends. Definitely in crank territory. Hope s/he is not really a head teacher.

OP, have you investigated whether a place might be available at another school or just assumed everywhere is oversubscribed? It sounds like a horrendous environment for anxious or people pleasing teenagers. My teenage DS wouldn't last long there (well-behaved, bright, neurotypical student but anxious with some OCD traits).