A dad has spoken out in support of Saturday detentions at Hemel Hempstead School after his son was given the punishment.
Raymond Smith said he was initially against his son completing the weekend penalty, but after speaking to teachers agreed to it.
“He is certainly of the mind that he doesn’t want to do it again,” said Mr Smith, of Boxmoor.
The weekend punishment was introduced at the Heath Lane school in September as part of a new rewards and consequences system.
Mr Smith’s 15-year-old son was told he would have to attend school dressed in his uniform on a Saturday after failing to attend an after-school detention that was handed out for fighting.
His dad got in touch with the Gazette to support the new regime following our report on mum Deena Singh who refused to let her son do the weekend punishment, imposed after he left school without permission.
Acting headteacher Tim Jordan introduced the Saturday detention, which runs from 9am to 11am, after consultation with staff and parents as a ‘strong deterrent’.
Mr Smith said: “They are less inclined to get in trouble or act like fools at school because of the threat of having to spend a Saturday morning at school.”
A new scale of rewards has also been introduced to recognise good behaviour including rewards that can be exchanged for goods in a reward shop or the canteen and in the best cases students may be invited to attend a special reception with their parents.