Ten Lates In One Term...

[ummmm]

Just read a message from my sons school. Apparently if a child is late 10 times in 1 term the parents will be fined £60.

Do you think this is acceptable?

[Mamyalynne]

Tambo,if you have an 'Am I bothered' recalcitrant teen - then unless they themselves pay the £60 I doubt it would change them.

[ummmm]

And some teens do go through the 'I ain't bovvered' phases.

[factor-fiction]

Being a parent isn't always easy but i think parents have to accept some responsibility for them while they are still of school age

[Mamyalynne]

I found threatening to walk them there at the given time got rapid results at age 12 plus.

[tamborine]

If parents have lost control of their kids, they wont pay fines & kid expelled. If thats what it takes for the studious to study, so be it.

Tinkers are proud of no schooling & Ive yet to find a poor one.

[ummmm]

I would hope so, FF.

[ummmm]

It's not a loss of control. It's teenagers falling back to sleep after the alarm and then dawdling to school.

[sherrardk]

I think it's ridiculous, what next - fines for not doing homework, wrong uniform? It's not disciplining the child it's penalising the parents, if it's meant to educated the parents on the importance of punctuality they should run some sort of course like they do for speeding drivers (but they won't, because it's about money).

[B00]

"Do you think this is acceptable? "

Yep, i do.

[factor-fiction]

The parents need to take some responsibility for disciplining their own children though don't they?

[Mamyalynne]

Absolutely they do but I don't think that monetary penalties are necessarily the right way to do it.

[sherrardk]

If any of my children were in trouble at school I would expect school to discipline them and then they would get disciplined when they got home.

[jim360]

I think it should depend on the circumstances. I can accept that parents are to some extent responsible, but there comes a point where they will have to head off to work. For my parents, my Mum was often able to come with us as far as the bus stop, and sometimes even saw us get on the bus, but she couldn't really see us all the way to the school gates without being late for work herself (although she has flexitime hours, which makes "late" something of a loose concept, perhaps). Dad meanwhile had to go to work earlier than we had to go to school, or at least wasn't really able to take us into work without inconveniencing his own start to the day.

This could be a counterproductive policy, in particular if, in trying to avoid the child being late for school, the parents ended up having to be late for their own jobs. If it's demonstrably the case that it actually is the parents' fault (because, say, they're dropping the child off late), then fine -- but in many cases I doubt it would be fair at all.

[tamborine]

Sher, if kids dont keep up homework in private schools, theyre made to repeat the term/year at parents cost. No uniform kid is sent home in PS.

PS values and standards are what is demanded for all pupils now.

[ummmm]

I absolutely agree with punctuality but the lastest they have to be in school for is 9:15. If a parent works how can they make sure their child is there on time even if they woke them, made them breakfast, demanded they get dressed?

Tambo...what you talking about?

[tamborine]

Am answering sher 19.22

[ummmm]

B00 - do you take your daughter to school each day? If so then lateness is down to you.

When they hit their teens, and I know you've been there, it's down to them.

Punish the child, not the parent.

[factor-fiction]

I think the idea though is that the threat of a punishment to parents will encourage them parents to take more responsibility to encourage their children to try harder to arrive on time or discipline them in some way if they continue to be late.

[factor-fiction]

^'the parents' nor 'them parents'

[joeluke]

Do the teachers also get fined for every time they can't be @rsed to turn up because there's snow on their driveway?

That affects kids who do turn up on time and parents who have to find childcare at impossibly short notice

Give it a few weeks and it'll be teachers unofficial mid-winter break again!