School where pupils wave time out cards to get out of classes
A sCHEME at a troubled school where disruptive or emotional pupils can walk out of class has been branded an ‘admission of failure’.
Children are issued with a ‘time out’ card that can be waved at a teacher when they feel overwhelmed by ‘complex and often confidential issues’.
There is no limit on their use, allowing cardholders to leave whenever they feel like it.
The school – Benjamin Britten High in Lowestoft, suffolk – defended the scheme, saying only 4 per cent of its pupils had one of the cards.
But education experts warned their classmates might be encouraged to misbehave to gain the same privileges.
‘ This allows children to get out of lessons as a reward for poor behaviour and will be seen as a badge of honour,’ said Chris McGovern of the Campaign for Real Education. It’s a topsy-turvy approach where children are in charge of discipline rather than the teacher, which would tend to undermine the disciplinary structure. It is an admission of failure by the school – a last, desperate measure.’
The scheme was also bad training for life, Mr McGovern added, because ‘ bus drivers and bank managers can’t just walk out when they’ve had enough’. The laminated cards, which are printed with the pupil’s name, are understood to have been introduced around three years ago.
The co-educational school – which has the motto ‘A fresh way of thinking’ – has about 950 children, meaning almost 40 have a card.
pupils who excuse themselves are expected to go to the ‘student office’ where they are supervised by an adult. The school was put into special measures in October following a devastating Ofsted report. Inspectors criticised weak teaching, low expectations of pupils, low-level disruption in lessons, widespread bullying and poor attendance.
It has also been hit by a series of teacher strikes over pay deals and lesson monitoring.
Last year only 37 per cent of GCsE students achieved five A* to C grades including English and maths, well below the national target. One parent, who declined to be named, said: ‘The scheme is wide open to abuse. Badly behaved kids only have to get one of these cards and they can get a free pass out of lessons.’
The school said the cards are given to students following a ‘review of their needs, often on the recommendation of external specialists’.
Use of the card ‘ varies from student to student’ and frequent use will ‘ trigger a review of that student’s needs’. Headteacher Andrew Hine added that the scheme was ‘tailored to a minority of students who may be dealing with a range of issues, such as managing their anger responses; bereavement and family illness; issues relating to mental health problems’.
He added: ‘The way students use the cards is reviewed regularly and this is a major step in keeping students in mainstream lessons.
‘The strategy has been key in reducing classroom disruption and allowing the rest of the class to continue learning.’
‘A desperate
measure’