School Life in England | How I Saved My Son from School Detention

I know I didn’t handle it the right way and probably should have let him learn his lesson.

What detention am I talking about? The school my son attends here in England has a set of rules that, of course, students are expected to follow. These include being on time, behaving appropriately, and wearing the correct uniform.

School Life in England

If a student is more than two minutes late, they get detention. The same goes if they’re not wearing the proper uniform. Detention usually means missing a break, part of a break, or staying after school, depending on how serious the incident is.

School life in England is made up of much more than rules and detentions. It also includes practical subjects that teach independence and life skills. I’ve written more about this in What Do Children Cook at School in England?.

So, what did my son do? He forgot his football kit—the backpack we had carefully packed the night before, sitting neatly in the living room. Did he have the right sports uniform? No. Would he have gotten detention? Absolutely.

And that’s how my morning suddenly sped up. I grabbed my keys and phone, stuffed them into my pockets, pulled on my shoes, and shut the door behind me. Realising I can’t really run with both keys and phone in my pockets, I pull out the phone to run with it in my hand… and next thing I know, it spins through the air and lands screen-down on the driveway stones. Screen: shattered.

What did I learn, Alexandra? Let your child make mistakes and learn from them. I should mention I had already brought his football kit to school once before—but apparently, it took a broken phone for the lesson to really sink in.

How did your day start?