Pupils banned from putting hands up to answer questions

One parent said Samworth Church Academy was "becoming like a prison camp"

A teaching union has criticised a school for banning pupils from putting their hands up to answer questions.

The Samworth Church Academy in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, claimed not all pupils were being challenged because "the same hands are going up".

The National Union of Teachers (NUT) said "no hands" is a recognised teaching strategy, but teachers should be given the option to use it.

The school said children could still raise their hands for other reasons.

"These remarks have been somewhat misinterpreted," it said in a statement.

"Of course we expect our students to continue to raise their hands to attract a teacher's attention or similar.

"However, sometimes in a learning situation the hand up concept tends to produce the same children putting their hands up and the same children not putting their hands up."

'Like a prison camp'

But one mother claimed the school is "becoming like a prison camp", and children "have to sit in silence until spoken to".

"Putting your hands up to me is a way of communicating and they are not allowed to do that any more," said the mother, who has a teenage girl at the school.

"Every term there's always a new letter, there's always a new rule, and it's always very, very strict, and I do think a lot of the students are rebelling about all this.

"They are not being treated as young adults, it's really becoming like a prison camp, and I know a lot of parents are not happy."

Teaching 'does not challenge all'

The school's principal, Barry Found, announced the decision in a letter to parents. He wrote:

Last, but not least, we have taken the decision at the academy to dispense with the age old "hands up to answer a question" practice.

We find that the same hands are going up and as such the teaching does not challenge and support the learning of all.

From Monday 28th November, hands will only be raised in the academy to establish silence for listening (the students are very used to this practice and are brilliant at it!).

We will use a variety of other techniques to ensure that every student is challenged and developed in class through our questioning and that every student has opportunities to contribute and participate.

Jane Crich, of the NUT, said: "Any professional teacher should be trusted to teach a particular topic in a particular style according to the class they have.

"I don't know if there was a discussion before the decision was made but it shows a lack of respect to the teachers at the school.

"Teachers are never backwards in discussing new educational techniques but banning one from the classroom is strange."

The school has not commented on whether or not teachers were consulted before the change.