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AIBU?

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Original poster

To think that this is not the best way for school to deal with child pooing on floor?

106 replies

TimelyNameChangey · 02/12/2014 21:13

I've changed my name as this could out me.

Last week in the email which is sent to all parents at my DC primary school, the HT added an attachment to "all parents of infant girls"

It was a letter outlinging the fact that a girl in the infants had been soiling the floors in the infant girls toilets.

It went on to say that the child must be very uncomfortable as there was a real mess in the loo..on the floor and in a cubicle and that the parent must be aware as their pants would be messy.

It asked that the parent come forward in confidence so the teacher could work with them and their child.

Today a paper letter came home in all infant girls bags saying it had happened again today and that the matter will be dealt with in confidence...that nobody will know it was them....they're concerned to find the child so that she can be helped.

I feel like this...if the child is making that much mess then why can't the child's teacher smell it!?

Poor kid. And to send a second letter out when the parent has not come forward after last weeks...isn't it going to make things worse for them? Won't they feel even more embarrassed?

This is a tiny village primary with a very "naice" intake. Perhaps they'r;e too ashamed or could they really not know? Isn't there some other way of the school dealing with this?

My DD and all the other infants know about this matter and of course they are speculating about who it is....I put a stop to that immediately by the way.

OP posts:
LadyLuck10 · 02/12/2014 21:32

I can't see that they have done anything wrong. Why don't you give them suggestions if you think better?

1FluffyJumper · 02/12/2014 21:33

I doubt any school can spare a member of staff for a week of toilet duty until the phantom - pooper is identified.

Original poster
TimelyNameChangey · 02/12/2014 21:33

Cauli that's what I thought...they've made it a Big Thing haven't they? :(

Ignore that is a good point.

Could happen at lunchtime.

I agree they need to monitor the loos.

OP posts:
Pipbin · 02/12/2014 21:34

What I don't understand is why the parents of the child haven't noticed.

It is honestly hard to know if someone has messed themselves or failed to wipe. Classrooms are very smelly.

Pipbin · 02/12/2014 21:36

So you would rather a member of staff was taken away from teaching children to stake out the toilets?

FreudiansSlipper · 02/12/2014 21:36

have you never been in a classroom of little children - it is smelly poor teachers if they have had beans for lunch

poor little munchkin I hope the parents have worked it is their daughter I am not sure what else the school can do

Original poster
TimelyNameChangey · 02/12/2014 21:38

Pib well yes! On a temporary basis. If only to save one child more discomfort then yes! The school has tonnes of reading volunteers etc. Loads of Tas and small classes. It's not stretched.

OP posts:
YouAreMyRain · 02/12/2014 21:38

I know of a child in reception who pooed his pants every day. The staff could see it and smell it. He denied it so they couldn't intervene. The mum denied it was happening too, even though the whole classroom smelt of poo every day.

The parent could be in denial.

Camolips · 02/12/2014 21:38

Love the idea that staff can monitor exactly who goes to the toilet and when! Unless children ask, it's difficult to know who's going, especially in CHIL time.

IgnoreMeEveryOtherReindeerDoes · 02/12/2014 21:40

Pipbin Most schools don't allow children to go during lesson time, they make them go during break/lunchtimes, that is what I am assuming. So it would be lunchtime supervisor or whatever they call them now.

Cauliflowersneeze1 · 02/12/2014 21:40

pipbin I'll bet the parents have noticed but if it was your child would you now go in ?
1fluffyjumper one TA popping their head round the door about the time a child would be washing their hands , not ideal but not difficult either

fatterface · 02/12/2014 21:41

This is infants though Ignore, little children aren't expected to wait til lunch.

Pipbin · 02/12/2014 21:42

Ignore. Most I know allow KS1 children to go during lessons.

Original poster
TimelyNameChangey · 02/12/2014 21:43

Camo they do ask. I believe this has happened at breaks and lunch.

Fat no but they ask...and are encouraged to wait if possible.

OP posts:
IgnoreMeEveryOtherReindeerDoes · 02/12/2014 21:43

I didn't know that fatterface been long time since mine was a school and another year before my other one goes ft

1FluffyJumper · 02/12/2014 21:44

So a TA is taken away from playground duty or dinner hall duty until the mystery is solved? Will they have enough supervision so that the rest of the kids aren't at risk? Will they legally be able to reduce cover ratios? So if one child has a bad fall outside and there is less supervision, it's ok as the pooper was found....or would they be found if they know there's a bouncer at the door?

unlucky83 · 02/12/2014 21:45

My DD1 at 4.5 pooed in her pants in class - apparently she stank but denied it repeatedly. It took almost 2 hrs of being asked discreetly before she admitted it - the teacher wasn't allowed to check (I was called in to clean her up - and it was just an accident, something was happening and she thought she could wait etc)
Another time DD1's pants were filthy, she'd had a messy poo and not done a good job of wiping
I'm sure lots of 4-5 yos come home with less than pristine pants - purely because they aren't that good at wiping....and they probably don't smell that sweet close up.
(Having said that DD2 never had dirty pants at school - because she would never poo at school ...she did however wee by accident in her gym shorts and never told anyone - just put them back in her gym bag...she told me after school (had worked out she might need them again!) When I went back to the school to get them (to get them washed for the next day) they told me they had found the puddle but didn't know who had made it...
Teaching children that age must be pretty grim ....

YackityUnderTheMistletoe · 02/12/2014 21:45

I'm assuming they will have already tried to find out who it was, and haven't been able to, hence the emails!

Seriously, kids are stinky. A classroom full of them can be quite rank at times. And it's not like you can ask to check their pants!

Original poster
TimelyNameChangey · 02/12/2014 21:45

Jumper I don't know but it almost seems negligent for them not to try to find out...when nobody is coming forward. It's terrible for the child!

OP posts:
zeezeek · 02/12/2014 21:46

I do think that a better way may be to send the letters directly to the parents through the post rather than give them to the children. This type of issue will quickly become gossip and speculation among even the youngest children in the school - which kind of defeats the whole object of dealing with this matter discreetly. This is a child that needs help, however, so I can understand the school being concerned. Maybe some kind of supervision of who is going into the toilets and when?

1FluffyJumper · 02/12/2014 21:47

Who's going to cover their post when they keep popping out?

Original poster
TimelyNameChangey · 02/12/2014 21:49

Zee there. You said it...that's what should have been done!

OP posts:
MidniteScribbler · 02/12/2014 21:51

A child pooing on the floor, smearing poo around is not only disgusting, but unhygienic, takes staff away from other work to clean up, and is indicative of bigger problems. Do you really think that the school has just said 'oh well, let's send a letter' and not already taken as many steps as they could to solve this issue before resorting to this level? Do you have any idea of the inner workings of what goes on within a school and the hundreds of conversations that happen every day between staff dealing with issues such as this? It has to stop, it can't keep happening, and some parent has to have a fair idea that their child is doing this and needs to work with the school to address it.

LaurieFairyCake · 02/12/2014 21:52

If the parents who haven't noticed who presumably do the washing there's no way the teacher has noticed.

I think a class of infant children absolutely reek. There are loads of parents who don't bath their children for weeks - I've never seen grime like it. A few minutes in their company make me itch Grin

1FluffyJumper · 02/12/2014 21:52

How do you know what they have been trying to do in the mean-time? 'Negligent' is a harsh word to use for people who try their best to not only care for your one child, but up to 30+ wee ones at the time. This kid will have a loo phobia and it come out in the end. The school will be trying their best to find out , and asking the parents directly will just be one means of doing so. Try not to be too critical of schools. We work bloody hard u know. Sometimes we hope the parents will work to help us too.