The primary school that my children go to has a School Council which gets the kids involved in how the school is run and even how some of the money is spent.
Last year the children who wanted to take part stood for election and were voted in by their peers. However, next year (this is school years obviously, starting in September) they have decided that the current Chair will remain as Chair even if their peers vote for someone else.
Their “constitutencies” are individual classes so a whole class of children will be deprived of the right to vote for their representative on the School Council.
This is bad enough in it itself but what makes it worse is that for months, the Chair has been bullying one of my children quite badly. She is, to put it bluntly, an obnoxious child with a very real attitude problem. The mental abuse was so bad she had several sessions with teachers to talk to her about what she was doing and it took several attempts to get her to stop. This is a role model for other children in the school.
I’ve sent the following email to the Deputy Head of the school:
Dear Mr xxxxxxx,
[My Child] has been talking to us about School Council, in particular the fact that it has been decided that [The Bully] will be chair of the School Council again next year even if her peers don’t vote for her. [My Child] feels that it’s unfair and so do we.
For the last few months [The Bully] has been bullying [My Child] so badly that he couldn’t sleep and was sitting in his room crying. She has had sessions with teachers to talk to her about mental abuse and bullying. I believe she still has some sort of anti-bullying role in school which I find quite ironic. That’s not a good role model for other children.
This year the School Council was elected by the children – an excellent practical demonstration of democracy at work. Next year [The Bully] will be the chair again, even if her peers don’t want her to be. What does that teach the children? That the wishes of the majority can be disregarded by the privileged few? A sad reflection of real life, I’ll grant you, but perhaps if our children were instilled with some sense of how democracy should work, in a couple of decades they might be the ones who make it work in real life?
If [The Bully] gets elected to the School Council then fair enough but if her behaviour towards her peers over the last year resulted in them not voting for her again then that will teach her that actions have consequences – a valuable lesson for a 10 year old child, especially one that has a predisposition towards bullying.
School Council was such a good idea but this has spoilt it.
Stuart
Obviously, I’ve removed the names because it’s kids involved. Is this what our kids should be told? Democracy is a privilege that can be taken away on a whim and the consequences of bullying is more privilege and responsibility?
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Now I don’t want to sound like one of those conspiracy nut-jobs that are always cropping up, but have you ever thought that they only do things like this to piss you off?
It’s a very good possibility Ginge.
Sounds like New Labour democracy in action.
They’ve got to teach the kids how it works or the new empire won’t last 1000 years…
…Am I getting New Labour and the Nazis mixed up again?
could it be, they are all pissed off with the system but instead of terminating it with dignity in the dirtches behind the bike sheds, they are letting it run until popular uproar dismantles it for them?
Hey, i’ve a great idea, start a counter insurgency!!!!!!!!
do you need any mercenaries?
what would you pay for such services?
we could also overthrow your local council?
Here is another example of a school condoning bullying.
The Sutherland is another example. They have a policy of taking the “Naughty” children out on egular school trips to various locations like Alton Towers, whilst those that knuckle down to do their work get no support or reward.
I would also advise all parents to contact their school and get a copy of what is on their childs log, I can guarentee it will prove to be an eye opener for many parents, many schools record negative comments only.
I would be interested to hear from anyone that gets it, I had a copy of one of mine and it was a clear case of institutonalised bullying by staff.
‘Democracy is a privilege that can be taken away on a whim and the consequences of bullying is more privilege and responsibility?’
Worked in Zimbabwe.
Working in Brussels.
Coming soon to a Labour government near you…..
I’ve had a response with the reason for doing it – namely that it took the best part of the year to get the school council to start acting independently and it would be counter-productive to spend a year doing it with a new chair. I still disagree on principle but understand the reasons for doing it and the chair won’t have any voting rights next year. He also disagreed about the bullying thing – it appears that she’s better than we thought and had managed to convince the teachers that it was her friends who were bullying my son and she was standing up for him! I explained that Mrs Sane spoke to her and her dad about it and that it was most definitely her behind it and he’s going to keep an eye on the situation. It pays to talk to the right people.