WWYD? School Incident.

I'd call the police. They were going to torture your son. The school are minimising this. It's isn't just a bit if fun. The fact they chased him after being caught by staff is concerning too, they had no respect for authority so how can the staff keep the children safe from those boys?

That older kid is a nutter and needs removed from an environment where he has access to younger children. I’d 100% be calling the police and wanting him removed before I was remotely happy about sending my kid back there. Your son may need professional help after this he’ll be traumatised.

Your poor son. If he can bear to, I would strongly support calling the police. This was a serious assault, which would I fear have been much more serious had the thugs not been interrupted.

This is horrendous, how awful for your son.
I’d also pull him out wouldn’t want my child at a school like that - they clearly have issues with safeguarding and I absolutely agree with other posters comments about calling the police, I would absolutely be doing this.

Can you imagine if someone you lived with did this to you?? Absolutely horrific and your poor son must be traumatised. Definitely go to the police, this is an assault and above the threshold of which I would expect school to deal with.

Police without a doubt

This. The fact the older one is essentially an adult too... Y13 is approx 18yrs? Absolutely shocking.
Hopefully the horrible bastards will get their karma.

Go back to the school and demand meeting with safeguarding, principal, person in charge of boarding

Id phone police and log the incident and let the police decide category assault/abuse etc.

1. Why was he chased after this incident when member of staff was there - why didn't they stop it?? This would indicate they don't have control over boarding pupils
2. Why didn't school inform you straight away and dc had to contact you.
3. What's to stop this happening again?

If you don't get anywhere with the school. Id threaten to go to the local papers and name and shame

In addition to what everyone else has said about not sending your son back, safeguarding and police I must add from someone who went to boarding school myself and now suffers with trauma from it, that the amount of illegal and downright terrible behaviour that happens and a blind eye is turned until it comes to light until the last minute where school can't ignore it anymore is appalling. For your son and for other children there I hope you fight this with the school and don't let them play it down.

ciscowife
My thoughts are with you at this truly trying time.
Your friends are right, both the police and the council safeguarding teams should be involved and told of everything that happened
What could've happened doesn't bear thinking about
Also
Could this be the latest of prior incidents that occurred as the perpetrators upped the ante to this scenario?
State your displeasure to the school; you feel the punishment doesn't fit the crime those two boys attempted and thank God for that lady who was on duty!
Also you'd like to ask if the parents are truly aware of the real reason behind their sons extended leave?
Another thing,
Tell the school he's not coming back
And any monies paid you'd like fully refunded and if they don't you'll go down the legal route and thoroughly explain to anyone who'll listen as to why that is
It's going to kick them ofsted wise.........

Definitely the police! Inform the school in the morning that they call them or you will.

The very fact they continued after an adult interrupted them, indicates the school have lost control, which leads you to assume there are now serious safety concerns. I doubt this is an isolated incident and therefore needs escalating before another child is seriously hurt. The trauma of this type of experience can stay with you for life so the school should act accordingly.

Police. Don't bother with the school, they will just try to cover it up. Fee paying schools don't want the reputation that goes with police complaints.

This is terrifying. Completely echo others that a Y13 could be an adult. How awful. Report to police. Move schools.

If your son does not want to go back there, I would also be demanding your fees for the term back and the deposit and put it all in writing, once you have a police file.

Definitely call the police, my child would not be
going back there, I actually loathe boarding schools anyway, but imagine if they’d actually gone through with torturing your child further

Would you accept this in any other context? What would you expect to happen if this was adults?
School should be a place of safety, for your son and the other boys (what has happened to them, what have they watched to be doing this?) they will need help too, as well as discipline/punishment.

This is unquestionably a serious assault. And is most certainly a police matter. I'd be removing my son immediately. Especially given the school's decision to merely suspend rather than expel the thugs involved.

Your poor son. 😢

Your poor boy. Thank goodness they were interrupted!
Personally, I'd be going to the police and the papers. I'd be fucking livid!!

You definitely have to report it to the police because it is the kind of thing some private schools like to cover up. So once you have a police file, they cannot cover up. The boys need to be formally charged.

I can answer this point. Most senior boarding houses are Y9 (13) to Y13 (18). They share the house so can get into the bedrooms.
To the rest - the chasing afterwards - if the OP’s DC left the house then there’s not a huge amount the boarding staff (in an evening it Coukd well be an inexperienced boarding tutor or a young intern) but they should have alerted more senior staff immediately and made sure the child was safe before phoning OP. I imagine the suspension is the first step and further investigation and action will be taken.
I used to be a boarding houseparent and the above is based on experience. Not all schools have the same processes, but I know a fair number of people why have worked in different schools and that wouldn’t be a mile off. I wasn’t sure about boarding schools before I worked in one. Now I have I’m very sure. They are rarely the best option.

Edit to add: definitely involve the police yourself if your DS can bear it.

That year 13 could easily be an 18yo at this point in the year. That's an ADULT attacking a child.

I get horseplay, and "boys will be boys", but your son was very frightened, and this could have ended very badly.

A few days suspension before a holiday wouldn't cut it for me. The school would have to be doing a lot more to prevent me calling the police.

1: Police.
2: A new school

Your poor boy

Please don’t send him back, poor boy will be terrified x

Well that would be the end of boarding for a start, police next