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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

Are there standard Ofsted procedures re head injuries at preschool? Should I complain?

21 replies

PurpleEm · 15/01/2012 22:57

Long story but will try and condense....
My 3yr old fell off 1.5m high climbing frame at preschool, landed on face, one of his front teeth was pushed up and back into his gum (so only half of tooth now showed - his other front tooth has since turned black as tooth has died) I'm not 100% happy with how it was dealt with for following reasons....
1 Accident happened at 9.30am, but preschool didnt notice till 1pm when they rang me. Should they have notified me earlier as it was a fall at height and landed on head??
2 My son told me that a boy had pushed him, so I mentioned this to manager who said she would look into it. I never had any further feedback on this, until I discovered that the boy in question was the managers son. Approached manager again, who assured me it was looked into and dealt with by another colleague as there was a conflict of interest, and apologised for colleague not reporting back to me. I felt like she should've told me this before and was now passing the buck.
Am now thinking of complaining, but would really appreciate any advice if anyone knows if there are any std procedures from Ofsted (I have copies of relevant preschool procedures, but couldnt seem to find anything about how accidents should be dealt with) or anyone's thoughts would be great.
Thanks

OP posts:

landphil · 15/01/2012 23:16

How long since this happened?

blackeyedsusan · 15/01/2012 23:23

did this happen a while ago?

have you followed other complaints procedures with nursery??

Original poster

PurpleEm · 15/01/2012 23:33

It happened on 28th November. I have spoken to the manager about this since we started back this term and she has given me copies of the pre school procedures and the accident report. My next step is to go in for a formal meeting with her, which I will do this week

OP posts:

PatsysPyjamas · 15/01/2012 23:43

It is obviously really upsetting when something happens to your child and you can't help. I think they've done what you can expect (given that they didn't notice immediately, but called you when they did). What would you want to happen to the other child, considering this is a pre-schooler?

EdithWeston · 15/01/2012 23:44

They should have noticed - especially as it beggars belief that a child could have fallen causing such injury and not be conspicuously distressed.

That you heard no more about steps taken with regard to the other child in the incident is normal. Child of a staff member or not, it would be a breach of confidentiality to tell you anything other than appropriate steps had been taken. On this point, it really comes down to whether you actually believe them. For if you don't, then I suggest you seek a different nursery as if you cannot trust them on thus, can you trust them on anything?

tigerlillyd02 · 15/01/2012 23:51

I think you need to let it go, personally, especially seems as it happened in November. What do you expect them to do to the other child now? As a 3/4 year old, it would seem ridiculous and extremely unfair to all of a sudden be receiving some harsher punishments 2 months later.

I'd imagine that unless your child was crying, bleeding, or knocked unconscious, it can be quite possible for them not to notice an injury immediately. I suppose I may have wondered why they weren't supervising though - I don't know if they're supposed to have someone standing right there watching constantly when they're on a climbing frame. Someone else may know.

But if nobody saw it, you cannot possibly know for sure what height he fell from (could have been right at the bottom and landed funny) or that he fell right onto his head (could have hit it on the climbing frame once he landed).

Given all that, I don't know what you could complain about exactly. The only thing I'd think of is why nobody actually saw it happen. But, then I'm not sure that every child at pre school has a set of eyes on them for the whole time they're there.

Original poster

PurpleEm · 16/01/2012 00:00

I think you may have misunderstood, as I really don't want the other child to be punished just against my sons word, accidents like this happen all the time.
My main concerns were just...
1 Should they have notified me straight away as he fell from a height and landed on his head?
2 Should the manager should have told me that it was her son in question and passed the matter onto someone else straight away as it was a conflict of interest?
3 The fact that no one ever told me it was her son (a parent told me) and after the manager told me she would look into it she never reported back to me, or in fact, never mentioned anything about the situation again.
So yes, it has dragged on abit, what with xmas inbetween, and I guess I was just waiting for her to get back to me.

OP posts:

landphil · 16/01/2012 01:48

It's normal policy not to discuss which child , if any, pushed.
I hope your little boy is fine now

annalovesmrbates · 16/01/2012 07:57

I have never been told the name of the other child when my son has been involved in an "incident" of any sort. I have always just been told that the other child has been "dealt with". I am not sure that anything different should be done just because in this case the other child is the manager's son. Why not give Ofsted a ring?

annalovesmrbates · 16/01/2012 07:57

IUseTooMuchKitchenRoll · 16/01/2012 08:13

I don't think the points in your third post are very relevant.

