AIBU this is an overreaction? 200 pupils in detention for being late due to bad weather

(225 Posts)
kim147 Sat 26-Oct-13 13:16:28

New head trying to tackle lateness. Heavy rain caused massive congestion on the ring road near the school and surrounding roads so 200 pupils were late.

So they all got a lunchtime detention.

SilverApples Sat 26-Oct-13 13:21:11

New Head.
Says it all really. That and the member of staff saying 'We had far fewer latecomers on Thursday' without linking it to the weather conditions.

ItsAllGoingToBeFine Sat 26-Oct-13 13:22:26

YaBU. It was a wee bit of rain. People should have predicted there were going to be issues and left earlier/used public transport/walked.

We are British. It tends to rain/snow/gale here. Things can't stop every time the weather is not perfect.

LordPalmerston Sat 26-Oct-13 13:23:47

kids dissolve in rain - its a well known thing

kim147 Sat 26-Oct-13 13:23:57

It's York. York gets really congested when it rains especially on the ring road near the school. There was a lot of rain that day and York gets very very slow.

CrohnicallyTired Sat 26-Oct-13 13:25:28

That's awful. The one and only time I was late for school was when a bus got stuck in some roadworks, causing huge tailbacks on the way to school. I expect around 200 pupils were late as a result of that. We all piled into school together, teachers were already aware of the traffic situation and all of us that came that route were excused detention.

I understand that a new head wants to stamp their mark on the school anf earn the pupils' respect. however, applying a blanket policy in situations like that where it really is out of the pupils control will only breed resentment, not respect.

hackmum Sat 26-Oct-13 13:25:35

"People should have predicted there were going to be issues and left earlier/used public transport/walked."

By "people" I assume you mean the parents. So why should the children be punished?

jacks365 Sat 26-Oct-13 13:25:41

In that case if it's a known issue then no they are not being unreasonable. If you know about a problem you allow for it and leave earlier.

I don't think it's an overreaction. They (their parents?) should leave early enough to account for delays. That's what adults do when they commute to work. No reason why secondary students shouldn't too

edam Sat 26-Oct-13 13:26:29

Yes, traffic in York is notoriously bad. Seems unfair but clearly new head is Making A Point. 200 children in detention must be a record, someone should phone Guinness. grin

I think that as so many children were late it should have been seen as an 'act of god' and let slide tbh. I wouldn't have got too overwrought about it though, one undeserved detention won't kill them. I'd imagine it was more of a pita for the school to administer than for the pupils to do. Having said that, if they then made a habit of being OTT and overly harsh I'd feel the need to intervene and make a fuss.

Nancy66 Sat 26-Oct-13 13:26:54

it was only a lunchtime detention, not after school. I think it's ok.

Thumbfuckerwitch Sat 26-Oct-13 13:28:22

That's fairly ridiculous. If it was just a few children, then fair enough. But 200? Come on.

edam Sat 26-Oct-13 13:29:43

Quite, thumb. All those people saying 'leave earlier' aren't taking account of the fact it was 200 children. Clearly there were unusual circumstances, otherwise it wouldn't have been 200!

kim147 Sat 26-Oct-13 13:30:23

I know several pupils at that school. I'll have to get the inside gossip and feelings. One of my tutees has already met the head.

NoComet Sat 26-Oct-13 13:32:07

The article say's the HT is talking to the buses.

Now parents can leave earlier on very wet days possibly (assuming your alarm click can sense rain, and start the day earlier grin)

But our buses do multiple pick ups timed to the minute, it would cause bedlum and many DCs not in school at all if they ran early in rain.

IamInvisisble Sat 26-Oct-13 13:33:30

Its ridiculous.

It reminds me of the HT at DS2's sixth form shouting at the 52 kids because their bus was late one morning. Like one gobby more confident one said, he should have rung the bus company as it was the driver who was late, not them!

TheCrackFoxFucker Sat 26-Oct-13 13:33:54

It never ceases to amaze me how petty schools can be.

Grennie Sat 26-Oct-13 13:36:39

Perfectly reasonable. Yes you make allowances for weather.

jacks365 Sat 26-Oct-13 13:37:07

Not necessarily unusual circumstances, years ago a school local to me got a new head and due to flouting school rules so many were put into isolation that they needed to open extra classrooms to put them in. It wasn't a case of the head being excessive but the pupils had no regard for the rules because the previous head had been completely ineffective. The fact that they were already bringing in the new system implies that timekeeping was already an issue. The op makes it clear that the traffic is a known issue so not leaving time to make the journey is wrong.

Grennie Sat 26-Oct-13 13:38:27

How do we know the number that are usually late at school. Perhaps the numbers late are very high and thus the HT did this.

kim147 Sat 26-Oct-13 13:39:55

You can't make allowances if you come in by bus.

FeisMom Sat 26-Oct-13 13:40:21

Our school has a massive rural intake, all serviced by buses provided by the LA as greater than 3 mile distance. They school, parents and children have no control over the timings of this, the county arrange it.

Yet still the HT gives detentions to the students if the bus is late hmm

kim147 Sat 26-Oct-13 13:41:29


"The school’s head, Richard Crane, has defended the lunchtime detention, saying the school is cracking down on a small number of youngsters who are habitually late. "

A clue is "the small number" who are habitually late. It's a hammer to crack a walnut.

BigDeskBob Sat 26-Oct-13 13:44:49

Is a lunch time detention that big a deal? It's hardly going to scar them for life.

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