Detentions as a punishment

[SweatyLama]

I didn't grow up in the UK, but my children were born here. This year, my DS started secondary school for the first time, and I discovered that they have a system of punishments in place. Is this a common practice in all state schools in Britain? I really don't like this system ( I mean punishments) and find it degrading and outdated.

yes - 10 minutes at break or lunch or end of day for missing homework, being late or disrupting lessons - half an hour/40 minutes detention if they don't come to the first one, are exited from a lesson for disruption or something more serious.

has always been used - but other state school systems in Europe do the same - one could argue theirs are worse as if their children fail a year for whatever reason, they have to resit the whole year with others younger.

Almost all schools in the U.K. have detentions as punishments. There are likely a few really “progressive” schools that don’t have that, but hardly any…

is it the same in private schools?

I guess the question is what would you use instead?

Some schools are incredibly strict and give detentions out like sweets. Others are much more circumspect and only use them for repeated or more serious issues.

Yes.

Detentions are standard in nearly all state and private schools in England.

It's really sad. In primary school, this doesn't happen, and the teachers do a great job. I was pleasantly surprised by how well the primary education system is organized. It's strange that up until 6 yaer, children were treated like people, but in secondary school, like criminals.

Completely normal, what do you suggest as an alternative?

Your last sentence is a total exaggeration.

They're punished if they break the rules, just like they will be when they're adults. They've got to learn at some point.

But if they're giving detentions out for very minor offences I would be concerned.

My child's primary has them, don't think it's limited to secondary. They miss break time for bad behaviour (not after school).

DS got one this week. Scored 100% on a math test but didn't show any workings at all. Got detention - and it works as next time he will show his workings. I've been on at him for a year to show his workings and the teacher finally got him to by giving detention.

To avoid detentions you should be helping your child to understand the expectations at secondary school. You may not have been aware of discipline methods at primary level but they would have been there. Primary school children do get removed from classes and other methods so your belief that primary schools are gentle is completely wrong.

‘Criminals’ 😂
Easy solution - don’t commit any crimes.

Punishments are demeaning? Treated like criminals? I wonder what you think happens in detentions?!

If a student has misbehaved in lesson and wasted lesson time, it’s fair that they should lose some liberty time in return. If they haven’t done their homework, they do it in detention. It’s a time that the teacher and student can have a discussion about the issue away from the other students and without using the lesson time up.

What do you suggest instead? Let them do whatever they want without consequence?

Ours has three different levels of detention, so yes.

In my experience the children are always given a warning before a detention. Therefore they have the option to change their behaviour so they don’t end up with one.

Unless it was a more serious incident of course.

Also - detentions absolutely do happen in primary

A lot of primary schools do have it they just don't call them detentions.

They take time off break or send a kid out to sit with a ta/the head.

Mine are in private schools and whilst I think they do have detentions as an option, in reality I think they are very rare. Mine have never had one.

Secondary schools have always held detentions. Back when I was at school 15 years ago we would have anything from 10minutes to an hour. Although I must say I have a now 14 year old & secondary school is a lot more strict than it use to be. I wasn’t the best behaved & detentions would be a daily occurrence & I probably only ever went to maybe 3 in all my time at secondary school. However my son has had a few & on the occasion he has forgot, has then been put into the exclusion centre the following day which means he isn’t allowed to attend normal lessons, he misses break & has to have lunch in the centre which is a very plain packed lunch sandwich, bit of fruit, drink. & instead of coming out of school at 320 he doesn’t leave until gone 4pm.

His school holds 45 minute detentions regardless of what they have been given for whether that’s missed homework or disruption in class ect. Children will never leave school later than 415 due to it getting darker earlier in winter so they’ve stuck to the rule of 45 minutes all year.

My primary school & my children’s primary school also holds a detention but they do not call it that. They call it loss of free time, which means the will miss some of their playtime.

Criminals 😂😂. No.

Primary children respond to discipline that is losing playtime (similar to a detention) and no stickers, reward charts etc, are you expecting teenagers to respond in the same way?

They lose social time, for their chosen behaviour, a direct consequence of their actions. They aren’t locked in cells and removed from their families!

edited to add that teachers in secondary school do a great job too, under often challenging circumstances.

I’d also like to hear what OP would propose instead.

Mine aren’t in private school but 2 of mine have never had a detention. The middle one made up for them though.

I don’t think detentions are a given by any stretch.

My son's school have them but so far he's not had one. The thing is, it's really simple to avoid them, do your homework, don't be disruptive, do as you're told and behave!

Criminals ? ? Give over

This has been my experience. 16 years in total of children in secondary school so far and no detentions yet 🤞. Can you establish how usual detentions are in the school? That might give you an indication of how far from expectations your child is.