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

If the school system required teachers to have a magic personality to maintain control then the education system would collapse, because there would be barely any teachers left.

People want teachers to have good subject knowledge, be able to transmit difficult ideas in a way that children can understand, be hardworking professionals, form good relationships with classes and their parents AND be amazingly charismatic teen-whisperers. It’s too much.

It's not about being an amazingly charismatic teen whisperer, and I certainly didn't say it was easy or simple. For sure, sanctions are sometimes needed, it'd be a rare school that managed without them entirely. But the fact remains that the most effective discipline method is cultivating mutual respect with students. I saw it in my own school days, and over the next 20 years in education of one kind or another. Systems that work on fear rather than respect are brittle and insecure. If as a school you are using up energy on how accurately ties are tied, for eg, that suggests to me both that you have the wrong priorities, and that you are poor disciplinarians.

Discipline is managing an orchestra not being a sergeant major, to paraphrase AS Neill!

I have no problem with detentions whatsoever. Our school issues detentions for homework not done after Yr 8. No second chances. I consider that a silly rule, but on the other hand keeping track of how many times there has been missed homework would be an administrative nightmare so if you're going to enforce homework, best keep it simple. DD1 was caught out once, she shrugged her shoulders and sucked it up.

Detentions for opening your mouth, smiling in corridors, moving at lunch - I am not on board with those.

But the fact remains that the most effective discipline method is cultivating mutual respect with students.

Kids need to behave even if teachers haven’t had the time or ability to cultivate mutual respect with each and every individual.

I agree noble.
Behaviour management isn't (and shouldn't be) a personality competition.
Any member of staff should be able to walk into a class and be able to teach without people messing on because they don't know the teacher.
Basic behaviours for learning are not negotiable.

noblegiraffe
You’ll notice that article was in 2003 and detentions haven’t been banned in English schools, in fact it’s clearly stated that schools have the legal right to issue detentions and parents do not have the right to overrule this.

The school’s policy clearly indicate the DfE guidance to detention up to 90 minutes same day without need to contact parents.

So as you pointed out, the law in England supports detentions without really being clear as to what they can be handed out for. Even minor infractions that don’t warrant the level of punishment, in order to get full compliance at all times. Only a legal action such as in Scotland by that family could alter policy at the moment. But even then, it wouldn’t be immediate.

Yes, Pointythings, obviously it would be lovely. I am not arguing. Just would have completely agreed wholeheartedly with you before I met my daughter! She likes structure, she hates the days when you get to wear you own clothes, one of the reasons she wants to stay at this school is because you wear uniform in the sixth form. She finds the silly rules reassuring.

I'm glad it works for her, flicka. But I hope there's decent alternative provision for the kids it doesn't work for.

My DD2 can't wait to get into 6th form - because no uniform.

"Kids need to behave even if teachers haven’t had the time or ability to cultivate mutual respect with each and every individual."

If you are a teacher without respect for your pupils, you are in the wrong profession. Does that really need saying?! (I was a teacher, in case that isn't clear).

Mutual respect isn't some fluffy extra in teaching. A class without respect for the teacher will be an unmanageable class. Sanctions ultimately only work if kids give a shit. If they don't, then you sure as eggs won't reach them with multiple detentions. In an ideal world maybe kids would behave even for the teachers who think they are depraved savages and treat them accordingly. In reality, with no respect, you get kickback. I was an exceptionally meek and respectful pupil. The one teacher i recall who treated us with total contempt drew my passive-agressive resistance in return. My only detention the whole of secondary school was from him!

frienflyflicka my DS likes the structure, uniforms as well. He even defended much of the strict rules in place up to the end of last academic year before behaviour policy changed, as he said it was absolutely necessary to deal with the poorly behaved in his school.

However, this year, the rules are now having a negative impact on him functioning as a normal student and the new rules and shorter breaks are no longer permitting for some socialising and shaking off tension during long hours of lessons.

The’re this feeling that the punishments don’t suit some of the minor offences.

If a teen feels it’s unjust and it’s with cause, they’ll have a hard time to respect the rules as they’ll view them as unreasonable and unfair, and it then becomes a situation of compliance by fear.

