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 Oct 13, 10:23 pm, 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.

They should have got him to put that in writing.

> ‘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.

Of course not (on both counts)

> ‘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.

Usually a senior member of staff.

Known in the trade as the "sin bin". In school exclusion widely used
to address persistent low level disruptive behaviour.

I know Ridgewood School and its anything but a  "Guantanamo Bay"

On 13 Oct, 22:37, Mel Rowing  wrote:
> On Oct 13, 10:23 pm, 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.
>
> They should have got him to put that in writing.
>
> > ‘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.
>
> Of course not (on both counts)
>
> > ‘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.
>
> Usually a senior member of staff.
>
> Known in the trade as the "sin bin". In school exclusion widely used
> to address persistent low level disruptive behaviour.
>
> I know Ridgewood School and its anything but a  "Guantanamo Bay"

ridiculous you agree with such measures you have to look at the system

"alpy"  wrote in message 
news:37686210-bb11-4d49-9147-74de86ad5e6a@64g2000hsu.googlegroups.com...
On 13 Oct, 22:37, Mel Rowing  wrote:
> On Oct 13, 10:23 pm, 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.
>
> They should have got him to put that in writing.
>
> > ‘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.
>
> Of course not (on both counts)
>
> > ‘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.
>
> Usually a senior member of staff.
>
> Known in the trade as the "sin bin". In school exclusion widely used
> to address persistent low level disruptive behaviour.
>
>> I know Ridgewood School and its anything but a "Guantanamo Bay"

>ridiculous you agree with such measures you have to look at the system

Not severe enough by half.

On Oct 13, 11:14 pm, alpy  wrote:

> > Known in the trade as the "sin bin". In school exclusion widely used
> > to address persistent low level disruptive behaviour.
>
> > I know Ridgewood School and its anything but a  "Guantanamo Bay"
>
> ridiculous you agree with such measures you have to look at the system

By which I suppose you mean if a child misbehaves in school then
somehow the fault lies with the school.

You must walk around with your eyes shut.

Children all children misbehave at some time. They misbehave in the
home. they misbehave in the streets. They misbehave on public
transport. They misbehave in school. Children have always misbehaved
on occasions and got into mischief as long as there have been
children.

Add to that some children like school but a section do not. Of the
latter most play the system and get by. However, there are always a
few who seek to react against the order and discipline that must
prevail by making nuisances of themselves. The fact that successive
governments have removed from schools every sanction they ever had has
made that task easy.

Disruptive behaviour to some degree is a feature of all schools from
Eton down to Gas Works Street Secondary. Unless such behaviour is
addressed and checked these kids will destroy every lesson they
attend. In the ultimate they'll ruin your school.

As regards the sanction in question, when I was at school, I would
have laughed at it but not as much as the teachers who taught me. Some
of them were straight out of the forces having fought half way across
North Africa and/or Europe. They knew how to maintain discipline
without the need of any sin bin.