Six-year-old schoolboy suspended for having Mini Cheddars in his lunchbox

[doodab]

They were given a suspension because they refused to follow the rules laid down by the school. That is standard practice for repeated infractions.

The parents knew the rules and refused to follow them, how trivial would it have been for the parents to switch the snack? If they wish to appeal the rule they can but they cannot just refuse to follow it without suffering the consequences.

Switch it to what though? The school banned chocolate, sweets, crisps and fizzy drinks. Mini cheddars are none of those things. Perhaps they already switched from crisps to mini cheddars thinking they would be allowed? If mini cheddars aren't allowed what is? It's completely arbitrarty and seems to me like a classic case of some jumped up little hitler teacher throwing their weight around for the sake of it, probably looking for something to blame because they can't keep control of their classrooms. We had one of those at my son's first school, constantly complaining how disruptive he was. Odd that all the problems vanished when he got into a different school that wasn't full of the offspring of chavs.

[mudskipper]

I also think that parents have a reasonable expectation that a school will have rules about hours, uniform, and not bringing weapons in. Although I think requesting parents provide healthy packed lunches is also reasonable, micromanaging diet and dishing out suspensions because a particular foodstuff doesn't meet some jumped up little hitler's idea of healthy certainly isn't, especially when they are operating from behind a wall of blissful ignorance.

WHS. I can't believe how many people think this is fine.

OP, can we have a poll please?

[DirtyDog]

I also think that parents have a reasonable expectation that a school will have rules about hours, uniform, and not bringing weapons in. Although I think requesting parents provide healthy packed lunches is also reasonable, micromanaging diet and dishing out suspensions because a particular foodstuff doesn't meet some jumped up little hitler's idea of healthy certainly isn't, especially when they are operating from behind a wall of blissful ignorance.

Parents have no right to expect that their child should be exempt from one particular rule. The parents would have been warned about persistent rule breaking, and continued to break the rules, so they should face sanctions.

The exclusion of a pupil is no light-hearted matter, nor is it an immediate sanction (unless there has been a significant problem).

If you don't want to follow the rules, then you find somewhere that you can send your child where you are allowed to break the rules, or doesn't have rules that you feel you cannot comply with.

[MyUserName]

Switch it to what though? The school banned chocolate, sweets, crisps and fizzy drinks. Mini cheddars are none of those things. Perhaps they already switched from crisps to mini cheddars thinking they would be allowed? If mini cheddars aren't allowed what is?

I do not know what the school's policies are or what else was in the lunchbox so I cannot really answer that. For all I know she had nothing but a sack of mini cheddars.

I assumed that they had been warned several times not to put mini cheddars in as the school did not consider them to be appropriate?

[MyUserName]

WHS. I can't believe how many people think this is fine.

OP, can we have a poll please?

Would you think it was okay to suspend them if they repeatedly and intentionally broke a different school rule?

[DirtyDog]

WHS. I can't believe how many people think this is fine.

OP, can we have a poll please?

There you go - http://forums.contractoruk.com/gener...-excluded.html

[mudskipper]

Would you think it was okay to suspend them if they repeatedly and intentionally broke a different school rule?

If the parents break rules, it's not OK to punish the child.

Suspension should be a final resort for serious misbehaviour. Bringing a savoury snack to school doesn't, IMO, justify suspension.

[minestrone]

Parents have no right to expect that their child should be exempt from one particular rule. The parents would have been warned about persistent rule breaking, and continued to break the rules, so they should face sanctions.

The exclusion of a pupil is no light-hearted matter, nor is it an immediate sanction (unless there has been a significant problem).

If you don't want to follow the rules, then you find somewhere that you can send your child where you are allowed to break the rules, or doesn't have rules that you feel you cannot comply with.

Dear God, you must have had one pathetic life so far to be so subservient to such stupidity.

Behaviour like that can only come from an unloving family with an unwanted child or have been drummed in by a part of the education system reserved for the most stupid and feckless children.

[MyUserName]

If the parents break rules, it's not OK to punish the child.

Whether this disruption punishes the child or parent is not clear cut. There will be a disruption to the parent's day where they would normally not have to worry about that child. The child is likely to love having extra days off school, it is not as if he is studying for exams or anything.

If the parents continually refused to follow the uniform policy then the child would be punished. The parents would have been warned that these measures were on the cards so this would not be a surprise.

Suspension should be a final resort for serious misbehaviour. Bringing a savoury snack to school doesn't, IMO, justify suspension.

And that is not what happened. They did not see the snack and suspend the child on the spot for daring to have a mini cheddar. He was suspended for repeatedly breaking the same rule, if you repeatedly break a rule (even if it is one you do not agree with) then you will be suspended.

[mudskipper]

Whether this disruption punishes the child or parent is not clear cut. There will be a disruption to the parent's day where they would normally not have to worry about that child. The child is likely to love having extra days off school, it is not as if he is studying for exams or anything.

If the parents continually refused to follow the uniform policy then the child would be punished. The parents would have been warned that these measures were on the cards so this would not be a surprise.



And that is not what happened. They did not see the snack and suspend the child on the spot for daring to have a mini cheddar. He was suspended for repeatedly breaking the same rule, if you repeatedly break a rule (even if it is one you do not agree with) then you will be suspended.

The suspension will go on the child's school record. Which may matter in the future.