school playtime problem

newcook

Gavin83 wrote: »

Isn't there some sort of legal requirement to provide children a break? It's a requirement at work, I'd have thought it was more strict in school.

I think so long as the children are permitted to go to the toilet/have a drink etc there isnt any legal requirement.
with regards to work breaks, you are entitled to 20 minutes break if you are expected to work for 6 or more hours - this can also be counted as a lunch break though most employers give extra time for this.

in most places I have worked (full time) I have had a 10 minute break in the morning and afternoon with an hour for lunch. I work behind a computer screen all day.

moomoomama27

Gingham_R wrote: »

Utter rubbish.

Actually, I didn't have many discipline problems in my classes, and I don't have them with my kids, because I treat them with respect, don't expect them to take the blame for things other people have done and don't punish them for making mistakes.

As for expecting other children to sort out the naughty kids?! That's the TEACHER's job - not the other children in class.

I'd rather see a teacher set clear, high expectations and provide instant consequences, both positive and negative. So the children who behaved well get an instant positive consequence of being allowed to go straight out to break and get their stickers/reward points/whatever. The children who didn't do what was required get the consequence of losing some of their break, not getting reward points and possibly further action.

Forgetting punctuation? If that is really all that happened, I'm sorry but the fact of the matter is that punishment doesn't teach children how to write. And losing break time makes it far more likely that she will be unable to concentrate on her work for the next lesson too.

I don't agree! You don't know how the class behaved! Maybe it was that the whole class misbehaved, that's why the teacher kept them ALL in!

jellyhead

If there is regularly a problem with needing to redo work then you need to discuss it with school, but for a one off I wouldn't argue.

janninew

Reading some of the responses on here it just shows how times have changed! I remember really clearly coming home from school when I was about 7 or 8 years old and telling my Mum that my new teacher was 'really mean' as she had kept the whole class in at breaktime, the reponse from my Mum was, tough, you should behave in class then! I was a little chatterbox at school, not naughty as such, but not always paying attention! I can never imagine my Mum marching in to school just on my say so!

If it keeps happening and you are concerned, have a word with the teacher at the end of the day, writing letters to Governors etc is way OTT at this stage! I'm surprised somebody hasn't suggested going to the local rag yet, I've often seen that mentioned on these boards when parents don't like how a teacher works!

mumps

WestonDave wrote: »

To be fair mumps - whilst I get your point, in your particular situation singling your daughter out as being one of say a few that were allowed out to play, might have made the bullying situation worse if she became perceived as a "teachers pet".

Its also fairly early days yet and the point where teachers are still setting down their ground rules for a new class. The odd whole class punishment at this stage tells the class what is expected, most will learn quickly so that in another couple of weeks the teacher should be able to pick out the odd bad apple for individual sanctions.

I know that within the first week our year 2 son came home complaining that "Miss" had made him stay in at break to finish his writing work because he'd been messing about and hadn't finished it (he's less enthusiastic about writing and I fully agree with a bit of sanction here to make him concentrate - give him Maths and he'd almost volunteer to stay in!). Last night was parents evening, and clearly he has now found the level that this teacher is expecting as she was very happy with his work.

In the OP's instance it may be that if the head was covering a lesson (due to illness etc) their control methods are more attuned to an older age range depending on what age they last taught.

Actually my DD was thrilled if they were all kept in, being in the playground was torture for her. However, I maintain that expecting "peer pressure" to achieve what a teacher can't is fairly useless and definitely unfair.

jellyhead

As a parent volunteer I have seen peer pressure work, but it was for achieving 'golden time' rather than a whole class punishment. Of course not achieving golden time is a whole class punishment, but the kids didn't see it that way because it was a special reward

In general I agree that the teacher should be disciplining kids properly, and that quiet, well behaved kids have little influence over the persistent offenders in a class. The peer pressure and teamwork thing can work if it's done in a positive way, but I remember one occasion where the class turned against a hyperactive kid and he had no friends because he was despised for being the cause of the whole class punishment

Norah_G_2

moomoomama27 wrote: »

I don't agree! You don't know how the class behaved! Maybe it was that the whole class misbehaved, that's why the teacher kept them ALL in!

if the whole class is behaving badly, the problem is in the teacher. i remember 2 teachers at my school - the first made all the class seat as quite as mices and the second always complained that we are difficult kids and it's impossible to make us study:cool:

gregg1

Kids sitting in groups can be another problem My OH always has a seating plan. The kids are sat in rows and have to sit where they are told. She rarely has a problem with behaviour.

delain

victory wrote: »

Today my son was 15 mins late with no warning because the teacher was trying to discipline some naughty kids and would not let them all leave until the kids had behaved themselves, fair enough, it is just like that, best to leave it to the school, they know what to do

I would be livid if my DD1 was kept in for 15 minutes... the hourly bus to our village runs precisely 15 minutes after the end of school and if the teacher did that to her we'd be stuck hanging about until 4.20, something the school knows perfectly well :eek:

Also when I grew up and went to school (same school so I know the set up is still similar) I lived an another outlying village where the school bus was the only bus and if you missed it you were stuck. My mum couldn't drive so I would have been stuck in town facing a bus journey (which I wouldn't have had the money for) plus a 2 mile walk along a busy road at the other end :mad:

Teachers are not supposed to keep kids in after school without asking you.

thatgirlsam

delain wrote: »

I would be livid if my DD1 was kept in for 15 minutes... the hourly bus to our village runs precisely 15 minutes after the end of school and if the teacher did that to her we'd be stuck hanging about until 4.20, something the school knows perfectly well :eek:

Also when I grew up and went to school (same school so I know the set up is still similar) I lived an another outlying village where the school bus was the only bus and if you missed it you were stuck. My mum couldn't drive so I would have been stuck in town facing a bus journey (which I wouldn't have had the money for) plus a 2 mile walk along a busy road at the other end :mad:

Teachers are not supposed to keep kids in after school without asking you.

I agree

What if you need at be at a different school shortly after?

My ds's infant school is linked to the primary but in a different location, so if he had been 15 minutes late out it would have made me 25mins late to collect her

Not on really