That school episode in Adolescence

[JillAndJenTheFlowerpotMen]

Really? Is that what schools are actually like, or did they make it more disrupted and chaotic for dramatic effect? Is what we saw in Episode 2 realistic?

I really hope not, I found those scenes really depressing, all my children are in state secondary schools.

My daughter (yr11) says her school is not like that, but it is an all girls school.

Posters on other threads have said it’s an accurate portrayal.

Dd also y11 (at what's probably classed as a very middle class school) said the same. She said even the 'really naughty' kids wouldn't disrespect the teachers like that (especially with visitors/police there).

Yes, that is what a lot of secondary schools are like.

It is frightening- the police comment that there is very little learning taking pmace and it is a holding pen is right.

Yes, there will.ve good teachers and good pupils but the education system is in crisis. There is very little staff can do regarding discipline. Students know this. Sanctions are futile. Parents dont back schools up. Phones are everywhere - low level behaviour issues are so commonplace they will often not be tackled.

Schools lose funding if pupils are not on roll, it is difficult to remove pupils from roll, managed moves just shift issues round and round, supporrt services are overwhelmed and referrals from.schools get bounced back so understaffed schools need to act as social workers in addition to being teachers.

Am I the only one who went to a state school which was worse than the one on the programme 😅 that was nothing. I've seen a hell of a lot worse than what was portrayed there

My 15yr old DS said it was pretty accurate, which is thoroughly depressing.

Both my DC go to a 'good' secondary so god only knows what other schools are like.

Frankly, I cannot wait for both of them to leave secondary school. DS is this summer and DD has a few more years to go.

My teacher friends say it’s not realistic.

My job takes me into a lot of schools. I would say there's more glassy eyed staring into space than active disruption in the majority of classes I go to. A bit of back chat and low level disruption around transitions but most lessons I attend are reasonably calm once the kids settle. The curriculum in certain areas - science particularly - being completely over the heads of a quartile of the children doesn't help.

It’s what my school in NE England was like. My school, in parts, was a bit worse to be honest. But that was 20 years ago!

Watching those scenes really brought it all back. I hated my school and school-life. I spent the whole of it completely disassociated.

I work in a secondary school and said to my other half “that’s exactly what it’s like”, the kids think they’re untouchable and just walk around on their phones and when they given detention or have their phone confiscated, the parents call up being abusive.
it scares me for when my children reach secondary age

Students climbing on school roof - staff aren't allowed to approach them.or go to get them down so they get to stay there until a parent can collect them.

Chairs being thrown, tables flipped

Calm / support rooms trashed but nothing that can be done

Don't even bother trying to address social media

Ofsted inspectors having to break up fights during an inspection

Lumch halls having food thrown / food fights

Uniform being soaked in toilets / urinals

Students kicked or punched in break / lunch / corridors between lessons

Clothing / bags / phone / money / earphones etc bring stolen

Gangs of pupils waiting for pupils out side of school at the end of the day

Messages re staff between pupils

Pupils using abusive language towards staff.

I think some will be but not all. I’ve worked in education for over 20 years in 5 different secondary schools and they were nothing like that! I found the simpering dark haired teacher the most unrealistic, it’s highly unlikely that school staff haven’t had safeguarding training on the likes of Andrew Tate.

DD is in Year 9 & said her school isn’t that bad. Classes do get disrupted by bad behaviour sometimes but it’s not the norm & most students would never dare to speak to the teachers that way.

There’s another thread on this and yes, it’s fairly accurate.

Mine are at a grammar with a no phones rule (although I think they all check them in the loos or on the field at breaks). Some low-level disruption from boys in younger age groups, some girls pushing the boundaries on uniform, and some occasional disgusting behaviour in the toilets but nothing like this. I was as appalled at the casual bullying early in the episode as everything else. And the teacher saying out loud that Fredo was on free school meals.

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/5297619-teachers-who-have-watched-adolescence-what-are-your-thoughts?

It was strikingly similar to the school I went to, but I left 35 years ago, and of course no IT.
DS(Y11) says no way the kids would talk to the teachers like that. His school is very strict on discipline and is in a pretty "well to do" area.
DBro is a HoY of many years standing in a school in a run down, post industrial area, and said it was very realistic.

Unfortunately I think its very true to life from my experience.I removed my youngest daughter 2 years ago to home educate her .the last school my daughter was at was exactly..like the one in Adolescence, it was horrendous , the kids ran riot, teachers weren't in control, no actual learning took place.

My secondary school was like this in the 1990's. My daughters did year 7 at the local school and it was Nothing like this. I worked in and out of secondary schools on surrey/sw london for years and have never seen or experienced anything like this

So I dont think this is a current realistic portrayal.

It’s not like any school I’ve worked in (including one that went into special measures while I was there). I’m not saying they were perfect by any means but not like that.

@REDB99 yes tomtje useless dark haied teacher - there are some ineffective staff but not knowing of Andrew Tate was unrealistic - even if they were way behind with training they would have heard of him.

@JillAndJenTheFlowerpotMen yes when thecteacher mentioned free school meals it stuckmout like a sore thum staff wouldn't have sad that! Even alluding to it, eg "you don't pay: wouldn't be acceptable but saying that outrght, no way!

I am a secondary maths teacher and I would say pretty much all of the schools I teach in are like that. Only ones that aren’t are in leafy wealthy areas (e.g. where all the MP’s children go) or are grammar schools. Some in the really rough areas are even worse. Most parents have no idea how bad secondary schools are - if they did, there would me more of an outcry for the government to fund them properly. I am usually parachuted in to try and help students pass their GSCE maths when they haven’t had a proper maths teacher ever! Hence why mine go to a private school. If I couldn’t afford it then I would homeschool them.

Would you say that this is a good reason to bring back grammar schools?

No. I would like the curriculum adjusted to be relevant to the full spectrum of ability and relevant to all.