Gransnet forums

AIBU

Teachers

(148 Posts)
jenpax Thu 22-Sept-22 15:45:13

For anyone who is/ was a teacher AIBU.
My DGS (year 8) is in top stream at his school. He was off sick one day this week and missed a geography lesson. He was set a quiz, this was the result, he scored 80% despite not being there for one of the relevant lessons, but the teacher gives detention if a student scores less than 100%. He is very distressed as he is conscientious and hard working.
I feel this is overly harsh and discouraging, certainly at his age I too would have been disheartened.
I am keen that he continues to be enthusiastic about school and worry that this type of punitive regime will be counter productive.
The school has an outstanding OFSTED

Callistemon21 Thu 22-Sept-22 23:20:41

I just did the quiz - it would be difficult not to get 100% so it must have been a momentary lapse of concentration on your DGS's part, jenpax.

At that age we would have been set a long essay on the subject!

Callistemon21 Thu 22-Sept-22 23:22:44

Y8 isn't really primary though
That was me misreading it, Gagajo

I put myself in detention and did the quiz, easily found online.

DaisyAnne Thu 22-Sept-22 23:33:50

Thank you for the explanations. We soon get out of touch with no one at school. My GCs are but in Australia. I doubt it is that different, but I am amazed at the use of technology, etc.

Deedaa Thu 22-Sept-22 23:46:22

There has been so much comment on line about the strange things children seem to be getting detentions for that I asked DD if GS1 was having any problems. She said his school seems fine, detentions mainly for forgotten homework, but cancelled if the homework is brought in next day. She said they went to see one school that seemed very nice but then the headmaster started yelling at a boy because his tie was crooked. She saw the look on her son's face and knew he was never going to cope there.

Shelflife Fri 23-Sept-22 00:05:42

Can't believe what I have just read. Given detention for not achieving 100% - ridiculous!! This is not an outstanding school. Who gets 100% anyway? This is not a question of the school being harsh it is utterly bonkers!!! The child's parents should speak to the teacher just to be sure exactly what is happening with the marking system. If this is true, then rather than encourage the students it will demoralize them and who could blame them if they stopped trying to learn ?

mokryna Fri 23-Sept-22 00:16:11

Callistemon21 Is this the one?
2.1 GCSE Geography Coasts Knowledge Organiser - AWS

growstuff Fri 23-Sept-22 00:28:41

DaisyAnne

Callistemon21

I've never heard of a primary school pupil getting detention. As a parent and grandparent I would go to pick up the child at the normal time and refuse to allow them to stay later.

Are primary school pupils streamed? I've never heard of that either.

Who gets 100% as a matter of course? It must be rare.

Is this real?

That does seem a strange way to teach to me - more China than Chelsey (or anywhere else in the UK beginning with C). It seems odd to expect everyone to get 100%. What does that mean when it comes to learning and understanding? However, I'm not a teacher, so perhaps teaching is simply training, Pavlov's style, these days.

Ask the Conservative Party's education gurus and the people they've appointed to key positions. Pavlov's dogs is as good a description of the way they'd like pupils to turn out as any other.

Interested Fri 23-Sept-22 07:56:39

I actually read what the paper said. He can take as much time as possible and have a go three times to do the quiz. This is to make sure that he has covered the material he lost out on. Get the lazy boy to do his homework properly instead of whining about teachers who are trying to give a state school boy the same chance as private education.

LRavenscroft Fri 23-Sept-22 08:29:20

Does he go to a private/public school? Teachers need to make allowances for children in all sets of circumstances as in the case of your grandson off ill. If it were my child and he was given a detention for being off ill, I would be straight to the class teacher and head. However, in some private/public schools they may come back with the argument 'Is this the right school for your child?' Basically, you need a very strong adult behind him so he feels secure. I speak from experience. Good luck!

growstuff Fri 23-Sept-22 08:35:50

LRavenscroft

Does he go to a private/public school? Teachers need to make allowances for children in all sets of circumstances as in the case of your grandson off ill. If it were my child and he was given a detention for being off ill, I would be straight to the class teacher and head. However, in some private/public schools they may come back with the argument 'Is this the right school for your child?' Basically, you need a very strong adult behind him so he feels secure. I speak from experience. Good luck!

But there's no suggestion on the attachment that he's to be given a detention.

This is very different from an end-of-year exam or GCSE, which try to differentiate between candidates by having a spread of results. The idea with these regular self-quizzes is to make sure all pupils grasp the basics before moving on. Pupils are given Knowledge Organisers with a summary of the basics, so that they have all the information they need readily accessible, even if they've been absent.

Joseanne Fri 23-Sept-22 08:39:45

However, in some private/public schools they may come back with the argument 'Is this the right school for your child?'
What? I don't think so. Why bring this into the discussion when plausible reasons have been given by experienced teachers here in the know about these tests.

NotSpaghetti Fri 23-Sept-22 08:50:40

I looked at the image 1st and thought this post was going to complain about the poor way the instructions were given in an apparently "outstanding" school!

