The new school rule detention system at St Benet Biscop Catholic Academy has been met with mixed feelings by Chronicle readers.

St Benet Biscop, in Bedlington, recently emailed the "positive and negative" behaviour charts to pupils' parents, but was met with backlash from concerned parents who likened the secondary school to a "military camp" over its detention system and school rules, which would see children in detention for drinking fizzy drinks and chewing gum.

The chart explains negative behaviour worthy of a 30 minute automatic detention includes: drinking carbonated drinks, spraying aerosol, chewing gum, wearing makeup, being late to class or school, forgetting equipment such as a PE kit or ruler, shouting in the corridors, inappropriate trousers, rolling up blazer sleeves, eating in class and incomplete or poor quality homework.

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Negative behaviour which students will receive a warning for first, followed by a detention if they repeat the behaviour, includes talking during silent time, not doing as asked or following a instruction, poor effort/work rate and rolling eyes or huffing.

But, despite the initial backlash to the school rules which parents who spoke to the Chronicle deemed 'harsh', many North East readers were quick to defend the school's stance on discipline.

Claire Louise Lane said: "Majority of the reasons for detention are 100% normal.

"This is why we have bred a generation of entitled little snowflakes in the first place - lack of discipline!"

Victoria Wright added: "All you read is 'there's no respect and 'kids need discipline' blah blah blah, and as soon as schools try to introduce it they get ridiculous parents whinging and moaning that this is to strict or my kid shouldn't have to do that... society is just ridiculous."

Lesley Wilkinson also supported the school's rules and said it was good practise for children to abide by workplace rules when they grow up.

"I think in my own personal opinion that most of these rules are fair," she said. "A lot of children are getting no discipline at all and let's face it all of us in work have rules to abide by, why shouldn't they wear correct uniform, be punctual and respectful?"

Keith Moscrop wrote: "I last went to school 42 years ago and you used to get detention for forgetting your P.E kit then and you couldn’t eat chewing gum in class … so nothing changed there."

Mark Wilkson, whose daughter just started in September in Year 7 also praised the school.

He said: "Completely support the school in this and don’t see anything that is unfair, my daughter has just started at the school in year 7 and my other daughter will next year, her experience, and in accept it’s only been 2 weeks, so far has been positive, she comes home with nothing but good things to say and is already taking part in after school activities.

"Not everyone will agree with the requirements but overall they seem to push for a culture of respect and pride."

Pat Laidler added: "Good for the school. Rare to see a school expecting standards and enforcing them. They will produce better world citizens. Parents who don't like it can send their kids to a school where the kids can do what they want.

"There are always a few who challenge the system coz little Johnny needs skinny pants or an stud in the nose . Pandering leading to self entitlement. Keep it up headmaster, grand job."

There were readers who, like some of the parents, felt the school detention system was extreme.

Louise Wharton said: "Living in the dark ages. Nothing disinterests a child to learning like overly strict rules and control for the sake of control. If a child feels like they can't do right for wrong they just stop trying to do right at all."

Sarah Mcgrath said the school needed to "move with the times."

She wrote: "I'm all for rules as a parent whose child is in year 8 of this school, but what I can't and won't agree with is giving out detention for squirting a water bottle in their own time on the yard, it's a form of release for the child. Or for wearing jewellery within reason or a little bit of makeup these things could be a confidence issue for the child.

"Piercings or makeup may make to them feel good about themselves. As for preparing children for work, workplaces have something called diversity and individuality.

"My two oldest children also went to this school one is now a care assistant working towards her level 3 nursing and the other is in computing and also a leader at his 2nd job. Most workplaces accept people with piercings and a bit of makeup this school needs to wake up and move with the times."

John Grey added: "Are the kids allowed to breathe? I mean they haven't changed the rule to exclude that, have they?"

John Duggan, a former pupil of St Benet Biscop, said: "I went to St Benet Biscop in the nineties and was persistently getting wrong for walking round with my shirt untucked and trying to pass off a Ned’s Atomic Dustbin t-shirt as uniform.

"Fight the power, kids."

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