P E teacher. Please help.

This is the sort of response I'd be looking for from a complaint. It's not about getting the teacher sacked, it's taking accountability for a serious lapse of judgement, and getting it right next time.

Your focus is on this one teacher, but there seems to be a wider issue here.

Pupils with asthma should have an asthma plan to be followed during school time. This may be "X to carry her inhaler in pocket at all times. Self-administer two puffs on first point of need. Further two puffs as needed. Pupil to inform a member of staff if they have forgotten or misplaced their inhaler, or if they feel the reliever inhaler is not working. Members of staff informed by pupil must contact the school medical person immediately." This plan should be guided by medical advice from the GP/asthma clinic or other relevant medical professionals.

It is not appropriate for a pupil to walk off to get a reliever inhaler on their own. If at risk of an asthma attack, being with another pupil is required. If she'd walked out of sight and had a severe attack, she would have been at even greater risk.

Yes, you can pursue a complaint about the teacher, but the focus needs to be on your child and her asthma plan.

get her excused from PE then. But you need to go in there with a clear plan of what you want and ask for it

How long is a lesson if your child had to wait 2 hours to go to the toilet?

No chance.

OP trust your instinct on this. I would go through them if my daughter was denied her inhaler at schools especially by a PE teacher, it's shocking. I went to my daughter's school and had a meeting because she was denied access to her water bottle. Advocate for your daughter you're completely correct. And to all the dicks on this post who are blaming the daughter shame on you she's only 11

Who is in charge of the PE teacher? Head / Deputy head? Get an in person appt with them and go through this. Say you need them to change their approach or you'll be taking it to the board of education. Not letting your child go to the toilet is ridiculous. And the inhaler business dangerous.

Denying your daughter access to essential medical equipment is incredibly serious and potentially could result in a hospital visit. I would write another email to the head of PE, form tutor, pe teacher and the head of year stating your DD was denied access and this was her friends experience also . Explain that the consequences could be serious and to allow her access.

Most PE teachers have a box of medicines to take on the pitch - pull the gas out and write her name in sharpie -

My kids used to put their in their socks - I don’t know why PE kits don’t have zip pockets

IF the teacher thought your DD was trying to avoid PE - he could’ve sent another child to fetch it.

It wouldn’t be a good idea for you DD to walk 10 mins/10mins alone feeling unwell.

This has happened to my children, only the teachers admitted their error and were more accommodating.

My son ended up in A&E as he had been unwell all afternoon.

The asthma nurse did training at the school shortly after and posters went up around school.

Not if they hadn’t started the lesson yet.

I know this isn't the issue here but there's no way the changing rooms are 10 minutes away, think about how far you get in 10 minutes.

As for the inhaler, I'd ask to speak to the classroom assistant to try and verify what your daughter is saying.

What would you like to happen OP?. Do you want the teacher punished in some way?

She's faced a patently complaint - her head of department has obviously spoken to her and asked her to call you. She will be panicking about possible repurcussions now.... Is that enough? Or do you want her sacked?

I think the compassionate thing to do would be to realise that teachers have a huge amount to deal with, including numerous requests fron kids to go to the loo, go fetch inhalers etc, many of which are just attempts to get out of class (I am not saying your daughter's was - I can't know that.). The teacher presumably assumed, in the stress of a busy lesson, that that's what it was - I am quite sure she didn't intentionally set out to murder your daughter.

If your daughter had been in the grip of a severe asthma attack the teacher would undoubtedly have sent someone to run for the emergency inhaler. I am quite sure she doesn't calmly watch children die.

I have asthma myself - I know it's possible to feel breathless without it being visible to others. Though when it becomes serious, at that point others can tell if they are interacting with you (because it is hard for you to talk, etc). But the teacher made a mistake, yes. An regrettable but understandable one I would argue.

I am sure she has leaned her lesson. I'd suggest you leave it now. Remembering there is a crisis of recruitment in teaching, and assuming you don't want your daughter taught by supply teachers who change every week and aren't invested at all in the kids......

I'm amazed at some of the responses on here. Asthma kills people.

By the sound of it this teacher denied an 11 year old potentially life saving medication and then lied about it to cover their arse. No wonder the child was upset. I would be too.

Definitely complain.

@Neodymium it doesn’t matter, at the end of the day if you don’t believe that child then you’re taking a chance with their life.

The child has recently been diagnosed. They have to overwrite their non-inhaler years, they will learn it.

Are you suggesting an asthmatic child should be denied an inhaler and potentially have a serious attack? That's not acceptable in a school, for obvious reasons.

I would have a face to face formal meeting with the head and pe teacher. She's only 11 and this is new to her. Not sure why everyone is blaming a child.

As a teacher I have to say, parents particularly of girls, can be very blind to their actual behaviour. I’ve emailed parents about behaviour in class and been told flat out no they are not like that. I had to remove 2 14 year old girls from a lesson as their behaviour was actually unsafe - doing science - after explaining at the start what behaviour is expected and several warnings as their behaviour escalated every time I turned away from them. They had lunch time detention next day and I emailed parents. Both parents blamed the other girl. One said that her daughter was so upset and cried about having detention and has never once stepped foot out of line at school and basically that I’m just making it up.

i can see a scenario where 12 year old turns up for pe, stands round chatting not listening to the teachers instructions, teacher getting annoyed keeps telling them off, then when it’s time to start actually doing the lesson they say ‘oh I need to get my inhaler’. When they haven’t started the lesson yet.

kids say all sorts to get out of class too. I never say that they can’t go the toilet but some kids vanish for 20 mins and I have to send someone to find them.

Not yours though, because she's starting to make a nuisance of herself across the board, what with toilet breaks, refusing to participate, and arguing, and now trying to use her new diagnosis to gain some sort of power.

If the teacher says your daughter didn't ask for her inhaler, what makes you think this isn't true? And if she was fine without the inhaler, then how did she need it?

I’d follow up in writing to the head teacher to say you’ve had the conversation but are still very concerned. It needs to go on the record. Even if your daughter is being economical with the truth, that teacher needs to know that you won’t tolerate an inhaler being denied. That’s irresponsible and your child could die if it happens again. She’s 11 for gods sake, ignore the idiotic posters going on about how she needs to take responsibility. Yes she does, but if she forgets she still needs immediate access to her inhaler.

It sounds like there’s a lot going on, it’s not just the inhaler. Why don’t you try and arrange a face to face meeting with someone at the school to get to the root cause of your concern as it’s a bit unclear from your posts. Are you concerned your DD is not being believed? Is it that she’s lost trust in the teachers and can’t speak up? That you don’t feel the teachers are looking after her wellbeing?

A text book can be forgotten. A pair of socks can be forgotten.
Vital medication CANNOT be forgotten. Taking it with you should be as inherent as breathing to a Ventolin dependent asthmatic!