School have lost dd's necklace

[upsideup]

DD borrowed a laptop from school this morning and was asked to hand in a valueable item, she handed in her necklace.
They didnt have it when she returned the laptop and she's just been told to come back at the end of the day to see if someones returned it which isnt likely.

What should we expect the school to do in looking for it? If they don't find it should they be replacing it or are they not required to do that?

Its pretty expensive and we let dd take it with the risk of her losing it herself which would obviously be her fault but the office were supposed to be looking after it in return for her looking after their laptop.

Bonkers system. Even more bonkers if the school expect pupils to hand in their own valuables and no record of who has handed in what as their "deposit".
It is possible someone else handed in a £3.99 necklace from Primark and been given your daughters instead.

I would be livid if my dc lost items due to such a ridiculous system.
Get onto the school right away now and demand an explanation and return of the necklace.

That’s so bizarre. I can sort of understand a cash deposit, that happens in plenty of other situations, and there’s no worry about losing a specific thing as you’d just give back the tenner or whatever.

But valuables, who’s to say what’s valuable, one kid’s £20 bracelet could be their most valuable asset but be nothing to another better off child.

I’m baffled as to how it could’ve got lost, why would it not be kept securely in the office or something. Or are they saying they gave it back to the wrong child.

Seems an odd system, you would have thought that the people most wanting to borrow a laptop are the ones who are least likely to have valuable items, unless you are only borrowing it for the school day.

They should have a policy on this if they are looking after other people's valuables.

Idiotic system! Definitely keep the lap top until they find the necklace!

This is ridiculous, OP. School must replace it

The office phoned me before I got to speak to dd again. They will be going through the list of everyone who took out or returned a laptop after dd, they are kept in a plastic box under the desk and should be handed back to students seperately but its possible the box was placed on the desk for students to take their own item.
So someone has taken the necklace instead of or as well as their valueable or maybe its possible it got tangled up in somones item and they didnt realise.
The sheet doesnt record who handed in what just their name and laptop number.

Did you agree to this insane system?

If the school is indeed holding collateral for loaning of school laptops, they will have to replace her necklace.

Interesting that they don't publish the rule; probably know they shouldn't be doing it this way.

Presumably if the school can't return the necklace, your DD gets to keep the laptop?

Yes I agreed to this system, I don't remember signing specifically for it but I knew it was what happened.

I'd be keeping the laptop

Given the fact they have basically admitted it was their own fault that your daughter now has no necklace did they explain what they were going to do next? Or are they stating that nothing can be done unless the other child returns the necklace which is now never going to happen as that child has taken it home. They should have gone to each child before the end of school and worked out who had taken it, there can't have been that many kids borrowing laptops?

So if you decided to take a laptop home-what then?

They sell your item to replace the laptop??

Maybe phones should be what are handed over as incentive to return laptops.

There should be a number on a laptop & maybe a ziploc with a matching number.

So what's the idea behind being able to borrow a laptop?

I'd ask school to replace it at their expense. They ought to tag and lock up valuables if their policy is to request and retain those items as a deposit. It is totally their fault not your daughters.

It is unusual for a child to stand in front of staff and undo blouse buttons etc to hand over a piece of personal jewellery.

I'm certainly perfectly capable of undoing a necklace clasp at the back of my neck and removing the necklace from inside my blouse without undoing buttons, and I'm sure the OP's DD is too

So no record of said valuable items and all done on trust, and the DC may have helped themselves.

So they don't even record who handed in what as their collateral? They have just admitted that to you.

How inept can they get? Set this all out now before you forget in an email to the headteacher and the head of year. State that you want the necklace replaced because under this batshit system they did actually agree to take charge of and look after it. Ask for the laptop back and say that it is their collateral for the loss of the necklace. You will be keeping it until something satisfactory (return/ replacement of the necklace, or suitable monetary recompense).

Whether or not they give it back, make it clear that you will be pursuing this.

So could a cheap Primark piece of jewellery be handed in, does it get inspected for value. Maybe get a few cheap pieces for future laptop borrowings OP

Complain loudly OP.

I’m a teacher. I just don’t get this at all.

We have a laptop trolley. When it’s full, it means all the laptops have been returned. It’s as simple as this!

What a bonkers system. I would assume they wouldn’t do this without parental permission!

You can hand in anything that they think you have to come back to get so phone, keys, purse etc. DD handed in her phone last time but she was trying to print something off from home using the laptop and thought she might need her phone to help get it open.

The necklace probably won't be covered by insurance because a box under the desk is not safekeeping, I would make sure you get the money back for it OP. there must be something written down about this somewhere.

Like I asked above have they actually said what will happen next other than going through the list? Have they told you what will happen if they cannot find the necklace?

You need to email them ASAP asking these questions so you have it in written communication that they admit to losing her belongings and what they intend to do about it next.

So people hand in keys, if they are lost you would have to pay to have your locks changed.