http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1077168/School-introduces-Guantanamo-Bay-isolation-cells-punish-unruly-pupils.html

A school which sends unruly children to Guantanamo Bay-style isolation
cells has faced criticism.

Children are ordered to sit for extended periods under a spotlight
facing a black wall in one of four partitioned areas of a classroom to
reflect on their misbehaviour.

Teachers at Ridgewood School in Doncaster – who call the cells
'individual study rooms' – also notify parents if their youngsters
spend time in the cells.

A father whose son was ordered to spend a day in one of the units has
threatened to remove him from the school in protest.

Andrew Widdowson discovered the unusual punishment after Kieran, 11,
helped deflate the tyres on a boy’s bike, he claimed.

Mr Widdowson, 30, told said: ‘A teacher rang and told me about the
punishment and I went into the school to see for myself what this
isolation room was.

‘I couldn’t believe it. It was like something out of Guantanamo Bay.

‘The room is painted totally black. The walls, the partitions, the
window blinds – everything was black.

‘The partitions down one side created four cells where school kids are
expected to sit at a desk all day.’

‘My son has never been in trouble. The first time he’s done something
and he gets told to go into isolation. The punishment doesn’t fit the
crime.

‘I would rather take my son out of school than see him spend time in
that dungeon.’

Now teachers have refused to let Kieran return to class until he
serves his time in the room.

Mr Widdowson had earlier received a letter from the school explaining:
‘All the boys involved would serve one day in the isolation room on
separate days… so they can reflect individually on their actions and
hopefully decide that they will not be part of doing anything like
this again whatever their motivation and degree of involvement in this
case.’

The school has defended the room, which is supervised by a member of
staff.

In a statement it said: ‘It is well lit with a window providing
adequate external light and extra ventilation as required, and each
individual carrel has separate spot lighting in addition.

‘The facility has been in use for over four years and accommodates a
handful of pupils each week overwhelmingly for no more than one day
and some for less than this.

'The facility is used at a relatively minor level of the behaviour
policy to give pupils a chance to reflect on their behaviour and
strengthen their desire to meet expectations in future.

‘It overwhelmingly achieves this in terms of pupils not returning for
repeated isolations.

‘Pupils are supplied with work from current lessons and are free to
ask questions of the supervising member of staff as they would in
lessons.

‘It was fully functional during the 2006 Ofsted inspection and
approved as a positive feature of the school’s overall success.

‘The school shares the aim of getting Kieran back into education at
Ridgewood promptly.

'He is welcome to return at any time, do his day in isolation in line
with the behaviour policy for all pupils and return to his full
mainstream timetable.’

On Mon, 13 Oct 2008 14:23:09 -0700 (PDT), alpy
 wrote:
>
>A father whose son was ordered to spend a day in one of the units has
>threatened to remove him from the school in protest.

Teachers are said to be distraught.

"alpy"  wrote in message 
news:d8499787-e76a-4857-b794-e32572152f7e@h2g2000hsg.googlegroups.com...


A father whose son was ordered to spend a day in one of the units has
threatened to remove him from the school in protest.

--------------------

I'll bet the teachers are heartbroken at the very idea.


-- 
William Black


I've seen things you people wouldn't believe.
Barbeques on fire by the chalets past the castle headland
I watched the gift shops glitter in the darkness off the Newborough gate
All these moments will be lost in time,  like icecream on the beach
Time for tea.

did that include waterboarding?


-- 
web site at www.abelard.org - news comment service, logic, economics 
 energy, education, politics, etc 1,552,396 document calls in year past
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  all that is necessary for       []     walk quietly and carry
  the triumph of evil is that      []           a big stick.
  good people do nothing     []   trust actions not words
                    only when it's funny -- roger rabbit
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

On Mon, 13 Oct 2008 14:23:09 -0700 (PDT), alpy
 wrote:

>‘The room is painted totally black. The walls, the partitions, the
>window blinds – everything was black.

I wonder what Todal and Turk have to say about THIS form of
punishment!

Banged up in such an environment for a whole day, as opposed to six of
the best? Which approach is the more horrific?

MM

"MM"  wrote in message 
news:1pq8f41o578qdgfesvo0ujugk6oab3gaju@4ax.com...
> On Mon, 13 Oct 2008 14:23:09 -0700 (PDT), alpy
>  wrote:
>
>>'The room is painted totally black. The walls, the partitions, the
>>window blinds - everything was black.
>
> I wonder what Todal and Turk have to say about THIS form of
> punishment!
>
> Banged up in such an environment for a whole day, as opposed to six of
> the best? Which approach is the more horrific?

Neither is "horrific".

On Tue, 14 Oct 2008 11:03:21 +0100, "True Blue"
 wrote:

>
>"MM"  wrote in message 
>news:1pq8f41o578qdgfesvo0ujugk6oab3gaju@4ax.com...
>> On Mon, 13 Oct 2008 14:23:09 -0700 (PDT), alpy
>>  wrote:
>>
>>>'The room is painted totally black. The walls, the partitions, the
>>>window blinds - everything was black.
>>
>> I wonder what Todal and Turk have to say about THIS form of
>> punishment!
>>
>> Banged up in such an environment for a whole day, as opposed to six of
>> the best? Which approach is the more horrific?
>
>Neither is "horrific". 

The caning isn't, but I venture to suggest that the "mind game" of
being banged up in a room for 8 hours that's been deliberately painted
black is too much akin to blindfolding and extraordinary rendition. It
is more like torture than punishment.

MM