Barrage of complaints over strict behaviour regimen

FORMAL COMPLAINT FROM GROUP OF 400 PARENTS OVER RIGID DISCIPLINARY RULES

- KATIE TIMMS

IVYBRIDGE Community College has been hit with a barrage of complaints due to a strict behaviour policy parents say “disempowers” children.

Last week, the school received a formal complaint from a group of around 400 parents – with many saying their children were “in tears” over the rules.

The complaint demanded change from principal Rachel Hutchinson, after “multiple formal complaints from individuals with little to no response received”. The group hit out at the “overly rigid discipline policy” which has been said to have been in place since the new term and has left some pupils scared to attend school.

Parents have told The Herald pupils are being punished for reasons that are not misbehaviour, such as being late – sometimes by just one minute. One mother said her child was late to school by one minute because a bus was late and, despite explaining, was put into ‘reflection’, also known as isolation.

According to the school’s standards and expectations policy, reflection is a room “to provide those students who have not met the classroom expectations”, giving them an “opportunity to reflect and reset to enable them to return to their lessons at a later point to continue their learning”.