How much chasing happens in your school?

[Gomango]

Seem to be forever chasing pupils of all ability to complete tasks. Break time, lunchtime, after school - no pupil is 'allowed' to fail. But 90% have no self discipline and it seems like a game. Pupils will not show at break/lunch time and a letter is then sent home to give notice of after school detention. Repeat offenders likely to not show for the detention (it is my job to remind them apparently!) A new detention must then be arranged. All very time consuming.

Not just me, most staff here feel the same. Have only taught in this school so not sure if it is a problem in this particular school or just a way of life in secondary.

Is this the way it is? Don't think I can carry on like this!

Are you me? Either that or you work at my school!

I absolutely ran myself rugged and have now at least stopped chasing at break. Lunchtime detentions only. And phone calls home. The reasoning behind this is that if you get on the parents' nerves enough they'll eventually make their kids work.

I feel your pain.

Is it the school policy that you have to give detentions for missed work?

I don't and never have. The school's system shows when work had been handed in and I do regular whole class emails to remind parents to check. If a student hands in work after the class has had feedback on the work, they get marked but no grade because they have had the possibility of seeing marked work.

This used to drive me bonkers.

I quit so no advice sorry.

One of the reasons I left teaching was because I had no time to plan and mark. I was always at meetings or filling in paperwork, explaining why Child A would not be making 257853 levels of progress that term. I was not allowed to say that they were lazy or had incomplete work, because then I would have to explain what I had done about it - it was my fault for letting them fail.

Mass "study support" sessions were organised (essentially just detentions) for work to be completed. Pastoral staff collected the kids 10 minutes before the end of school and herded them to the detention. One kid climbed out the window. That was my fault too.

Thanks for the replies. I just don't understand the logic behind it, lazy pupils get so much help and ebd up with grades as good as those who did it all off their own backs. Devalues their efforts.
Guess i'll cgeck the resignation dates again, decisions decisions!

You need a school policy.

Best one I have seen, the teacher of the last period can see detention on SIMS, teacher then takes the child to the hall.

Teacher who has issued homework detention collects child from the hall.

A member of SLT is in the hall to stop any of the darlings wandering off.