To complain to school or leave it be

I'm so sorry you and your DD are going through this @Receptive1 ❤️‍🩹
I think I would call the school in the morning, so that you can convey through the tone of your voice that you're not being confrontational, but that you know the school is aware of the issues DD is facing, and that you'd like to know where she can go to seek respite during break/lunch in future.

The teacher was probably a bit harsh to 'make an example' because it was brought to her attention by other pupils and if it is a hard rule within the school that you can't be inside during break, the school won't want kids thinking it's something they'll ignore.

But even allowing grace for that sort of mindset, it is upsetting to know that a child who should already be on teachers' radar as needing extra support at the moment was told off for seeking shelter. I can see both sides, but if it was my DD, I'd want to ensure that if we draw a line under the day, moving forward the school offer her somewhere to go when she needs to step back from the noise.

Don't approach this as a complaint, more as 'my daughter is struggling more than I thought' cite this incident and ask that reasonable adjustments are made to allow her to eat her lunch in a civilised manner and spend some time gather herself so that she is ready to go back into class for the afternoon session. Maybe they have a SEND room, or she could sit in the library?

She doesn’t need a diagnosis to get help in school. Make an appointment to speak with the Senco.

It sounds like you need to have a proper sit down meeting with the school. In all honesty it doesn't sound like the current setting is meeting her needs and whilst it's difficult for her unfortunately she can't just disobey the rules.

I’m not sure an email is going to be very effective.

Can you arrange a meeting to discuss options?

It sounds like the school isn’t a good placement for her at the moment, are there any smaller schools nearby you can visit to see if another setting would help?

I don’t expect an answer here, but is there anything else going on in her life (home life, relationships etc) that could be triggering her feelings?

I used to hate break/lunch times at secondary school. We had to stand outside unless it was absolutely tipping it down. In the summer we could sit on the grass but the rest of the time we had to stand on the playground trying to dodge footballs or pigeon poo. It was miserable.

I did find myself in a lot of detentions as I thought I had cracked it, get to sit down inside and eat my lunch in peace.

Id go in and speak to her teacher or maybe SENDCo. Go in calmly and work together to find a solution, but also mention how ipset she was for being told off.
If the plan is to find somewhere quiet, then an area should be provided, even if just a corner of the yard. A little empathy to an upset / distressed child wouldn't go amiss. Ive NEVER known a school that bans all children entering over break/lunchtime. Taught early years /infant 15 yrs and a nurture group for SEND fir 2.

I would email. Not to be angry but to raise the issue and ask what she should do next time she feels that way.

I remember bunking lunch times for the same resons. You couldn’t hide in the toilets as they were also loud and busy in my school and the hand dryer was horrible. Never bunked lessons. My grades were good. I got caught and punished and my mother wouldn’t listen to why I was doing it and punished me too. Reading your post reminded me of that. I’m not really bitter about how school handled it what I’m bothered by looking back is my mother not understanding or trying to advocate for a solution. So for that reason don’t give up the fight

How old is she?

How old is she? And is there a plan in place for what she should do when she feels overanxious?