Rewards and Sanctions
As a school we strive to work in harmony with all students and their parents/carers and this involves both
rewarding and sanctioning of students when appropriate. The vast majority of students, receive rewards
for a wide range of reasons such as: working hard; representing the school; achieving excellent test
results; doing a kind act towards another person…. The array of rewards within the school is numerous
and includes: a prize in the annual Awards Evening in July; Headteacher’s rewards; Gold Book
nomination; postcard home; phone call home; a well done from the teacher; positive written feedback.
Working together is always the best solution and we believe it brings the best out of both the student and
the teacher.
However, at times, sanctions are also required and students sometimes make choices that require a
detention after school. The vast majority of parents/carers support the school in ensuring that their child
attends the detention, and it is hoped that the one short sharp shock is sufficient for the student to not
make a poor choice thereafter. Unfortunately, there are some parents/carers that do not support the
school, and consequently their child’s teachers, in ensuring their child’s attendance at a detention.
As a school, we always aim to work with a student and parent/carer, and we give notice of 24 hours for
Faculty detentions and are prepared to rearrange if the date set is not possible. However the detention
itself is never negotiable and needs to be completed within a reasonable time frame if it is not to lose
impact.
Guidance from the Department of Education supports the school in the issuing and following through of
detentions. As already stated the school works hard to achieve consensus with parents but there are times
when this does not appear to be possible and so we need to refer to the DFE guidance on detentions. The
guidance states that, ‘Parental consent is not required for detentions’. Furthermore, when discussing
transport home for students, the guidance states that, ‘It does not matter if making these arrangements is
inconvenient for the parent’.
The setting of detentions is time-consuming and the follow-up, if necessary, is also time-consuming. It is
vital however that students understand that our high expectations for learning are in their best interests,
resulting in a happier and calmer school with improved outcomes in GCSE results. If a student does not
attend the ‘green detention’ for 30 minutes, it is automatically increased to an amber detention of 60
minutes. If the student fails to attend the ‘amber detention’, it is increased to a ‘red detention’ of 90
minutes. Failure to attend this ‘red detention’ may result in isolation for the day, followed by completion of
the detention, or another appropriate sanction. Through all this, the student is in conflict with the school
and not working towards achieving their best, and a teacher is wasting time chasing detentions rather than
marking books, planning lessons or actually leaving work earlier than they currently do.
This escalating sanction route is rarely needed if parents encourage children to attend their detention in
the first instance and ‘wipe the slate clean’. I look forward to your full support in this matter, so that we can
work together to achieve the best for all involved.
Mr Pearson
Deputy Headteacher