Page 2 | What would appropriate punishment for deliberately breaking a paintbrush?

eatingapie · 07/06/2022 17:44

the school have justified a day in isolation with that information - which to me sounds like they are totally misusing their internal exclusion policy 🤷🏻‍♀️ Idk there’s a reason I left mainstream - schools are weird

thing47 · 07/06/2022 17:56

Ijustreallywantacat · 07/06/2022 17:44

This is not misuse of equipment it was criminal damage of the schools property. Possible with threatening behaviour involved - what if they had been someone’s art exam work or coursework?

good point

If said paintbrush was lying on the floor, I think we can safely assume OP's DD knew it wasn't somebody's course work…

It's a very harsh punishment for someone with an otherwise impeccable disciplinary record.

NoRegretsNoTearsGoodbye · 07/06/2022 18:22

Your DD was unaware she’d broken it? I’m confused.

Original poster

Schoolpunishment · 07/06/2022 18:27

NoRegretsNoTearsGoodbye · 07/06/2022 18:22

Your DD was unaware she’d broken it? I’m confused.

No DD was aware she had broken it, but nothing was said to her at school and the first she knew about it was when I asked her about it.

OP posts:

Porcupineintherough · 07/06/2022 21:06

That seems pretty over the top tbf. I think you should query it with the school.

Lizzieismagic · 07/06/2022 21:09

The last student who broke a brush at dd's school was taken into the yard and shot..
*obviously not but they hand out ridiculous punishments..
Never consistent and never fair.

12Thorns · 07/06/2022 21:11

Schoolpunishment · 07/06/2022 16:05

name changed as this many be outing
My DD (14) was at school yesterday and in art fell out with her friend who according to DD was being mean to her. As she walked off out of lesson there was a paint brush on the floor and DD stamped on it and broke it.

She is being punished by the school (quite rightly) for misuse of school equipment. She knows she has done wrong and felt guilty. In the 4 years she has been at school she has never been in trouble and not had one detention or points for bad behaviour. She had a bad moment and took her frustration out on the paintbrush.

I don’t want to be THAT parent who complains, as I believe she does deserve a consequence for her behaviour (and so does she) but I think her punishment was over the top. So before I say what it was, I would like peoples’ opinions.

We’ve spoken about how best to manage her anger in future. DD and her friend are of course best friends again. 🙈

Criminal damage, so I would expect an internal exclusion, and a bill for the paintbrush

12Thorns · 07/06/2022 21:17

Just read the thread and see she got one day internal exclusion and a detention. That seems fair

JimmyMcNultyIsMine · 07/06/2022 21:17

Someone else kicks in a door. Noone else hurt. No swearing. Just an angry reaction.

Obviously it costs more to repair/replace. But would that justify exclusion in your book? If not why not? If yes - can you see why your daughter was treated the same way? Damage/destruction of school property (whatever it is)= exclusion.

ZarquonsSandals · 07/06/2022 21:17

Bloody hell, so few of these punishments fit the crime.
Whay I would consider appropriate: 15 mins of detention. Time to talk through why it's inappropriate behaviour (particularly when there have been no issues before).
Replace the paintbrush out of own pocket money.
It's hardly the crime of the century.

Regularsizedrudy · 07/06/2022 21:22

So the punishment has taken place now? So what’s the point of quibbling with the school? It’s done. She won’t do it again will she.

SirChenjins · 07/06/2022 21:27

Seems very OTT for a broken paintbrush. Was it more for walking out of class, perhaps?

A short detention would have been more appropriate imo, but perhaps it was more for the disruption of the class. Either way, I would have expected the school to take her record into account and go easier - a whole day in exclusion is too much for a pupil who’s never been in trouble before.

Original poster

Schoolpunishment · 07/06/2022 21:43

SirChenjins · 07/06/2022 21:27

Seems very OTT for a broken paintbrush. Was it more for walking out of class, perhaps?

A short detention would have been more appropriate imo, but perhaps it was more for the disruption of the class. Either way, I would have expected the school to take her record into account and go easier - a whole day in exclusion is too much for a pupil who’s never been in trouble before.

Sorry if message wasn’t clear, this happened at the end of the lesson as they were walking to their next lesson.

OP posts:

PurpleandPlatinum · 07/06/2022 23:28

There are 2 sides to every story.

Derbee · 07/06/2022 23:31

Schoolpunishment · 07/06/2022 17:25

Thanks for your replies.

Yes, she got a day in the exclusion unit with an hours detention.

I got the email advising me and had to call the school because my daughter didn’t have a clue what it was for and they told me above.

She has just got back now. She was with other students. One was caught vaping, one had punched another student, another had told a teacher to F off and the last one has truanted for 3 lessons. She completed her work given in 90 mins and had to spent the rest of the time sitting in silence.

I looked at their behaviour policy and misuse of equipment was a 30 min after school detention. Think I’ll just email the head of year and ask for clarification as to why it was so harsh.

Better to spend your time and effort discussing reasonable behaviour with your DD. She’s done wrong, and done her punishment. Just move on.

OppsUpsSide · 07/06/2022 23:34

I’d have gone for the 15 min lunch time detention

Mally100 · 07/06/2022 23:36

JimmyMcNultyIsMine · 07/06/2022 21:17

Someone else kicks in a door. Noone else hurt. No swearing. Just an angry reaction.

Obviously it costs more to repair/replace. But would that justify exclusion in your book? If not why not? If yes - can you see why your daughter was treated the same way? Damage/destruction of school property (whatever it is)= exclusion.

This. She reacted quite aggressively, even though it was just a paintbrush. Maybe the punishment was for the aggression rather than a paintbrush.

Johnnysgirl · 07/06/2022 23:40

Yeah, it'll be the tantrum that accompanied the stamping on the brush that she was being disciplined for.

maddy68 · 07/06/2022 23:44

Depends on the intent and previous. It's either an accident, a mis demeanor or vandalism.
All depends on context and intent.
Anything from zero action to an exclusion depending on school policy

VeryWorried1 · 08/06/2022 10:08

Waaaay OTT, especially for a well behaved child with no previous at all. I don’t normally complain but I would be very cross about this. Sledgehammer/nut example mentioned by a previous poster sums it up.

MidwichCuckoo · 09/06/2022 10:39

Our kids' schools are probably similar in strictness as I thought "a day in isolation" before reading that it was that. They can get an hour after school for not doing homework and I'd think deliberately breaking equipment would be more serious than that.

Johnnysgirl · 09/06/2022 10:42

VeryWorried1 · 08/06/2022 10:08

Waaaay OTT, especially for a well behaved child with no previous at all. I don’t normally complain but I would be very cross about this. Sledgehammer/nut example mentioned by a previous poster sums it up.

Why would you complain? You'd be better occupied explaining to your child that now she knows the behavioural policy, she needs to be sure not to fall foul of it again.
If she hadn't managed to work that out by herself 🤷🏻‍♀️