Correction: unjust and without* cause

There is a basic level of not negotiable respect.

If I walk into a room of 33 students I've never met before, I expect basic behaviour standards from the second I walk in. I treat students with respect and am polite, but students being quiet when I'm explaining a task is a basic requirement, not some optional extra once they've decided they think I'm alright and worth listening to. Same for doing work. I'm not a believer in the view that students only need to work if they happen to like the teacher.

Then there is the respect you earn. That respect emerges out of getting to know your pupils, going the extra mile, the times you support them through bad times, the respect that comes from students rating you as a subject specialists, from seeing you tackle bullying etc. That level of respect comes with time.

A supply teacher should be able to walk into a school, expect students to behave and be able to apply the behaviour policy.

I think it's bizarre anyone would suggest that basic manners from students is somehow a negotiable trait based on whether they like someone.

If you are a teacher without respect for your pupils, you are in the wrong profession. Does that really need saying?!

you know that mutual respect means that the kids have to respect you too? And that is, IME increasingly difficult. And no, my school isn’t one of these super-strict schools so you can’t blame the school.

There is a basic level of not negotiable respect.

Yes, I agree with that. The default position in the classroom should be that the teacher is respected. That respect can be lost through incompetence and injustice, however - hence 'strict but fair'.

The problem is that there is a sizeable subset of students who come into schools without the premise of default respect ingrained in them - for a variety of reasons. I don't think there is an easy way to deal with that. I do know that petty rules around smiling in class aren't going to engage those pupils. What they will do is alienate the others.

The problem is that there is a sizeable subset of students who come into schools without the premise of default respect ingrained in them - for a variety of reasons
Like parents suggesting they don't have to behave or have manners unless they like the teacher.

New system at school here

Kids are given a detention slip which is sent home signed by the teacher who have it.

Same teacher out of what 20 lessons a week?

Has to be a link

Yeah. Dd's gone on a French exchange. I can't imagine saying to her it's fine for her to be rude to the parents until they earn her respect. It's the same as people you see on mumsnet saying "teachers need to earn respect."

Are you suggesting, Green if a kid is racking up detentions for the same teacher that it must be the teacher’s fault?

Maisy I agree it often comes from home.

In the wider scheme of things as a society we need to reach out to families who don't value education. That means actually tackling inequality in the UK. I'm not sure any of the current political parties have the nerve to do it.

Pointythings, in our area most of the schools are of the kind my daughter could not tolerate. Huge and not particularly good discipline. The kind of schools that are being discussed probably won't reach our area for another 5 years at least! Hence the complete oversubscription to fussy faith school and me having to do an appeal for youngest daughter!

flicka that's sad and makes me feel very fortunate to have our local school as it is.

"I think it's bizarre anyone would suggest that basic manners from students is somehow a negotiable trait based on whether they like someone."

I'm not describing an ideal to aspire to! I don't think that children shouldn't behave until their teacher respects them - I'm saying that is the reality of the situation, whether you like it or not. I think that if kids sense that their teacher thinks they are savages, and acts accordingly, then they are likely to respond in kind. And yes of course it needs to be mutual respect - that's why I used the term 'mutual', as you noticed. If kids don't have the basic life skills to engage with the rules of the game, then obviously you'll have to go in more strictly than if they do.

And yes, giraffe, if there is only one teacher out of 20 that is handing out detentions to otherwise well-behaved kids, then that teacher needs to consider what is going on - isn't that kind of obvious?! Again, that's not some new-age fluffiness - if every other teacher is managing to control these kids and you aren't, then that does rather suggest your disciplinary strategy leaves something to be desired. There's only one adult in the situation and so yes, it's absolutely their responsibility to establish control in appropriate ways.

*Today 15:18 noblegiraffe

Are you suggesting, Green if a kid is racking up detentions for the same teacher that it must be the teacher’s fault?*

Not at all. But it's obvious there is no mutual respect or relationship.

I'd agree the adult is in charge and needs to engage the child accordingly.

But something isn't right is it?

I think part of the problem is that many schools are too big, too impersonal and pupils have too many different teachers. It's hard for any teacher to build rapport with their pupils and it makes pastoral care difficult.

It doesn't justify an approach like this though.