School called, said DS11 not socially distancing over weekend, is excluded, but it never happened!

[MinecraftMother]

Sorry for the long thread title.

I'm at my desk today and the deputy head of my DS11's school calls me.

She said that they've been made aware that he was not practising social distancing this weekend and so would not be allowed to attend school until next Monday.

The thing is, he's been with me, in our home all weekend and we've not been anywhere. Sure, dog walks, but they believe he's been gaming and had a sleepover somewhere.

I'm trying to figure out where this story of him spending THE WEEKEND (!!) at his friends' house has come from, but tomorrow morning, can they refuse to take him?

He, like all our kids, really needs to go to school. For his sake, and frankly for all our sakes. We have two younger kids and two frantic full time jobs, for the minute 😔

I told his teacher that it wasn't true. He was with me all weekend and we practiced good social distancing, at all times well within the law. She said she'd have a word with the head and come back to me. I haven't heard anything else - but her call was towards the end of the day.

Poor thing. Imagine having to make those calls and then reaching me with my absolute denial. What a position teachers have found themselves in. I really feel for them.

Anyway, the truth is he's been perfect, what if tomorrow they will not take him? I'm already taking DD9 to the office with me 😆 I can't bring another!!

Have they/you had any falling out with someone from school? How bizarre!

@MinecraftMother
This is very disturbing. And the wording: "that kids who do not socially distance in school and wash hands etc will be excluded" makes "the call" even more illogical.
They are overreaching...
Clearly, a disgruntled parent called this in.
Very sorry. Don't track him. Stick to your guns and don't do too much explaining.

They can bar anyone who poses a risk. Clearly they should have been more rigourous checking first.

That is really unreasonable behaviour from school. I am shocked at their behaviour, hope it is sorted easily tom.

I might send the husband tomorrow...although he's furious.

He's not been enamoured with the school for a while, so this is fuel to his flames.

Today we also got told our fave teacher is leaving, so sad for us and the school. She's a proper, old school vocation-called teacher. Huge loss.

Perhaps they'll call us (the boy and me) in to have a fact-finding chat.

Or perhaps he's actually a total Machiavellian genius and HE told them he was consorting this weekend to be excluded for 7 days... 🧐

(He doesn't have it in him - bless my baby 💕).

I'll be honest @MinecraftMother the school sound like dicks! Its awful that they're going round interrogating children in order to get out of having them at school!

that is awful by the school. Good luck tomorrow

I hope they don’t make other serious decisions based on such a spurious and false basis- imagine the consequences of that if this is indicative of their usual approach?! They’re a lawsuit waiting to happen 😳

Wow this is so bad. Unprofessional of them to dump this on you and run.

No falling out with any other parents (see later) and we're a small school and genuinely all get on - the mums I mean. We've been very lucky.

There maybe someone who works at the school though - we haven't fallen out but had disagreements on various boring things in the past. I - more recently - have been getting friendly with her sworn enemy, so maybe that? This sworn enemy is nursing her terminally ill husband and shielding, we've been shopping for them. Nothing dramatic/fish wifey...

I think it's with her or a kid mentioned something and a teacher half heard it. Asked my kid about it, he didn't quite get what she was gearing towards etc etc. Chinese whispers.

Legally though, we think they can refuse to take him?

Trying to get my ducks in a row (types "dicks" by accident there but you don't need to hear about me in the 90's 😉).

Have you double checked to make sure he hasn't been doing a science experiement and has a transporter in his room, like from Star Trek?

Or a good idea is to check he is not a time lord and has a tardis in the garden?

In all seriousness I would be fuming

It sounds like one of the other kids is either using your DS as an alibi, or as FiveFoot said, didn't realise the gaming was just online.

(the teachers, that is)

on the bright side they would seem to be taking safeguarding seriously even if executing it badly

Legally though, we think they can refuse to take him
Their policy isn’t in question though, it’s the fact they have no proof of it and haven’t even bothered to ask you if it’s even correct! they’ve taken a lie from someone else and just ran with it, and it IS a lie because it didn’t happen! Shocking.

This is awful!!!

@PeterPeterson IKR?
I've heard it now from two separate families that they have done this with their kids too.
It's like they're trying to trip them up.

I've asked them to explain themselves so I'm hoping it'll all be clear. And I really did feel for the poor teacher - what a thing to have to do to a parent you like and respect (she does, and I her).

But I suppose it's for the greater good. Had she seen us in Bristol on the tv I suppose she'd have said the same thing.

It's the immediate 'accusation' and sentence (exclusion for 7 days as per policy - sent out 15 mins before the call to me 😂) that bothered me.

They also should 'know me better'. I know that's easy for me to say and I'm on of 100 parents they have to deal with...but really, this isn't my style at all. I'd hoped they could've taken a critical view before ringing me with "we've heard what he's been up to and is excluded til Monday next".

How about gathering the facts or perhaps even just starting with the other side of the story...?

When they say they have vulnerable students at school, I think they mean those who are vulnerable for other reasons such as domestic violence, child in need care plans, dysfunctional families etc - as schools have been trying to offer such children places in school to keep them safe.

@DoctorHildegardLanstrom ah, I know my baby, and grasping the intricacies of the space/time continuum isn't really his bad, baby...

He's more of a LFC/YouTubed/innit bruv wanna be!

So he's never gonna win a Nobel for the brainy stuff, but he's an absolute dote and adores little children and animals, so his good heart (something I cannot teach/instil) will see him through 💓

Pretty poor. As a pp says, there would be no kids at school here at all if the HT decided to bar anyone who hadn't been socially distancing correctly.

@NCagainwhenwhenwhen No, that's definitely not what she was talking about. She meant kids/adults who are medically vulnerable - "they can't get the virus" is what she said, that's when I asked why they were in. Really, who would take the risk that ALL parents were being totally kosher?

It was an attempt to add weight to her argument but it was spurious. I didn't like it, so picked it apart and then out.

Bet the person is a union rep......

@MinecraftMother if you're not happy with the response you get from them, go to the board of governors with a complaint.

If they don’t row back tomorrow they will have to put the reasons for exclusion in a letter. As pp has said you should then complain to the governors so that as a minimum your letter setting out the true facts goes onto his file (though for an exclusion of under 5 school days don’t expect the governing body to interfere with the Head’s decision).

Have you spoke to the parents of the other children involved . What has there response been ?