What is a reasonable suspension.

[Ginslings]

Can I ask any teachers, or anyone with any experience of this; what would be a reasonable punishment in the following instance.

14yr old, no previous serious disciplinary issues, a couple of reflective sessions for lateness, chatting in class, that sort of thing.
Gets called in for a bag search, and in one of the side pockets they find a 'blunt', (I think that's the word they used, they described it as the end of a splif). They also found a vape and 2 lighters.

What would a reasonable punishment be for this?

She also has some other issues, is under the care of CAHMS for self-harming which the school are aware of.

Depends on the school and their policy on drugs and smoking/vaping.

You say no serious disciplinary issues, but then you mention reflective sessions, which I assume is a sanction. You also mention lateness and talking in class. All of which are disruptive.

Gets called in for a bag search, and in one of the side pockets they find a 'blunt', (I think that's the word they used, they described it as the end of a splif)

Why do you only think? Was this a telephone call so you don’t have a record of the exact words. Lots of people use those words to mean different things - a blunt round my way if far more than the dog end of a spliff. So, it would help if you knew what she’d brought in.

But drugs in school is a hard no in my school, and you’d be looking at a 3 day suspension, which I think is reasonable.

Depends on school policy and whether they contact the police etc.

What did she so to cause the bag search in the first place?

Drugs in school
Depends on school. Permanent exclusion in some. 5 day suspension in others.

Up for the school to decide. In my experience, permanent exclusion for having drugs in school.

Your insinuating suspension would be harsh, I don't think it would. In my day you could have been expelled for that.

Camhs and self harming doesn't give her licence to do what she wants with no consequences.

Drugs on site. Permanent exclusion which would be upheld.

Crikey, I'd expect drugs in school to result in expulsion not suspension.

Is there a drugs policy on the website you can look at?

Permanent exclusion even if it was my child I would expect that

At my DCs school ,any pupil caught with drugs of any kind would be expelled.

At a minimum a five day suspension for drugs on site. If there was proof of dealing, permanent exclusion.

Prior record is irrelevant in this case.

Vapes would be 2 day exclusion at my school. Actual drugs would be permanent exclusion, but I really don't know about "drug paraphernalia". If it could conceivably be just a (tabacco only) roll-up, then probably 2 days same as the vapes.

Permanent exclusion at DCs school

Permanent exclusion.

Drugs of any sort is permanent exclusion at dd’s school.

Permanent exclusion. They usually have zero tolerance on drugs.

Drugs in school would be immediate expulsion. At my old school there was zero tolerance and it wasn't a bad thing. No previous disciplinary issues are totally irrelevant if you're a druggie.

Thank you for all your replies and comments (although not sure how helpful it is calling her a druggie 😔). Trust me we are taking this seriously, and she is not getting let off lightly at home at all

It was a phone call, and they said the end of a splif, just a roach was how they described it. She was called in for a bag search.

She had a 3 day suspension, and then has to do respite for 4 weeks in another school (until the end of term).

Our difficulty is the other school is an hour away and we have to take her there and collect her, and we both work full time. We have asked if we can find somewhere closer but they are not letting us, they are just saying that is the school that they have a relationship with and she has to go there.

She is being placed in isolation there and getting sent work on her school laptop. She doesn't know anyone, or any of the teachers, she doesn't leave all day and doesn't even get to go to the cafeteria for lunch. There are sometimes other students from that school there if they've been put in isolation, she said one time a few that were there, we're talking about being in gangs so she certainly has no interest in trying to talk to any of them.

She really understands she has done wrong, and I think has learnt her lesson, but she is getting so down over having to go to this other school.

It’s a short time until the end of term. Shes messed up badly and it may be what she needs to ensure she thinks more carefully about her choices in future.

If the other school is willing to take her, I think you’ll have to try to make an arrangement to get her there, difficult though it is. It’s not intended to be fun.

FTE 2 weeks pending perm.

It sounds like she has been 'directed off site' as an alternative to permanent exclusion. I think you need to be clear with her that the alternative to not liking being in this other school for a few weeks would be not returning to her current school at all and ending up in alternative provision or whatever your county call the pupil referral units.
She really does need to realise that this is a short term opportunity for her to reset and not do anything so stupid again.

Tbh your dd is lucky not to be permanently excluded. Then you would have had an absolute nightmare trying to find a school place. I think doing weed at 14 is really serious and you need to focus on that, rather than feel she's been hard done by.

Do they have any evidence that what they found was cannabis?

Permanent exclusion in all 3 secondary schools my children have been in so I think she's gotten off very lightly