AIBU?
Am I overreacting, school
Jodiemacdonald31 · 08/09/2015 22:05
I would just like other people's opinions. How would you react?
My 8 year old (autistic) has asthma.
His puffer has always been kept in the class room, b4 school holidays I met with new teacher, discussed PE, swimming, social skills and all the rest. He said he'd just transfer his puffer from old class room to new 1.
Son went swimming today with school, I had filled a medical form in for this b4 summer holidays, asthma all wrote on.
As he came out of school today a TA came and said to me, he'll need his inhaler next swimming. I asked had they not taken it?? No she said... I was fuming, she didn't even think she had sone anything wrong. I went to see the head. But once I got home son told me, b4 he got in the pool TA told him "you need to bring it next time" so she was fully aware he had asthma and didn't have an inhaler.
I'm just getting more angry by the second.
The school & every school policy I thought, was to take inhaler where the child goes, he was away from school & his puffer for 2 hours
Am I overreacting to want heads to roll??
Fizrim · 08/09/2015 22:09
Did he need the inhaler when swimming, or is he supposed to have it before swimming? I can see why you are annoyed, although if he had no need for it today (thankfully, in the circumstances!) I would settle for making sure they (teachers) carry it with them when they leave the classroom. Don't the supervising teachers take a first aid bag with them at all?
Smilelikeyoufeelit · 08/09/2015 22:14
Not over reacting at all. The children in my class keep theirs in the classroom and they come with us, whenever we go off site. It's a non negotiable. I had a large number of children with asthma last year and for the first time, they all had 2 inhalers in school. We kept one in the cupboard and each child had one, labelled, in a PE bag that I would grab whenever we went anywhere.
Jodiemacdonald31 · 08/09/2015 22:14
No he didn't need it today thankfully.
I did say to the head that the TA obv needed training and it was just good luck that nothing bad has happened.
I haven't spoke to the supervising teacher, assuming this was his class teacher he knew to take it and didn't 
as far as general first aid goes I have no idea
I'm so disgusted the school has done this
Purplepoodle · 08/09/2015 22:20
I don't think an angry response is the way to go. I think I'd be providing a second inhaler to keep in his swim bag so it doesn't happen again. I would be having a word with the teacher about the inhaler and ask why it wasn't taken swimming.
Did you check when he went back to school that the inhaler had been transferred and was still in working order? I don't think I'd rely on a school to remember something like that arranged before the holidays.
Littlefish · 08/09/2015 22:23
"Am I overreacting to want heads to roll??"
Yes, you are over-reacting to want heads to roll.
You are absolutely not over-reacting to make sure that this doesn't happen again.
However, there are ways of making sure that his inhaler is always available to him without going into school aggressively, demanding that "heads roll". Where I work, this incident would be discussed as a "near miss" and taken very seriously. Actions would be agreed to ensure that a responsible person was allocated and the risk assessment for this trip would be check and amended if necessary.
It sounds to me from your OP that the TA was made aware of your son's inhaler by your son, but perhaps I'm mis-reading it.
BackforGood · 08/09/2015 22:35
You are not over-reacting to be cross, but going in demanding that heads roll is probably not the most beneficial thing for your ds, considering he is going to be in the class and with the TA for the next 12 months. I would certainly speak to (or write or e-mail for a paper trail? - it will depend a bit on your relationship with them generally) and point out how serious a breach this is and ask how they can reassure you it won't happen again. I think going in, furious, and hoping that heads will roll, is just likely to make the TA and teacher very defensive and that's not going to be good for communication in the coming months.
HexBramble · 08/09/2015 22:43
I think too many people are pretty blas?? and apathetic about asthma. I've seen the onset of a pretty terrible asthma attack in one of my pupils and it scared the hell out of me, so much so that I abandoned a class of 30 pupils to support this child to the nurses room and into an ambulance.
I think YANBU to remind the school that asthma is a killer. Is agree that the TA's ignorance is staggering and I would certainly insist on them updating all staff's medical information.
Jodiemacdonald31 · 08/09/2015 22:43
I haven't demanded heads roll, yet lol. But I did shout at TA, got very upset when in with the head teacher. I just can't get my head around it, he could very easily of ended up in hospital or died. I think they should be serious consequence for the person/s responsible
But totally dreading a issue with class teacher for a year
TokenGinger · 08/09/2015 22:50
How functioning is your son? You mention autism. But he's able to join in with swimming lessons, so presumably, he's high-functioning? You mentioned that the TA said this to him before he got in to the pool. Is he now to decipher when it's unsafe to continue?
This is by no means your son's fault, but it appears that activity still went ahead despite both your son and the TA knowing. I wonder if it's worth a conversation with your son to explain to him when to refrain from activities due to his safety in case the school has a brain fart like this again in the future.
I think this is what scares me most here. I can understand that things get forgotten, but the TA was aware BEFORE the lesson and still allowed him to partake. What a fool.
So glad your son is ok.
Farandole · 08/09/2015 23:04
I can see you are very upset, but yes you are overreacting. You should focus on the positive (nothing happened, thank goodness) and use this as an opportunity to educate the school and to remind your son about his inhaler.
Anger is not going to give you closure.
Jodiemacdonald31 · 08/09/2015 23:06
What a fool indeed!!
Yes he is hf, I suppose I mentioned it as ppl would say/think that at 8 he should be responsible for his inhaler him self. But he isn't capable of that, nor would he go against a teacher and say he wasn't swimming without his inhaler there with him :/
I think this is was it bothering me most about the whole thing
Lamination · 08/09/2015 23:21
It's a whole school/ governors issue rather than one for the class teacher. They might need short term clarification but the school obviously needs to be updated with this. Look at the asthma UK stuff online, lots of links and resources for school definining their responsibility, sharing resources and online training.
You need to send a letter, have a meeting and go from there. Schools have to make this work on day one, on days when supply teachers are in, on days when TAs are off, for new arrivals.
OnlyHereToday · 08/09/2015 23:25
S2 has his hospital letter in his medication bag detailing how to deal with an escalating allergic reaction (anaphylaxis) and asthma worsening but this is making me think I need to do more to show and explain.
Hex, did the child have an inhaler or epipen or other medication? Did you know what to do? I have dealt with several attacks at home now and have called ambulances but I have got better at handing them in terms of giving all and a lot of the medication needed quickly which helps a lot, you learn from experience and being told, but it takes more than one time I think. I'm going to ask we review briefly every half-term.
A child died at a local school from an asthma attack, utterly awful. S2 has all the medication there but I bet no-one would really know what to do.
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