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 I really don't like this system ( I mean punishments) and find it degrading and outdated.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 I agree. They don't call it a detention at primary, but did have to stay in at break for certain things. Not after school til secondary though.

It's not just Britain. They have them in France and the US. Those are the only countries I know about but there are probably others

I grew up abroad and detentions were not minutes but hours. We survived just fine. Noone really cared. What do you picture? It's not an actual prison you know.

What consequences would you choose?

Some others

What do you think happens in detentions that make them "degrading"?

imho detentions only punish the parents/person who is doing the pick up or coaching staff for extra curricular sporting clubs. it doesn't really inconvenience the student at all.

"Sanctions" not "punishments" is the usual term.

Rewards and sanctions to encourage good behaviour.

Perhaps you would like poor behaviour to be ignored instead.

I would expect mine to observe the rules and therefor avoid detention. At some points kids have to become responsible for themselves, it’s a lesson best learned early.

It's just like a homework club in reality

Being inconvenienced for 15 min for not completing homework is hardly "being treated like a criminal".

I'd be interested to hear what you think would be a suitable consequence for a secondary school pupil who breaks the rules.

There will almost always be a warning, if not 2 or 3 warnings before a detention is given, so it should be a avoidable if you follow the rules. Most kids make it through secondary school with very few detentions. I've 3 kids in secondary now, none have ever had an after school detention.
YR13 probably had 3 or 4 lunchtime detentions for late homework (has ADHD, organisation ability is not strong)
YR11 a maybe 2 or 3 lunchtime detentions for uniform infringement, likes to wear a hoodie under the blazer which isn't allowed
YR8 never had a detention

It's really not a big deal, it's 30 mins or an hour sitting in a classroom or hall in silence either doing homework or reflecting on why they are there.

Op
Can I ask what sanctions you would expect for secondary school?

My sons school dish detentions out like sweets and they have lost meaning. When my son gets one it doesn't bother him in the slightest, it isn't a deterrent at all.
When I was at school you'd had to have been really bad to get one and you wouldn't want another one, saying that I think the behaviour of children has changed since I was at school it's much worse now.

I dont know what to suggest as an alternative though

I'd like to respond to everyone who asked about this. At my school, there were no punishments at all. Students sometimes came in late, but they would quietly enter the classroom and continue learning with everyone else. Their "punishment" was missing the beginning of the lesson and the teacher's explanations. No one wanted to miss that part. I was occasionally late myself, and I didn't like it. Even though I was never punished, I still made an effort to arrive on time.

There were no punishments for bad behavior either. Instead, parents were called in, and together with the teacher, they would address the issue. I'm not sure how effective that was. I believe that if you understand the reasons behind the bad behavior, it’s easier to resolve the problem than just handing out punishments. Especially since, as many have pointed out, detentions often don’t really work.

In adult life, does anyone really lose their freedom for being late, forgetting to turn off their phone, not completing their work, or expressing disagreement with someone in a higher position?

"Lose their freedom"

Don't be daft.

Come on now. Why are you so dramatic about this?

Why is it so important to show the workings, especially if it scored 100%?
And you are right :(( I asked DS, and he said pupils missed break time for bad behavior.

Because I don't think it's right

They have had detentions for a long time but in the 90’s in my middle of the road state school they were typically for serious misbehaviour not small things like forgetting something. The current zero tolerance type approach is a new fad from Tory era.

No, you'd probably lose your job instead if you were late, not doing the work and being rude to your boss.

"lose some liberty" is more correct? I am not a native speaker.

Well I presume you think your child won't get any so why would it matter? You can not like it all you want but it happens to kids who don't behave or follow the rules

If your child is not one of them no need to worry if they work on that not blaming the school or homeschool

I absolutely hate the system in my kids state school. It has got better, definitely kinder but it is still harsh. When my Y12 started he got a detention really quickly for forgetting homework. They never give warnings or detentions in school time. Always after school same day. Detention was 1/2 hour after school in a room with kids up to Y11 (he was only Y7) given busy work. You would think if the detention is for forgetting homework they could at least done work in the detention. This was within a week or two of starting secondary. They gave out same day detentions for forgetting any equipment or not having the correct uniform like wrong socks, even for wearing a coat in doors. Also for being late to a lesson. For anything not considered acceptable behaviour in class it was isolation or for not turning up to a detention. A day in a room isolated from other kids not doing any work.

The school is a bit kinder now and you get a warning for some things but they still have detentions after school and isolation (though they call it something else now). it is still shockingly strict. Much stricter than when I was at school. I get why they need kids to behave and need to deter bad behaviour but I do believe it has gone too far atheist in the school my kids attend.

Nope. There are different types of jobs. Some allow for lateness because pay depends on completed work, while others do not. However, it's unlikely that any teacher has been fired for being late a few times a year. An adult has the choice of which job to take, while a child does not. If my boss is wrong, I can express my opinion, and if I don't like him, I can change my job. A child doesn’t have that option.

But if you've ever attended adult classes, can you recall being punished for being late? Or for not completing your homework?