It makes no difference what child it was. Why do you think it makes a difference because it was the managers son? If you think she would deal with the situation differently then I can see why you would be concerned, but there is no need whatsoever for you to be told which child it was.

You should have been notified earlier because there must have been quite serious damage to his tooth, as he landed on his face and not directly on his head. I would think that most staff deal with bumped heads fairly regularly. Sometimes it needs a parent, more often not.

I would want to know why it wasn't noted sooner. How come they didn't notice?

Did your son cry at the time? How do you know it happened at 9.30?

I would want to know what they are doing to prevent this happening again, and they should have reviewed this themselves by now anyway. They could have a member of staff stationed near the climbing frame, or increase the padding on the floor around it, or only allow a certain number of children on it at the same time. Tose are the things you should be focusing on. If they have done any of those things, I would leave it.

Original poster

PurpleEm · 16/01/2012 09:50

Thanks for all your comments.

I guess I was just bothered that it was the managers son not because I think he pushed him on purpose or needs punishing or anything like that, but because when I told her, she didnt tell me this, and then never ever got back to me to tell me she'd looked into it. She didnt even ask how my son was.
(He is ok thanks..... just has a tooth that is turning black and dentist said will prob get a boil on gum then will have to be taken out. His adult teeth may be damaged but wont know till they come through).
They didn't tell me that the accident happened at 9.30am, but when I asked for a copy of the accident report it says it happened at 9.30am, there was blood on his teeth and bump on his head. It doesnt mention him crying, but there is no way he didnt cry as his tooth was right up in his gum, gum and face swollen, graze on face and bump on head). They didnt phone me till gone 1pm.

OP posts:

landphil · 16/01/2012 10:45

I still don't understand the 9.30 / 1 pm thing.
If they didn't notice till 1 pm why are they saying it happened at 9.30? How do they know that?

Original poster

PurpleEm · 16/01/2012 11:50

Sorry, they did know the accident happpened at 9.30am as the manager saw him fall off (but didnt see how he fell off). He was bleeding and had a bump, but she didn't phone me then, she just let him go off and play. She didnt notice at the time that his tooth had gone up into his gum, and only realised that when he didnt eat his lunch. So then rang me at 1pm.

OP posts:

IUseTooMuchKitchenRoll · 16/01/2012 11:55

In that case I don't know what you are complaining about. Your son was looked after at the time it happened, they will have monitored him. If he went off to play and was happy for the rest of the morning, I can't see a problem.

What would you have done if they had phoned you anyway?

Nurseries can't do right for doing wrong it seems. You may have appreciated a phonecall, but plenty of other parents would prefer not to be disturbed if there was nothing they could do and the child was fine anyway. Especially if they were at work.

landphil · 16/01/2012 12:00

Thanks for clarification. Your boy sounds like a hardy wee guy! I agree with the previous poster. I have never ever been called by the nursery or school about my children's minor accidents and am grateful
That the nursery staff use their judgement in dealing with it. However it seems odd ( but not important in the grand scheme of things) that they did not notice the tooth injury when it happened. Is that why they eventually phoned you - because of the tooth ?

Original poster

PurpleEm · 16/01/2012 12:10

Yes, when they did notice his tooth was up in his gum and also wobbly they called me as it was quite obvious that he needed to see a dentist asap.

OP posts:

SoupDragOn · 16/01/2012 12:15

The bottom one is do you trust them?

If yes, there is no problem. If no, move your son.

Original poster

PurpleEm · 16/01/2012 12:24

Thanks, I have always trusted this pre school, as my 2 elder children went there, but now after a change of staff I'm not so sure. I have decided to arrange a meeting at the playschool to discuss it, which hopefully will put my mind at rest. I hope it doesnt have to come to moving him, but see how I feel after that. Thanks really appreciate your comments.

OP posts:

SoupDragOn · 16/01/2012 12:27

On the face of it, they have reacted how I would have expected them to had it been my child. Dealt with it at the time and called me when it was clear something worse than just a bump/cut lip had occurred. I would not expect to be told who the other child was or received any kind of comment on what had been done, unless it was an avoidable accident and they had taken steps to remedy some fault or other.

Original poster

PurpleEm · 16/01/2012 12:39

Ok thanks. Feel bit better about it all.

OP posts:

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