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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To be completely furious with my daughters school?!

140 replies

bigfam · 25/06/2015 06:03

So yesterday I picked my children up from school, dd1 was crying at the door, so I asked her what was wrong and she told me that whilst practicing for sports day she had fallen and hurt her foot, she refused to walk properly, I asked her if she'd been to the medical room (because only the week before she collapsed after school, after not feeling well, the school told her to have a drink and she'd be fine) she said she had and that they'd put an ice pack in it and sent her on her way, they didn't even remove her sock.

Fast forward a few hours, I knew something was wrong, so took her to a&e and sure enough it's broken, she's now in q cast for 4-6 weeks.
Aibu to be furious that they didn't call me, and left her in agony and unable to walk for 2 hours? She was clearly in pain and had been crying and after her collapsing last week I specifically asked them to keep an eye on her.
I'd like a meeting with the head teacher, I won't lose my temper but I'm very upset, is there anything I can do? Thanks in advance

OP posts:
Gileswithachainsaw · 25/06/2015 06:59

omg your not overreacting. your poor dd. If they'd have removed the sock they'd surely gave noticed any swelling or bruising.

She must have been in agony how could they have left her crying

Mehitabel6 · 25/06/2015 07:04

My neighbour was a doctor and his 6 yr old daughter went overnight with a broken foot because he didn't think it broken!
My son broke his arm at school, they said they didn't think he had done much damage. I didn't think so either until the next morning when I then took him to A&E. I think you are being a bit harsh. Obviously you need to tell the school but anyone can make a mistake - even doctors do!

MythicalKings · 25/06/2015 07:06

It isn't always obvious when a bone is broken but the school should have contacted you straight away when it was apparent that she could hardly walk.

superram · 25/06/2015 07:06

They should have informed you and as mentioned most schools err on the side of caution. However, this isn't the first or last time someone will break something in an accident at school and informing ofsted will make you look unhinged. Make a complaint and ensure they review their procedures so this doesn't happen to anyone else- job done.

Gileswithachainsaw · 25/06/2015 07:07

I think even if there were no other signs, the fact she couldn't walk and was crying I'm pain was a good indication it was more than they thought it was.

00100001 · 25/06/2015 07:07

Why would you complain immediately and contact ofstead??Confused

why don't you ask for a meeting to find out what actually happened? It appears all the 'evidence' you have for this is your DD saying "they'd put an ice pack in it and sent her on her way, they didn't even remove her sock." I'm not saying your daughter is lying or wrong. But you need to at least find out what the staff say happened before anything else?

Find out what happened, why they sent her away etc then decide what to do. They might not have thought it a serious injury, especially if DD was walking and talking just fine. She might have only started crying when seeing you? If she had been crying for the few hours then I can't imagine they'd just leave her to cry all afternoon.

youareallbonkers · 25/06/2015 07:09

They waited a couple of hours, you waited longer. If it was that obvious you'd have taken her straight away

00100001 · 25/06/2015 07:09

Well, we don't know that she "could hardly walk" all afternoon, we only know that she 'refused to walk properly' upon being collected by Mum.

Mum needs to find out what actually happened and how her daughter was acting in the hours after the accident.

Springheeled · 25/06/2015 07:09

Going to Ofsted is way over the top! Complain to the head.

00100001 · 25/06/2015 07:10

bonkers Go back and read the thread... and the replies form OP...

Groovee · 25/06/2015 07:10

My dd fell at school and really hurt her elbow. I was at work but when I arrived at the childminder, she showed me and we went straight to A&E. They asked for her school name because our visit would generate a letter to the school to say the child has been hurt at school and visited A&E.

I know schools only have first aiders with basic knowledge at our schools but I sometimes wish in accidents like these they would call us.

Mehitabel6 · 25/06/2015 07:11

I think that had she been crying all afternoon they would have looked again. My neighbour's child with the broken foot wasn't crying or awake all night otherwise I suspect her doctor father would have thought it more serious and looked again.

Mehitabel6 · 25/06/2015 07:13

If a doctor can miss it with his one child it is understandable that a school might miss it with 30 children.

Gileswithachainsaw · 25/06/2015 07:14

This happened to my brother too. they didn't believe him and made him fetch everything from the school office.

would have loved to see their face when he turned up a day later on crutches.

