How should school handle yr 7 children harassing others?

[willowpattern88]

A pair of yr 7s have been harassing other yr 7 children since the start of the year, physically and verbally, including my child. School have known, and spoken to the children and their parents to no avail. It came to a head when they pushed my child too far and after they again threw them to the ground, they fought back. The schools “solution” was that the two who where the aggressors had to stay in a certain area at lunch and break times but that lasted a day. They are again spoiling for a fight and harassing other children including mine. I raised it with school and they told me, and my child, that they should tell the school.

It feels like school are putting the responsibility of policing the other children’s behavior on my child and I feel it is their responsibility to ensure the children misbehaving don’t misbehave. Is that unreasonable? I’d appreciate suggestions on what they ought to be doing or how to push back in a constructive way. TIA.

You are being unreasonable @willowpattern88 .

The "school" is not Big Brother with an all-seeing eye. They need students or you to report each incident so they can be recorded and dealt with. If enough incidents, of sufficient seriousness, are recorded, they will be able to take appropriate action. This will start with short-term exclusions like the one you described, but sanctions will gradually increase in line with your school's behaviour and exclusion policy (which should be on their website). If behaviour does not improve the aggressors may be permanently excluded for "persistent disruptive behaviour" but that can only happen when sufficient evidence has been gathered.

Your son and his friends may be asked for statements about each incident. The statements will be added to the behaviour record of the perpetrators and potentially be read by a future exclusion panel, which might include someone like me (school governor). The panel's job is to ratify the Headteacher's decision to exclude, or otherwise.