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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to not understand why my son's school's safeguarding officer needs to speak to me... (since ds has broken his arm)

85 replies

alittleconfused10 · 13/05/2016 18:41

namechanged.

DS is 9, he broke his wrist yesterday after playing a stair game with his brothers, he slipped fell and there we are, a bloody broken wrist. He has a cast, all fine.

He goes into school today, as normal, I get a phone call around lunch time from their safeguarding officer saying she would like a word with me regarding his wrist... Hmm now I'm stressed and don't know what it's for, but didn't get the message until I was home from work and now it's the weekend.

Does anyone know the reasons this may happen?

OP posts:
Pearlman · 13/05/2016 19:20

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

TheFuckersBitingMe · 13/05/2016 19:21

I caught my 5 & 10 year olds sledging down the stairs on lego bin lids a couple of weeks ago after coming back from a meeting (DH was in charge - albeit unsuccessfully). I hardly think jumping up and down a few stairs is the end of the world.

It's likely they want to know how it happened and what procedures they can put in place at school to cater for him while he is recovering.

m0therofdragons · 13/05/2016 19:21

Of course it's risky op and imo that's totally fine and what kids do. Ss aren't going to charge in because your kids jumped on the stairs - I wonder if some Mnetters never let their dc do anything fun in case it's dangerous. It is odd to me that you didn't communicate fully with the school though.

HarveySchlumpfenburger · 13/05/2016 19:22

I'm not sure I'd tell the school that it's just a little game and there are lots of things that aren't safe. I don't think it is on a par with climbing trees.

It may raise a slight concern where none existed before. Probably not one they;d do something about now, but something that may be an issue if he were to get injured again in the future.

wevecomeonholidaybymistake · 13/05/2016 19:23

It'll be to check your stories match. Nothing to worry about. But a serious injury like that really should be discussed in person rather than a note.

AugustaFinkNottle · 13/05/2016 19:24

Children play risky games, it's the nature of children. I'm astonished people are getting judgy about it.

Sirzy · 13/05/2016 19:25

It will be to check there is nothing odd.

I would have thought taking him in via he office this morning to explain to school there and then would have been better

lougle · 13/05/2016 19:26

My children do it, alittleconfused10, but I do think it's a bit daft to say 'I honestly don't see the harm' when the harm is staring at you in the form of a plaster cast Hmm. Fair enough, though, to say 'I think the fun they get from it outweighs the risk of injury'.

aswqzxo · 13/05/2016 19:27

I genuinely didn't think of going through the office, I seriously have nothing to tell them, other than he broke his wrist, it's not his writing arm, or anything... But I'm obviously very wrong! I'll take that on board.

I didn't mean that it isn't a game that possesses a risk, but so does lots of things children do, which is what I meant

aswqzxo · 13/05/2016 19:28

My fault, I need to change back Grin

Sirzy · 13/05/2016 19:30

School need to risk assess to have a child in with an injury like that.

They need to know that they aren't going to be in pain, and what to do if they are.

For child protection reasons they need to talk to the adult and know how it happened.

TweeterandtheMonkeyman · 13/05/2016 19:35

Good grief - I sent mine in with a fractured elbow thinking it was just a pulled muscle Blush They had to call me to take her to a&e BlushBlush And no call re safeguarding. Seems a bit strange to me. At the time 3 kids in the class were in plaster - not that unusual surely !

GreatFuckability · 13/05/2016 19:35

i wouldn't be at all worried, its just a check in because they've not seen you in person. I broke multiple bones as a child, combination of being a clutz and generally having no common sense.

Triplethefun22 · 13/05/2016 19:38

Why are children not allowed to be children anymore? Jumping off stairs is an awesome game. So are Tarzan swings, and climbing trees. They all carry risks but we're breeding a generation of the risk-adverse if we don't let our kids take risks.

TrillKitten · 13/05/2016 19:40

I tried to sled down the stairs on a tea tray once. Seems reasonable-ish.. except the stairs had a small square landing and then changed direction by 90 degrees. I must've thought I'd be able to steer it.. Anyway, it ended badly when I couldn't steer the tea tray (who knew?!) and I met the wall. With my face. At speed. Wink. Point being, these things happen - but hopefully this injury will be a bit of a wake up call to them and they'll be a bit more careful when (if) they resume the game! As for school, they're following procedure and you did nothing wrong - so try not to worry! Smile

EatShitDerek · 13/05/2016 19:44

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Thatrabbittrickedme · 13/05/2016 19:46

I'm sure it's just a risk assessment OP so that they know what adjustments they need to make while he's in a plaster. There is no need to be worried.

