To think that 3 teachers shouldn't have done this to my son?

[Marn1e]

My DS is 7 and in year 2. He's been swimming with the school every week for the past two terms and enjoys it a lot.

Last week he had a flare up of his eczema. For background, he's suffered since he was 3 months old and has been involved in clinical trials/ all sorts of treatments etc. I now generally just keep him moisturised etc and only use his 10% steroid cream when need be. Last week he was covered so I immediately used his cream and gave him anti histamine etc.

It coincided with swimming so I popped into the office on the relevant morning and told them he'd had a flare up of eczema and I was going to keep him off swimming for two weeks ( necessary because the steroid immediately gets to work but further applications are needed even when the patches are gone to continue "dampening' it all down.

Today was the second week so I didn't send him in with his kit. He's still covered but on the mend so he will be back to it next week.

He came out of school today and told me that a teaching assistant had approached him and asked him why he wasn't swimming. He told her he had eczema. She then called over another teacher and a helper and between them they asked him to pull up his trousers so they could see his legs and then asked him to pull up his tops so they could look at his chest, tummy and back. He did this but was obviously a bit bothered as it was the first thing he said to me when he came out of school.

I called the school and the relevant teachers had gone home, although the teacher I spoke to said there would have been a very good reason why they did this and he " probably said his skin was hurting so they had a look".

He didn't say this. He has never once complained about it and he's never had time off school for it. Besides, he told me he was approached by a TA who specifically asked to look at it.

I've asked the school to come back to me with an explanation. They obviously don't believe me ( err not sure why?!?! ) but instead of calling me they chose for three of them to get him to pull up his clothes.

So is this a big deal? Wwyd?

They were looking to see if you telling the truth about his excema. This is wrong. We had this with my granddaughter. She was very upset because she was not allowed to swim after an eye operation for 3 weeks. She was even more upset when her teacher got cross and said in the 3rd week that she should have brought her things and have gone swimming. She is not a dr - who is she to know better than the surgeon? Mind you the same teacher would not let her go to the loo and she wet herself. She was not even let out to get changed. She is 7. DIL did get an apology.

Personally I wouldn't jump to the conclusion they were looking for bruises. But the point is whatever their reason was the action they took was not appropriate. If they have concerns they cannot just ask children to lift up clothes. It's about time they were told this should not happen.

Just because you know you wouldn't beat your child, doesn't mean they know it, OP?!

I also wouldn't go in guns blazing. If he doesn't have any medication/cream in school, the eczema not an issue in school and the last time you put it on a form was reception, then it's likely that the teachers won't be all that aware of it, it might come up as 'eczema' next to his name on an inclusion register or something, but the teachers probably won't really be aware of it.

That combined with the fact that you didn't speak to the teacher directly about not going swimming, means that maybe they did have reason to question what he was saying.

I would just go in and see the teacher and explain about the eczema and that your ds was upset that they looked for it, but not ask for 'written accounts' of what happened etc.

It doesn't matter at all if they WERE looking for injuries - they had no right and child protection explicitly states that staff are never, ever to remove clothing to check for injuries.

It is completely out of order.

i'm with the crowd that say the teachers were checking for injuries as he has not been swimming for two weeks.

there is no other reason i can think of that they would think that warrants three of them to check

what Goldmantra said is spot on you should recite it word for word on the phone tomorrow

Honestly. , they weren't looking for bruises! I know what they were doing - checking if he really did have eczema

He's not swum for one week. This was the second . And I explained last week it would be two sessions .

Hmm should have put it in writing!

Fair enough. My psychic powers failed me on this one . I was trying to explain that they may have being doing it out of concern for the child rather than chasing down a lying parent but whatever. I'll leave you to it.

I agree with the pp who said that it is not for them to decide whether he is bad enough not to swim as they do not know exactly his condition. So if they were really checking his excema this should not have been done.

It could be that they were checking for bruises. I don't know the policy on that. I don't blame you for feeling insulted to think they may have been checking for bruises, but maybe they always do this if a child is kept off swimming and there is no visible illness, so it is kind of automatic. But i don't know if they are supposed to do that, it does seem very intrusive.

Funny how they have chosen today to express their concern, have to say. First time in 2.5 years...

Live - oh yes - I'd absolutely be completely offended if they were checking him for bruises. I can barely even compute it!

*eczema

Just because you know you wouldn't beat your child, doesn't mean they know it, OP?!

Does not matter, they should not check,just the same as requiring visual evidence of illness

Exactly sock!

Thanks all

I shall speak more with them tomorrow using golds advice and report back

www.education-support.org.uk/parents/child-protection/

I can't believe people are saying it might be out of concern. It doesn't bloody matter, they are not allowed to examine a child! If teachers don't know that, then I suggest some safeguarding training ASAP.

What is the purpose of a Medical Examination?
A child may need a medical examination. This may be needed to help in the investigation. More importantly it may be necessary to find out if any treatment is required. This examination could help to ease anxiety on the part of the child and/or parents. The examination will be carried out by a Doctor who has had special training.Parents, or someone whom the child trusts, may accompany the child to the medical examination.

So even if abuse is suspect only a doctor can examine the injuries.

Candy - I suppose people can only take my word for it when I say that he is of no concern to them whatsoever re being at risk from me. I know it for sure but strangers on the net don't so I sort of get that. It just de rails a little bit because I KNOW they don't suspect him of being abused.

Nobody else has said this but I think they were just being nosy. The TA fancied having a look at the excema and roped the others in.Totally unprofessional.

I certainly wouldn't go in all guns blazing. I'd ask quietly what happened.

I work in a reception class and I can see where an adult would ask to see something.

For example if a child's fallen over and are crying that it hurts, they would be asked to take their tights off to check. I've also heard a child saying they are very itchy and the teacher has looked- and found chicken pox.

I understand my examples are different to your son OP. I don't think they should have all asked to look.

Excuse - I'm really happy for them to look in the examples you state. No issue with that at all. Or if he'd have told them he was hurting. But they approached him ( being nosy? Disbelieving me? ) and he has no choice but to show them his legs and tummy etc

He doesn't know I'm cross. I've told him that if it happens again he must simply ask them to call his mum so I've kept it simple . Not that he'll remember anyway !!