Over 700 pupils put in detention as parents compare school to prison

Quote:
Children who fall foul of the new zero tolerance policy are made to sit silently in rows in the school hall for five hours reading a booklet on good behaviour.

Their offences include wearing odd socks, eating between lessons, running, wearing excessive make-up, rudeness, chewing gum and listening to iPods in the corridor.

On the first day of the new regime at the 1,295-pupil Ely Community College, in Cambridgeshire 236 detentions had been handed out and by the end of yesterday the figure had climbed to 717.

school says the crackdown has the backing of most parents and has enabled teachers to get on with lessons. But mother Amanda King pulled her two children out of classes on Wednesday. She said: ‘They are wrecking pupils’ education and turning it into a prison.’

@hallucinogenic_lipstick Said

I live a few mins away from that school and the news has blown it way out of proportion.

Yes they have taken a zero tolerance stance but thats only because a pupil managed to get in to another school up the road (the school my daughter goes to) with an air rifle so thats why they've adopted this approach, the first day it was pretty bad but calmed down alot over 2 weeks.

I have no problem with it, I hope they take the same approach in my daughters school.

@chisa96 Said

Detentions for mismatched socks and snacks/headphones between classes are going to stop the next kid from getting in with an air rifle?

@chisa96 Said

Detentions for mismatched socks and snacks/headphones between classes are going to stop the next kid from getting in with an air rifle?

@buffalobill90 Said

Exclusion from education does not help pupils. Meaningless punishments are ignored.

@boxerdc Said

yes.. You could hide the air rifle in a snack bag, and nobody would be looking at what you had in your hands if you were wearing mis matched socks.

@hallucinogenic_lipstick Said

Of course not but the aim is to try and distill standards and good behaviour in the kids.

At the end of the day school isn't a fashion show, resturant etc it's school, too many kids in the UK are failing because a few f***wits want to be disruptive and ruin it for the rest.

Like I said I live very close to the school and this has been blown way out of proportion.

@boxerdc Said

out in the hall with you, and sit there quietly while you read the rules. Come back in one hour.

@chisa96 Said

Now I see the brilliance of the policy.



Sounds completely pointless to me. Instilling standards and good behavior is one thing, but it sounds like this school is going way overboard into rules that have nothing to do with bad behavior. I don't know how out of proportion the story is, but if they're really giving detentions for what socks a kid has on and for snacking or listening to headphones between classes, then that's just pointless and ridiculous and makes them seem like they're just on a power trip.