First you have to copy certain questions into a book and then
you need to get 100% at the ^following quiz - I was wondering which quiz was following and couldn't quite grasp how a quiz could "follow" a handwritten piece. I wondered whether this KO book was a digital one! I found the instructions beyond confusing!

I think my brain is very convoluted as everyone else seems to have seen the problem at once.
Am I the only one to have gone down this track before reading the OP?

Or maybe I'm the only one to look at the image first!

Esmay Fri 23-Sept-22 08:50:59

For what ever reason this child got 80% -this is absolutely appalling and totally unacceptable .

It's bullying .

I hope that his parents complain .

Have we gone back to the old days ?

I remember not wanting to go to Brownies , because we had a spelling test the next day and woe betide any pupil who got one wrong -it meant a dressing down from the headmistress , being made to stand on a chair and sometimes bring caned .

Callistemon21 Fri 23-Sept-22 10:46:53

mokryna

Callistemon21 Is this the one?
^2.1 GCSE Geography Coasts Knowledge Organiser - AWS^

www.educationquizzes.com/gcse/english
Not sure but these could be the ones.

This is the link and I did the KS3 Coast one (as you do when you're bored ?)
There is an illustrated factsheet to go with it with all the answers so perhaps he accidentally clicked on the wrong answer by mistake.

I used Twinkl with DGD during lockdown projects.

Callistemon21 Fri 23-Sept-22 10:50:48

growstuff

DaisyAnne

Callistemon21

I've never heard of a primary school pupil getting detention. As a parent and grandparent I would go to pick up the child at the normal time and refuse to allow them to stay later.

Are primary school pupils streamed? I've never heard of that either.

Who gets 100% as a matter of course? It must be rare.

Is this real?

That does seem a strange way to teach to me - more China than Chelsey (or anywhere else in the UK beginning with C). It seems odd to expect everyone to get 100%. What does that mean when it comes to learning and understanding? However, I'm not a teacher, so perhaps teaching is simply training, Pavlov's style, these days.

Ask the Conservative Party's education gurus and the people they've appointed to key positions. Pavlov's dogs is as good a description of the way they'd like pupils to turn out as any other.

I did say in a later post that it must be difficult to get less than 100% as the answers are all provided on the factsheet.

It does seem a very strange way to teach and not a good way to help pupils remember information beyond the time when they do the quiz.

Mollygo Fri 23-Sept-22 10:59:28

Thanks for the link. I book marked it for when I need something to do.

Callistemon21 Fri 23-Sept-22 11:05:03

Mollygo

Thanks for the link. I book marked it for when I need something to do.

You'd have to be bored!! ?
Or just nosy

Although I wondered whether to start the Spanish course

Farmor15 Fri 23-Sept-22 12:00:18

I was curious (and bored) and just tried on of the quizzes in GCSE Biology. One of the "correct" answers was wrong!! As a retired biology lecturer I know a bit about the topic I selected. This type of test is only for very superficial knowledge!

Farmor15 Fri 23-Sept-22 12:01:07

Sorry for typos - in a hurry as OH wants to go out!

Luckygirl3 Fri 23-Sept-22 12:11:20

Awards for good attendance annoy me too. No-one chooses to be sick.

Callistemon21 Fri 23-Sept-22 14:43:45

Farmor15

I was curious (and bored) and just tried on of the quizzes in GCSE Biology. One of the "correct" answers was wrong!! As a retired biology lecturer I know a bit about the topic I selected. This type of test is only for very superficial knowledge!

?

I haven't got as far as GCSE level yet, Farmor15
I must be a slow learner. Still on KS3 geography.

Farmor15 Fri 23-Sept-22 16:12:29

Luckygirl3

Awards for good attendance annoy me too. No-one chooses to be sick.

I've always had a problem with those sort of awards. Nearly all children are ill occasionally at least but they may be pressurised to go to school anyway, to get an award. Attending school when ill may possibly spread infection to others, including teachers.

Mollygo Fri 23-Sept-22 17:01:32

Luckygirl3

Awards for good attendance annoy me too. No-one chooses to be sick.

The idea is to discourage casual absences, but it’s a punishment for those who are genuinely ill.

GagaJo Fri 23-Sept-22 17:51:32

Callistemon21

it must be difficult to get less than 100% as the answers are all provided on the factsheet.

It does seem a very strange way to teach and not a good way to help pupils remember information beyond the time when they do the quiz.

It is probably not to get them to remember all the information, but given that they need to get 100%, to check their ability to retrieve information. Quite a few of GCSEs rely on giving students extracts or information in some shape or form, and the students have to be able to retrieve it and then do something else with it (reformat it, analyse it, interpret it). So maybe it was part of an ongoing process to build exam skills.

Callistemon21 Fri 23-Sept-22 23:17:41

Thanks Gagajo

It did seem quite a simple exercise for KS3 as the quiz consisted of multi-choice answers and all the information was on the factsheet provided with it.
Rather like Who Wants to be a Millionaire, with detention for giving the wrong answer.