AIBU to make a complaint to school

I'll blame the glasses 😆

Seems to me that if a child is feeling so poorly that they need to lay down and cannot do any work at all that it warrants a call home to the parents to ask about potentially going home/pain relief etc etc. Of course we don't know what instructions you've given the school in the past about such things.

I would double check with your child (and with whoever was with him during break if you can) whether he hit his head during break, or whether he ate/consumed anything weird during break. Break being the perfect time, of course, for kiddos to have an accident and bump their heads/fall etc. I mention this because the one time I can remember at school feeling so sick and grotty that I needed to lay down and couldn't focus on work at all was after I hit my head during break time and had concussion. I didn't want to tell anyone what happened in case I got into trouble (we were playing on the play equipment we weren't supposed to be anywhere near at that time, so I was scared I'd be in trouble).

Another potential worry (though your child is 8 so maybe not - but stranger things have happened) is the potential that they were prompted to try a vape or some other grotty thing during break time - a young child trying something like that (they might not even know that's what it is, sadly) could easily display the kind of sudden horrible sick/need to lay down symptoms you've described. Particularly if they were feeling absolutely fine when they went to school.

I would also pay attention to anything that involves a headache that is so bad the child needs to lay down/cannot focus on work: it may be worth a trip to the GP and asking about things like migraine or perhaps things like having his eyes tested etc to make sure there's nothing else going on that would make him poorly like that all of a sudden. Better safe than sorry even though the chances are very very small that it's anything worth a big worry.

It may be worth a very kind and non-accusatory chat with your child just to see if you can figure out any other information about what might have prompted them to feel poorly.

Whatever the cause, I do think the school should have informed you that your little lad was poorly to the extent he wanted to - and had to - lay down, and couldn't focus on his school work. I certainly would want to know. I'd convey that via a written email etc - not necessarily a complaint, but a note for the future that you expect to be told if your child is poorly like that again.

🙄 x 100

Missing the point but should there be a space where the 'b' is? 😏

I know teachers are stretched but this does seem remiss. Maybe it was because it wasn’t his usual teacher? I have the opposite experience- school once called me because dd said her jumper was too itchy… another time they told me to come get dd as he said he had touched a child’s plaster (bandaid) and he is allergic to plasters???!!! They always call my friend when her dd refuses to eat her lunch telling her she must come straight away. She says well I can’t make her eat can I??? But OP I wokld
be upset if I were you.

I don’t think you should complain. Unless there are other connected problems with the school, it’s likely much more nuanced than them simply ignoring him.

Ok. I am the mother of 3 dc and have also worked in several schools. I have been called in by my dc’s schools for very similar reasons. In the case the Op described, I would have definitely called the parents. Sorry your experience of school has been different.

Not necessarily. In the early stages you can have a fever with Sepsis, but the temperature then drops.

I actually think that you do need to raise it. Not necessarily a complaint, but explain that he was really unwell and that you feel that it would have been better had they called you earlier.

How's he doing now? Headache and backache/neck ache can be signs of meningitis or Sepsis (along with other symptoms), so should be taken seriously. Ultimately parents know their kids best so should be consulted where possible.

Glad you’ve taken into account suggestions and 100% think the non confrontational chat is appropriate, I wouldn’t complain unless I was really unhappy/uncomfortable about how the follow up chat went.

I've seen plenty of kids "lethargic so they can't work" spring up and run out on to the playground.

Sepsis or meningitis would usually be accompanied by a temperature which you'd have noticed in the morning.

A phone call wouldn't have gone amiss but it sounds like you're getting perspective here and will speak to the teacher on Monday.

Im a teacher. I would've rung you.

Just my experience with 3 dc.

Fair enough. As I said, hope he's okay in the morning...

It wasn't his normal teacher so they wouldn't know you work from home.
Plenty of kids act up for different teachers, she may have thought he was putting it on a bit to avoid doing work. No 8yo goes downhill so much in the 4 hours from morning break to the end of the day that it's life threatening unless they have a serious preexisting condition. If you're really bothered, speak to the teacher Monday. By then he'll probably be fine and all will be forgotten.

Not everything needs to be complained about. 🙄

How so? OP has posted on a public forum, asking for views, FGS! DS is clearly safe, she herself made reference to Calpol doing the job. If he wasn't, she surely wouldn't have had the focus to create/engage with the responses...
There's a reason 55k teachers are leaving the sector, annually

Yanbu @Hangingwithmygnomies

And I would be making a complaint, where I work if a child is presenting with illness or pain and getting worse or unable to work. We'd call home and give the parents the choice seeing how they go and call back if they get worse, to bring in paracetamol/ibuprofen and see if they perk up or take them home.

You could say the same about yourself OP - you sent him to school in the morning. Teachers aren’t medics and kids can rapidly get worse or better.