10th November 2016 1:00
By Blue Tutors
The Magna Academy, Poole has hit headlines again over its new policy which has disruptive students publicly apologise at a faculty assembly. The Dorset school has told parents that students who have been suspended for bad behaviour including systematically defying teachers or using physical violence will be made to apologise to their peers for disruption, letting their classmates down and "impacting negatively on their life chances".
The program is part of a much wider scheme where students are both reprimanded for bad behaviour and rewarded for good behaviour. Students receive points which can be exchanged for things including a better place in the lunch line, prefect titles or a free coffee. The new system focuses much more on rewarding goof behaviour, however there are rules put in place for "repeat offenders", including the highly publicised public apology. This measure has yet to actually be put in place as it is reserved for those students who have already received fixed term exclusions (suspensions) and is a last case resort to avoid total exclusion from the school entirely (expulsion).
Some parents feel this is public humiliation and is tantamount to bullying; some are worried it will leave children frightened to go to school, while others applaud the endeavour to teach children to take responsibility for how their actions affect others. Some parents also question the effectiveness of this approach, saying "This is not going to improve the behaviour of the naughtiest pupils - it will be seen as a badge of honour to be up on stage and I dare say there will be some very sarcastic apologies."
The changes also include a policy whereby the parents of any students returning form fixed term external exclusion (hope suspension) is expected to attend their first day back in school with them. This includes sitting with them in class and supervising them during break times. While the school claims this is to aid reintegration, with a school population composed of 40 % from disadvantaged backgrounds, this may not be feasible. One parent pointed out that "for a parent to have to take a day off work to sit in school with their child is taking things too far". The school's response to naysayers was clear: get on board or get out. The letter read "If you feel that the Academy's expectations of behaviour do not fit with your personal ethos or that of your children, it remains your right to have your child educated in a school whose policies you do agree with."
The school has come under scrutiny before for its no nonsense approach to discipline, punishing children for infractions including having the wrong sized . While some may question these measures, the school has a strong reputation, coming from special measures to an outstanding rating and being in the top 7% for GCSE progress in the last academic year. They say that they are "a school in a challenging environment and want [students] to learn."