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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To expect more than a "head injury" form in this instance?

22 replies

MimsyBorogroves · 09/09/2013 16:26

I should probably namechange for this, but quite frankly I'm past caring at the moment.

DS1 came home today from school with a head injury form stating he has had a "nasty bump to the forehead - ice has been applied". Fair enough, he's year 1 and bumps are expected. It's not the first time.

With a jovial "let's have a look, then" I flicked his hair off his forehead and immediately felt sick. He's got two huge blue eggs on his forehead, one with a scratch and the other with a graze. They take up the middle third of his forehead.

Apparently a "big boy" jumped from the top of the climbing frame (which they're not allowed to do) into the middle and landed foot first on DS's forehead. The frame is around 6 foot high. He told school what had happened, they gave him an ice pack and kept an eye on him.

AIBU to think they should have phoned me to take him home? We're talking a year 5/6 boy landing on a year 1 boy's head. In shoes.

I don't usually over react (quite the opposite!) but I'm absolutely fuming. I'm going to have a quiet word with the head tomorrow and explain why I'm upset. I suppose a lot of it is because I used to work with young offenders where we drummed into them that kicking someone in the head could potentially result in death as part of a campaign, so I know that this may influence me somewhat. I know it was an accident - it's the fact that I think such an injury should have resulted in a phone call and an option to bring him home or take him to be checked out - not finding out 3 hours later.

OP posts:

wonderingsoul · 09/09/2013 16:30

ynbu.

it happend to my ds1..not in the same way but massive lump/dent and graze. only foudn out when they phoned me 20 minutes before end of school finished when he felt sick!

i would be taking him to a and e personally, it sounds pretty bad, they should have phoned you at least, if not got him seen by a medic.
and i would be having words with the head.

ThePFJ · 09/09/2013 16:32

99% of the time the school send DS home with a bumped head note.... once they did call me though. They explained everything and I was happy for them to continue keeping an eye on things with their first aiders and call me if there was a problem. So I would definately say YANBU!!!! I always talk to the head if I have any concerns.

colourmehappytheresasofainhere · 09/09/2013 16:33

Yanbu. Hope your all ok.

SilverStreak7 · 09/09/2013 16:38

For what its worth YANBU . Hope the little chap is ok .. Id take it further personally,

BeerTricksPotter · 09/09/2013 16:41

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

5madthings · 09/09/2013 16:42

Did they not call you?

Policy at my kids school is they will phone the parents of there is a head injury so they can be taken home if necessary, often they say to me they are fine but we are lettting you know and they stay at school and come out with a letter and wearing a sticker that says 'I bumped my head'.

For a bump like you describe the school would have phoned and given the option of coming to see if they were OK or needed to go home.

saulaboutme · 09/09/2013 16:43

Yep take it further. Happened to another child and they didn't call the parents. His head was horrific! The school should have told you. Hope he's ok. It's horrible when they get a bad injury.

prissyenglisharriviste · 09/09/2013 16:46

He felt okay, though? They were keeping an eye on him, and as it was an obvious external injury, they are usually not as serious.

Hope the swelling goes down soon - those head eggs are always a bit of a shock to look at!

SilverStreak7 · 09/09/2013 16:50

OP .

Im sure you know but watch out for any drowsiness . .As you said though its external at least . I once had a paving slab kicked down onto my head (not as awful as it sounds lol ,, it was an accident) and my Mum was told to watch I do not sleep for some time which could be concussion.

BoundandRebound · 09/09/2013 16:52

Head injuries can look very dramatic.

I think they should have called but so long as he was being observed

I would keep an eye on him for unusual drowsiness, vomiting etc

Original poster

MimsyBorogroves · 09/09/2013 16:55

No phone call - just a note in his book bag. If I hadn't been checking he had new reading books I wouldn't have known until I washed his hair (or until he said something)

He IS okay, had him checked out for peace of mind, but argh.

I'm going to speak to the head tomorrow just to say that I would have appreciated a phone call explaining the situation with the option to having taken him to minor injuries at the time under the circumstances.

