Should i ask the school to investigate?

[DailyMailHater]

My son attends a sporting activity after school on a Wednesday, it is run by a member of staff at the school and is free for them to attend. (It is for children in year 3 & 4)

They go direct from their classroom to get ready, whilst those who don’t attend are getting ready to go home, and meet the teacher who is running it in the sports hall, they are instructed to wait there until the member of staff comes and not to go wandering off round the school - he apparently is normally there waiting for them or is only 5 mins behind them.

They start at 3.15, when school ends, and we collect them via the front office at 4.15.

Today at 3.55 we received a text message from the school advising that the club wasn’t running today as the teacher was absent and could we collect the children from the front office ASAP.

When collecting my son the Secretary said no one had twigged that they need to cancel the club / get cover today when the teacher called in sick that morning.

On the way home my son said they had all gone down to the hall as normal to get ready and were waiting ages and the. The deputy head walked by and asked why they were there - when they explained he gathered them all and took them to the office and asked for the messages to be sent. My son said when they got to the office the clock showed 3.50.

This means the 15 children were left in the sports hall from 3.15 - 3.50 and no one in the school knew they were there - so if there had been an incident / fire no one was aware they were in the building.

I can’t decide if I am over thinking it and it was an oversight and to leave it. or whether I should be asking the school how it happened and how they are going to stop it happening again.

[Neverwrestlewithapig]

I am agog at this! In my children’s school they wouldn’t be allowed to be alone for the 5 minute wait never mind the rest! I do not think you’d be unreasonable to raise this with the school & ask that they review procedures to ensure this cannot happen again. Good luck with that conversation!

[IceRebel]

Year 3 and 4 so aged 7, 8 and 9?

I would wonder why they didn't go to office or talk to another teacher. I know they have previously been told to wait, but surely after 30 minutes they must have realised the club wasn't happening.

[Alwaystimeforcakeandtea]

I’m a senior leader in a primary. I would be fine with you raising a concern about this!

[DailyMailHater]

@IceRebel I asked my son why no one went to the office he said anytime anyone suggested it, someone said “we’re not allowed” and they were worried about being told off / banned from the activity (school is very strict!)

I think I will put it in an email and see what their response is, I am just so shocked it happened that I keep thinking I must be missing something.

[5greenflowers]

Definitely raise it, needs to be flagged so it doesn't happen again in the future. In my school the teacher would have been expected to mention this activity would require cover or to be cancelled in their cover work that they set for the day.

[Witchend]

When that happened to my Ds in that situation he walked home.
That was a 50 minute walk and normally no one would have been home.
I was tempted to turn up and pretend to collect him, but settled with going into school and raising a safeguarding concern with the deputy.
However as far as he knew, I was cross with him for doing such a silly thing and not going to the office and explaining the situation and they would have rung me.