Is this actually a safeguarding issue ?

[Zaradelorio]

Just wondering about the reasoning behind this. I am a parent to child 1
Child 1 attends a primary and at one point there were issues (unfounded on investigation) that caused a ss referral

Child 2 joins and gets on well with child 1. Play dates etc all going ok.
Then it stops. The school had ‘advised’ the parents of child 2 to try to distance themselves and ‘discourage’ the friendship due to ‘previous safeguarding issues’ no more disclosed but it was justified in the basis of child 2 being adopted classes as ‘looked after’ so the school had a right to pass on this vague info under safeguarding ?

Seeing as the concerns were not found to be anything to actually worry about why should it then affect a child’s friendship ?

Just a thought, as no one else shunning your DC, maybe the issue concerns the other child. And the parent who is gossiping doesn’t really understand the confidentiality issues (at both ends) and had misspoken

I can’t see any reason that they would have known unless it was true as nobody else was aware except us and the school?
Maybe I need to do an information request as foobydoo has advised. I wasn’t sure if the rules because of looked after status of that meant things can be disclosed
I just am sad that a lovely friendship has been potentially ruined.

I'm shocked that the school would say anything to child 2 to be honest. Surely that breaches confidentiality and GDPR unless it was a tangible safeguarding risk which you've said it isn't.

Something doesn't quite add up. Have you spoken to the school?

Sounds like a breech of confidentiality, also stigmatising.Def find out exactly what was send to child 2 family, by whome and when and make a complaint.

I agree with Canterbury. I would want to know exactly what had been said. As a teacher I have never ‘warned off’ a child from another. If I had legitimate concerns I would keep a watchful eye on both children but you can’t police their friendship! The whole thing sounds very odd to me.

@Zaradelorio
Thats is why you need the sars request. You will get all emails and communications by school regarding your daughter and find out exactly why they made the referral.
School may have had concerns about a chaotic home life or even fii.
I am not implying any of the above by the way. Schools can sometimes be overzealous with safeguarding and occasionally schools use it to frighten parents into complying with attendance plans because of their attendance figures.

🤔 I might dig a bit deeper then. It seems over the top-these are 10 year olds so never without any supervision anyway and the nature of our referral wasn’t serious so o really don’t understand what the concern could be ?
I don’t know whether to talk directly to the parent or wait till school returns and ask the school directly

I can’t see any reason that they would have known unless it was true as nobody else was aware except us and the school?

But what was said doesn't prove they know anything, as all that was said was ‘previous safeguarding issues’

If you're child was absent from school for a long period of time, and you were attending meetings, it's easy to see how the rumor mill could have begun to spread gossip.

I wouldn’t just be upset and concerned about the friendship. I would be 5mins away from going nuclear at the school.

I have known of absences being threatened with ss referral which were totally unfounded by an overzealous school so believe this could well be the case.

As others have said. Contact the school for all related information and file a complaint. If it’s 100% accurate from who you heard it from then I’d raise hell with the school over privacy breach and inaccurate reporting

Your not you're

Don’t wait until school returns. The head and teachers will be in or working from home so act now

You can and should contact the school right away. Find out who the safeguarding lead is (probably the head) and contact them.

No. Don’t talk to the parent. That makes it even more difficult. Get the info you need from the school and ask them directly. This could, of course, come from an admin member of staff and not the safeguarding lead. If such a breach of data did take place, you must do a formal complaint. No other parent should know anything about your DD. It is not up to the school to make judgements or talk to other parents.

I have an adopted child and it has never meant I have been given info that was about another family even if relevant to my child (for example in the case of bullying)

I may have read into this wrong. Could it be the other way around and that it was to protect child 1 from child 2? With child 2 being adopted could possibly be something be in child 2s history.

@BubblesBuddy has a point. It could be another member of staff who unofficially enlightened parent 2. Even more reason to talk to the school.

It is still not a matter for school to share information about a child. If there was an investigation, then children might be interviewed with parents present. As this has not happened, (and it’s legal that it can) there is no justifiable reason to share info.

I think it could be more SG relating to the adopted child/their behaviour/circumstances and it's been misunderstood.

Unacceptable behaviour by the school. They must have known that there would be clear implications that in some way you were unfit parents, and anyway it's incredibly discriminatory to suggest that a child needs to be avoided purely because he's adopted. There are also serious issues around confidentiality.

I suggest a formal complaint to the school and possibly the Information Commissioner.

If they continue to insist on doctors' letters for every absence, tell them that unless they pay for them they are not going to get them. There is clear Department for Education advice that imposing that sort of requirement is not appropriate.

I think you need to speak to school rather than go in all guns blazing.

Tell them what you've heard and ask if it is true.
I can't imagine a school divulging information like this especially off of the back of an absence issue.
I agree that the issue may be the other child having an effect on yours so they have asked that family to try and keep their kid away from yours.

I'm not clear on whether it has come from other childs family either or gossip from a 3rd party.

I dont know about your head but ours has no time for gossip at all so I would word it very diplomatically and avoid he said she said.
I hope you get to the bottom of it

I suggest a formal complaint to the school and possibly the Information Commissioner.

Ah yes the all guns blazing approach, that always works out so well.

There doesn't seem to be any proof this has come from the school. It's much more probable it's the result of parent gossip and rumours.

I would also want to know how the school was spending the PP money on an adopted child to ensure they had the best experience possible at school and their education was the best possible. I know that’s a side issue but they are getting extra money for your DD because of her needs, but if she’s actively discriminated against, that’s acting contrary to the reasons pp money is given.

There should be no parent even having an inkling of a safeguarding issue. It’s only the safeguarding lead at the school and the relevant people they must contact. No parent should ever know anything. Why would there be rumours? Someone knew and talked.

We didn’t talk about it to anyone and meetings were at a time of day that other parents wouldn’t have seen us going in / out etc so nobody else would have had any idea

If school has done this its serious GDP breach. In my experience with schools they brush things away so I would say somethingike

This has happened and I want these answers by x date when I will start a official complaint. But I do think a sar would be my first step. Be specific - written information including internal emails hand written notes etc where my child is named or referred to by name or not.

Hopefully they will pass it to a disinterested office member and you will see everything.

Sen related but I have done this a few times and I have seen people slagging me off personally and asking for dirt on me