school office

[linzicam1985]

my oldest cracked the bone in her arm the other day she has a splint on it I semt her back to school the next day with a note asking them to keep her in at break times and stay off gym for the next 3 weeks stating that I was scares she may get knocked over and break her arm and healing time will be longer so today the office women asked why she was in school at lunchtime so she explained and the office women told her well you will be going out next week as she said to her you could fall walking to school so not any different so you can be outside. not happy at all how dear she under mind me and what I want for my childs safety.

[Periwinkle007]

Surely if she stays in at break time then a member of staff would have to be in the classroom with her. She could just sit down outside couldn't she?

[MillyMollyMama]

Could she stay with the playground supervisor outside? This type of thing is usually a job for them.

[BackforGood]

Well I agree with the school staff, and everyone else (and am also speaking as the Mum of a dd who broke her arm in the Summer). I'd have been most cross if anyone suggested she didn't go out and breathe a bit of fresh air, and relax with her friends just because she had a broken bone.

[Tableforfour]

Of course she needs to be out in the playground, my daughter went to nursery for a month with a cast on her wrist. You can get good waterproof covers for the cast from a company called Limbo online, they ship the same day. And can do basic PE too. Don't wrap her in cotton wool!

[noramum]

DD had a classmate with a broken arm and the girl got a different buddy each day to keep her company during break time while they stayed in and played games, read, did arts (what you can do with one hand). I think one of the dinner ladies kept an eye on them.

Obliviously during PE she sat at the side and the teacher asked her to help her with paperwork.

[juniper9]

Unless you have a doctor's note then the school can make their own decision about where she goes. There's no reason she can't go outside, and as others have mentioned there won't be the staff to supervise her every playtime and lunch. It's not fair to expect the office staff to watch her as they have a job to do too. Great on the schools who do arrange alternatives, but this is beyond their obligations.

I wouldn't expect her to do any PE activities which might result in her falling and having to use her arm to catch herself, but there might be things she can do (like throwing with her other arm).

[meditrina]

What was the medical advice?

I think you should insist on the school following that.

And the journey to school isn't a valid comparison to playing in a group. Yes, a further accident could happen anywhere, but as things like collisions are much more likely to happen in a playground, if the advice is that she is removed from such environments they should not be attempting to argue out of it.

[lljkk]

They need fresh air & social time.
I asked school & DD to put a ban on her running, jumping or climbing when she broke her arm this yr; mostly successful.

It's only a broken arm. Did she need surgery? I would understand with more traumatic breaks. I've broken mine three times!

[meditrina]

PS: just asked DS about the time his arm was plastered. The teacher who lead on PE decided he must not participate when in plaster (hazard to others), and agreed to let him sit out for the first sessions after e plaster cam off and he was still acclimatising to having his arm back in use.

He was meant to be going to the library (where all 'keep in' pupils went) for the long lunchtime playtime. He's just grinned, told me he never did as it was boring, and no one had a problem with this.

[ILoveRacnoss]

Off PE, yes. Not out at playtime, when in a split, no need at all! The point of the splint is to keep the bone still while it mends. No need for any other wrapping in cotton wool.

An I say this as both parent and teacher who has had DC and pupils in the same situation.

[Rooners]

I would imagine that having some sort of injury makes a child more liable to fall and cause further damage, purely from the POV of it unbalancing you and compensating in your posture and so on.

In any respect I would be very unhappy about the office staff speaking to my child rather than taking it up with me.

I would go in and ask to speak to someone about it. Or email stating what has occurred and that you'd rather that the staff spoke to you about the situation than put your child in an awkward position.

[CanIMakeItToChristmas]

Our school doesn't have enough dinner ladies to monitor all the outside area, the dining hall and have one in with a child with a broken arm, cough, etc. So once they've eaten lunch they take a book or quiet game and are supervised in the classroom area we use for lunchtime first aid by the person sitting there on first aid duty.
Are your children supervised in the library or computer suite, mouldingsunbeams?

[mymatemax]

I agree she should be able to have some fresh air etc BUT I totally get what you're saying about the office staff.
IMHO they are akin to Dr's receptionists & believe they run the place.

[WooWooOwl]

Children in my school who have a broken bone are told to sit on the benches and they can take books and board games outside with them. They are fine.

Its really not up to you to decide that she should stay in at lunch and break. Your choice comes in whether she is well enough to go to school or not, and if in your opinion she's not even able to sit outside, then it follows that your opinion is that she isn't well enough to be at school.

If you choose to send her into school, then you have to accept that the school will do what they think best.

Your daughter is going to be safer outside with supervision than inside without supervision.

[NoComet]

DD has broken her arm twice. I don't think she stayed in or was the least bit careful.

If DD2 was careful she wouldn't break things in the first place!

[NoComet]

In fact I believe she went in the school climbing frame, having ensured 'mrs pink coat' was out of sight.

[lljkk]

lol, sounds like DD, Starball. She only had the afternoon off school long enough to take her to clinic, get it confirmed & casted. We only managed to prevent her from running for 2.5 weeks. Ran X-country race a few days before cast came off and playing tag rugby day after cast was off.

I may sound cavalier but my reaction depends on the break; DD's was as mild as a break can get (greenstick fracture). Two of her fellow y6 girls broke arm in following 2 months, both of them required surgery & one was quite dramatic bent 90 degrees wrong way. Even I would be nervous about a break that severe recurring, especially if child still had metal pins in their bones.

[linzicam1985]

no staff members look after her inside the school she side in the computer area with a friend and our council done away with playground supervisors a few years back so older kids look after younger kids and she is 1 of the older she has not yet broke it its cracked so point on keeping her in at breaks is 2 stop it from breaking completely I defo dont wrap my kids in cotton wool at all I am more angry at the fact her teacher agrees with keeping her in but a office member wants undermind it when really my daughter is no where near her when staying in and not stopping her from doing her job she just happened to be passing asked why she was there and then starting laying down the law xxx

[lljkk]

How old is she, Linzi?

[Wellthen]

As a poster already said - only a doctor's note can force a school to do something. I think this is something many parents misunderstand. The seem to believe 'the school is a service and I require them to behave in this way'

No. They are in charge of your child during school hours. You can't tell them what to do. When the member of office staff 'undermined' you she was simply pointing this out. Its like walking into a doctor's surgery and saying 'You will give me an appointment on Thursday at 4pm and you will prescribe me X. Thank you.' It just doesn't work like that.

[linzicam1985]

she is 10 llkjj wellthen my point is her teacher agrees with keeping her in so do I and the women in the office came along to undermind it in my eyes it shows my daughter that doesn't matter what I say or her teacher says cos women in office has final say no and plus I went to the school the same day about something else amd same women in the office never said anything to me I am just very annoyed the way she has done it xxx

[Spacecraft]

If the "same woman" didn't mention it to you I think it's highly likely that things didn't happen exactly the way your DD has related them.

[linzicam1985]

spoke school today as my daughter is scared to go to school so have spoke to head teacher and explained what was said to my daughter by her office staff head teacher is very disappointed that this has happened and agrees she has to be kept in xxx