This from your last post made me a bit Hmm though There were pillows at the bottom, I honestly don't see the harm confused I used to play it all the time when I was younger.

Surely now that your DS is in a cast after a trip to a&e you can see some potential harm in the game? It's not one I'd encourage my DC to play tbh...

Arfarfanarf · 13/05/2016 19:46

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

NorbertDentressangle · 13/05/2016 19:47

Broken limbs aren't that common ime. Dd1 has 60 in her year and there has been one broken arm and one broken leg in the 4 years she's been in school

In a year group of 20 there were only 2 broken arms (no broken legs) in my DS's 7 years at primary school and both happened only about a year apart........... both were my DS Blush

OP - don't worry it will be a standard procedure they have to follow but it would have been best to have found a teacher/secretary and explained or at least left a phone message.

EarthboundMisfit · 13/05/2016 19:53

We've had plenty of broken limbs in my son's year group...mine broke his arm at a soft play centre! They probably have risk assessment paperwork to fill in for normal school activities. Mine enjoy the stair game immensely, they are six.

MissClarke86 · 13/05/2016 19:58

I'm a teacher and would find it most bizarre if a child came to school in a cast with no spoken mention of it from the parent. Not bizarre in a red flag safeguarding way though, just bizarre that you didn't think it was significant enough to need to chat through with his teacher.

Junosmum · 13/05/2016 20:00

you have nothing to worry about.

School have a responsibility to ensure that injuries are accidental (such as this). They'll have asked your DS how he did it and they'll want to ensure that it's legit, he isn't being harmed by his brother etc. Shouldn't take ing/ be a big issue.

School will likely speak to all children who have an injury and their care givers. If there is discrepancies in the story or injury/ explanation they'll call social services.

Schools have got much hotter on this since Daniel pelka.

The hospital will have done a similar assessment when he got his cast- it won't have been obvious and is standard practice for all injuries (they do it with adults too if the injury could have been caused by DV).

Natsku · 13/05/2016 20:06

I loved the stairs game - once jumped down half a flight (so seven steps) of stone stairs at school. Feel a bit gutted we don't have stairs so DD can't play it.

I'm sure they just want to check that the story your DS told is correct, don't worry.

IDontBelieveAnything · 13/05/2016 20:14

I wouldn't worry about this at all. They are just checking up. I had a similar thing when I had to take DS2 to A and E two days in a row for separate incidents. I have no problem with it at all.

We used to play the stair game as kids, plus the jump of the garage game, plus the dive of the cliff game, etc etc. We were happy and slightly wild kids. My DB did break a few bones in his time though.

My kids just don't play games like that. I find it a bit odd to be honest Confused

BeauGlacons · 13/05/2016 20:14

I used to play that game and the tray game and sliding down the bannisters and riding without a saddle and my gran once told me to come back in when I'd caught a feral cat to keep me quiet so I did. I broke my sodding back slipping on frozen ground not long ago but have bounced back.

My DC's injuries:

DS: Split head, broken wrist, broken arm (needed resetting), broken ankle (at school), broken nose (rugby), various ligaments (rugby).

DD: Split head (pushing and sho ing game), sprained wrist/hand (fell when not being supervised), pulled elbow (I yanked her up from floor), squashed pinkie (car door and lamp post), spiral fracture of tibia and snapped tibia (cycling), broken collar bone (horse).

I've never been called ny a safeguarding officer. I have, however, always liaised with the school and took in gifts after ds did his ankle at lunchtime and they didn't realise until playtime when he refused to go out I knew it was broken the minute I saw him after the call about him being silly. "I was a big boy mummy, and I didn't cry". I felt so sorry for the dinner ladies and TAs - I was told the head instigated a full inquiry. I know my ds was fearless and incorrigible.

I'm glad some of you lot weren't in charge. My DC wete/are very well looked after Grin. They grew up anyway.