BeaufortBelle · 25/06/2015 07:15

My son once broke his ankle at school. He cried a bit, he could wiggle his toes, it was the end of lunch so they sent him to lessons. At break he wouldn't get up and told them his foot hurt, they said don't be silly you were fine after lunch so he said, no, I'm not getting up. They phoned me. The minute I saw him I knew it was broken and he burst into tears. His first words were "I didn't cry in front of them mummy, I was a big boy". He was 7.

I wasn't at all cross. The school had attended to him, had done some checks, he was very stoic, and they called when he behaved uncharacteristically, albeit two hours after the accident. Totally different to how your little girl was dealt with and yes, you do need to put this in writing, noting what happened last week as well because as others have said it was a safeguarding issue and a H&S issue.

Our school took it very seriously and there was an investigation - evidently the Head was livid. I'll never forget the look of absolute horror on the TA's faces who looked after him when I arrived at the school the following day. I felt so sorry for them because it wasn't their fault in the slightest and made sure the head knew that was my position too. Them too of course - I think we had a hug and I sent in chocolates and stuff for the staffroom,

Hope your daughter's OK.

Original poster
bigfam · 25/06/2015 07:17

I'm not going to ofstead, I'd just like to know what happened etc at the moment. I could see that her foot was slightly swollen in her shoe when I collected her.

OP posts:
Supervet · 25/06/2015 07:18

Dd fell and broke her arm at school and despite crying was made to do her sats exams with that arm Sad all day.

00100001 · 25/06/2015 07:19

"you do need to put this in writing, noting what happened last week as well because as others have said it was a safeguarding issue and a H&S issue."

Really? before finding out what actually happened?? Hmm

Original poster
bigfam · 25/06/2015 07:19

She had a bug when she collapsed last week, she did tell them she wasn't feeling well then.

OP posts:
Mistigri · 25/06/2015 07:20

I think what's concerning is that the school hasn't responded appropriately and that this has occurred twice in a short period of time. But as others have said, the first thing is to find out what happened, put your concerns - in writing - to the school, and ensure that both incidents have been recorded.

I think teachers and medical professionals are often so used to dealing with tearful children after minor accidents that they do get a bit blasé. My niece had an accident last summer, I saw it, given the type of fall and her immediate reaction I was pretty sure she had fractured her wrist - my teacher sister who didn't see the accident waited 24 hours before going to A&E!

DeeWe · 25/06/2015 07:21

Only thing is that I have known a few people who dc have broken bones and they say at the time they just think it's a nasty fall. A few hours later when the swelling and bruising come out it's obvious. It may nt have been obvious at first-even to a medical professional.

Also it depends on how your dc usually behaves after an accident. If dd1 behaved like that and they ignored it, I'd be cross because she never makes a fuss.
If dd2 was crying all afternoon I would have quite a bit of sympathy with the staff as she makes a lot of fuss, so wouldn't expect them to realise that on this occasion the fuss was justified.

Yes go in and talk to them, but it may not have been as unreasonable as you think.

SanityClause · 25/06/2015 07:22

youare, the OP cleared that up earlier. She did immediately take her to A&E.

I'm inclined to agree with Binary, however. Sometimes children are "brave" about injuries, until a parent is there, and only then do they feel safe to collapse into tears. Also, if she was sitting down in the afternoon, it might not have been very apparent that she wasn't walking properly.

lougle · 25/06/2015 07:22

I had similar with a club DD1 attended. They'd given a cold pack but said she was fine and alluded to her being a 'drama queen' (tbf she has form). I made her limp down the corridor and took her home, but when we got home she wouldn't walk. As soon as I sat her down I could see her ankle was grossly swollen and took her to A&E. She was casted.

The club responded excellently. Complete apology and review of the situation.

funnyface31 · 25/06/2015 07:23

Asking this has been recorded in the accident book, you will have to fill ins form which then goes to the LEA and because you went directly to the hospital it also goes to OFSTED.

This was what I was told when my ds had an injury a few years ago.

Oliversmumsarmy · 25/06/2015 07:25

Ds came out of school with a huge bundle of blue paper towels clutched to his head which was bleeding and had a huge bruise. It took me asking him what had happened because his teacher denied anything had happened during school as there was nothing in the accident book.

He has a dent in his head still.

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