Can school force my child to stay in during lunchtime

maggied_2

I believe there is a move to keep children at school for the whole day and I largely agree with it.
If you send a child to school then I believe you should adhere to their rules - if schools had to accomodate every parents' 'rights' and what worked for their family they would be in complete chaos.

I hope no-one does give you advice on how to legally ensure your son still gets to go to his gran's for lunch!

The one thing I would disagree with is saying they have to buy food from the canteen - are you saying there is no option to take sandwiches?

When I was at school (not ALL that long ago ) we couldn't leave at lunchtime until we were in 6th form.

ben500

minxtress wrote: »

As above, My 16 year old son is in his last year at school and has always left the school premises on lunchtimes to go to his grans house two streets away as he didnt like the atmosphere in the school lunch hall.
This has worked well until this year they have a new headmistress who has said all children must pay for food in the school canteen and stay in school all lunchtime.
This came into effect today and my son tried to leave school to go to his grans with a letter from myself saying I gave him permission to do this, his head of year who was patrolling the school perimiter grabbed him telling him if he tried to leave he would impall him on the school fence for doing so, and the school has taken legal advice and are well within thier rights to keep all children in.
I am furious at this as I now have to find on average £15 a week to pay for school dinners aswell as having my choices as a parent taken away from me.
I have a good mind to seek legal advice on this myself as I do not want my son to stay in school on lunchtimes, going to his grans works for myself, my son and his gran.
Anyone know what my legal rights are regarding this. I cant believe I even have to ask this, as a parent my say should be the final say.

Despite the fact the rules forbid it? If you are not in agreement with the rules then it is surely your place to dispute them before the event not your childs to challenge it by disobedience.

I suspect your son has embelished the story a little, I would find it difficult to accept that a teacher threatens your son with public impailment and then goes on to say they have sought legal advice and are within their rights to detain him.

You could always switch schools if you are not happy with their rules it may be a better idea to actually discuss your concerns with the school first though, handing your child authorisation to countermand school rules is not the best way forward and I would suggest sends him the wrong message.

kindofagilr

I think thats insane that they wont allow packed lunches! I cant see how that is allowed

alyssa_liss

it is ridiculous that they wont allow sandwiches

minxtress

I dont think changing schools when my son is his final year is really going to solve anything is it?
I have rang the school and only person I could speak to at present was the secretary who said she had had many parents calling, and to clarify that all children will be staying in school, packed lunches can't be brought in unless the child has specific dietary requirements such as diabetic etc, and that any complaints can be put in writing and dealt with by the head mistress.
I doubt my son embellished the story as a few other children were present who's parents I have spoken to, however what the teacher did or did not say isnt the issue, the fact he isnt allowed out after 4 years of them not giving a monkeys, is the issue.
And yes I gave him permission to leave as I am his parent!!

maggied_2

The fact that they won't allow packed lunches is ridiculous and I would challenge that.

However you don't have a say in what your son can and can't do at school!! Can he swear at the teachers if he has a note from you?

minxtress

maggied wrote: »

The fact that they won't allow packed lunches is ridiculous and I would challenge that.

However you don't have a say in what your son can and can't do at school!! Can he swear at the teachers if he has a note from you?

Obviously not! I also want to know what the parent child ratio has to be during lunch if they are to be in control of all these children on school grounds which resemble a building site. If there were that many patrolling the exits, there couldnt of been many anywhere else

maggied_2

Why do you care what the ratio is? Has someone been looking after your son while he walks to his gran's?
You want him to do what he wants at lunchtime outside school but if he's to be in school you want to ensure he's supervised

jackieb

Is the canteen big enough to accomodate the whole school? I know that my daughter hates staying to school lunches because of the crush, and that's a school where most of the pupils go outside of the school grounds for their lunches.

minxtress

Him being at his grans is me ensuring he is supervised at lunch times, I want to know what schools policies are for this. I am not getting into tit for tat with certain people on here, who are only seeing thingsone sided, just a bit of legal advice as to where I stand would be nice instead of having to justify my actions.