Daughter got out of school

I agree with the majority of posters on this thread, it's not really reasonable to expect a secondary school to know a child has walked out of school within 15 minutes. As well as changing classes/teachers throughout the day, many schools now also have support units within them that children can go to for a bit of time out if they're feeling overwhelmed, I can see how it could easily be missed that your daughter had left school premises. I would talk to the school about it, but not in a massive complaint way, but to work together to find strategies that can help her if she feels that way again, like is there a quieter area or trusted person she can go to for help rather than just leaving.

Assuming this is mainstream, YABU to expect them to have realised within 15 minutes. She made the wrong choice to leave school and that’s what you need to focus on with her.

Now it’s happened I would expect the school to be more aware of her - for example I know our local school has an at risk list of children who abscond & they look for them quicker than those who aren’t always trying to escape.

How old is she? Is it a special school or does she have a TA who should be with her?

I think ultimately if in a mainstream secondary school the onus needs to be on her knowing not to leave.

She bunked off and you’re expecting the school to have realised and contacted you within 15 minutes of her leaving?

Why would your daughter leave school in the middle of the day?

I'm quite confused about that. I appreciate that she has autism but she must know not to leave school without permission?

if she missed registration then it would be flagged

Even so, I suppose for a few minutes staff would suppose:

she was in the toilet
if Yr 7 couldn't find the room
if older that she wasn't yet used to the new timetable and had forgotten where she was supposed to be
was perhaps with another member of staff
or was just dawdling.

They wouldn't immediately think she had left the premises and ring a parent, unless she had done it before.

Who were you expecting to know if she left without telling them?

I think my first thought would be to be seriously annoyed with my dd for walking out. Even if a register was taken and she was flagged as being out of class, it would take longer than ten to fifteen minutes for the school to have searched everywhere and flagged her as a missing or absconded child. Kids go to the loo, to find property, to get uniform sorted etc, etc. The person on call has to be alerted and start looking for them in the building. This takes time. She phoned you. You phoned them. They then knew where she was. Schools are not prisons. Your daughter should not have left without permission.

Is it a specialist school? If so then yes that’s bad but if it’s an ordinary secondary then it’s not meant to be a like primary and they are supposed to be taking some responsibility for themselves such as not leaving when they are meant too.

If she didn’t miss registration then it won’t be flagged up straight away if she just never went to lesson.

You need to be speaking to your daughter about not leaving the school grounds when she’s not meant to. This is all her fault, not the schools.

How about addressing the issue that your daughter truanted first?

Yeah, secondary school is not like primary.

of she missed registration then it would be flagged, but she is expected to be a bit more sensible and not walk out.

you need to talk to her first to make sure she doesn’t do this again.

They took registration in every class at my son's school so it will flag on the system if someone is missing and then a member of staff starts looking for them. If your DD's school is anything like the size of the one my child attended then that is a lot of ground to cover before they look into whether a child has left the site. They may have CCTV and can check that to see if a pupil has left via the main gate but there are usually side gates or other entrances too. Expecting a call between the time your DD left the school and when she called you is asking a lot.

I understand that your child has autism but this isn't a primary school with locked exits, they are 11 and most of them get themselves to school so they shouldn't be leaving school grounds because they understand the need to be in school. There are specific places they can go if they are feeling overwhelmed, student support/pastoral or SENCO. Your DD should not have left. Did she say why she left?

Unless she's at a specialist school or has a 1:1 I don't think this is unusual/ unreasonable for secondary schools. I have 2 DC at secondary school, 1 autistic. If no one saw her leave I might be expected to be called at some point but not necessarily within 15 minutes.

What have you said to your daughter about leaving the school premises without permission or telling anybody?