OP posts:

KatyPutTheCuttleOn · 09/09/2013 17:02

YANBU, not at all.

Feminine · 09/09/2013 17:05

YANBU.

my son was 'attacked' by another student. Was given a bloody nose, and had his hand stamped on.

I received a yellow slip with the parts of his body (that had been hurt) circled

Hawkmoth · 09/09/2013 17:09

Take a photo in case they try to dismiss it.

ThisTimeItsPersonal · 09/09/2013 17:16

YANBU im glad hes okay!

fluffyraggies · 09/09/2013 17:25

I've worked in a p.school and was trained in normal procedure re:head injuries etc., and more than once had to push quite hard to be allowed to phone a parent rather than simply do the note in the school bag.

I don't know weather it was because children being taken home would spoil good attendance figures (the Holly Grail at the moment), or the admin. staff just didn't want to be bothered with seeking out the parents, or the head felt too many kids being seen to be injured made the school look bad or what?

I know from the point of view of the teaching staff we would rather a child go home if their is any doubt about it's health.

My own youngest DD (same school) was made to carry on with lessons with a broken wrist after being checked by first aiders I spotted her in a corridor, at some distance, looking pale green and weepy and holding her wrist and knew there was something very very wrong from 10 bloody meters away.

So, after that big ramble, YANBU OP.

BrokenSunglasses · 09/09/2013 17:54

YANBU.

They should have called you and given you the option of taking a look for yourself so you could decide whether to leave him at school or not.

JamieandtheMagicTorch · 09/09/2013 17:56

We have to call home for a bumped or bruised head

YANBU

sparkle12mar08 · 09/09/2013 19:25

YANBU. My Y1 son had a bad head bump falling on the concrete play ground earlier this year. They treated it according to normal procedures (ice, rest, watchful eye), until about half an hour or so later when his teacher noticed he still wasn't himself and spent a minute or so talking to him and decided she really really wasn't happy with his reactions. They called me and I went in to see him. He was clearly concussed as they'd identified, couldn't complete his sentences and was loosing his thread etc., and so I took him home.

He perked up over the next two or three hours, ate tea well and went to bed okay. Thirty minutes after that he came downstairs, said I don't feel too well, and promptly threw up at my feet. So we packed up and shipped out to A&E - you don't piss about when you get vomitting after a head injury - and spent the next four hours holed up with various doctors and nurses. Long story short, he was fine but it was a worrying and exhausting night.

So yes, in your circumstances I would have expected to be called, it is your decision to make whether to take him home or not, not theirs.

InSpaceNooneCanHearYouScream · 09/09/2013 20:00

My son was sent back into lessons with a broken bloody nose and split lip! Obviously I made sure welfare were fully informed of their serious error and we did receive an apology, but bloody hell, I ask you! So no, YANBU!

PavlovtheCat · 09/09/2013 20:04

Dd fell to the ground running, bashed her head so hard a huge lump came up. Tey called me and said that due to the nature of the injury (head injury) and the size of the bump, they whod recommend takingher to hospital for check over. It happened that no teacher saw so they were not completely sure she was not ko'd, which I don't think she was but they called me at work to say we needed to come and take her home. She was in yr1. The very least they should have done is taken you, or his father, or whoever collected him, aside and made sure you were fully aware of what had happened before leaving him, even if they chose not to call you (I thought that all head injuries had to result in call to carer, but maybe wrong there)

SarahAndFuck · 09/09/2013 20:06

YANBU. We have been asked to fill in the accident book and several forms because DS occasionally suffers from nosebleeds, usually triggered by picking it hay fever or something.

Yet the day he was dragged along the floor by a girl who put a hula hoop around his neck and pulled him over, leaving him choking, crying and with scrapes and grazes along his knees and hands, they thought that wasn't serious enough an incident to mention to me or write in the book.

I hope your son is okay Mimsy, and completely justified to be so angry and upset.

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