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Original poster

Kids sent home - safeguarding issue?

372 replies

PutTheBathOnPlease · 28/02/2017 20:18

Got a text at 10.20 this morning to say secondary school have a power cut and kids will be sent home on buses at 11:30. My son is 12, I was 80 miles away for work. Other half was able to get home just after DS, but school had not asked either kids or parents whether an adult would be at home - they relied on one text message with 60 mins notice. I find it boggling that they sent home 11 and 12 yo kids, not knowing if they would be able to get into their homes let alone have an adult meet them. Maybe I'm old fashioned! But what if the text had failed to arrive? The consequences could be serious. Your thoughts please.

OP posts:
atheistmantis · 28/02/2017 20:43

As long as the school put in place plans for children with SEN/medical issues then I don't think that there was a safe guarding issue. Secondary school age children are old enough to explain to the teacher if there is a problem.

Floggingmolly · 28/02/2017 20:44

Just what are the chances of the text failing to arrive?!

All you had to do was contact the school (you had over an hour's notice) if there were difficulties in getting a key to your ds.
Why not give him one?

manicinsomniac · 28/02/2017 20:44

I don't know actually.

In theory I agree with everyone else that they should be fine.

But I teach in a Year 3 - Year 8 prep and our Year 7s and 8s are very much treated as children. They aren't allowed to leave school premises alone (tbf, almost none live within walking distance so if they were leaving it would be more a case of 'where on earth are you going'?) and there's no way the vast majority of the parents would accept them being sent home on a bus to an empty house.

Plus, quite a few of the children have additional needs that would make it even more inappropriate.

Many of our (NT) 12 year olds seem more like 8 or 9 year olds seemed when I was younger.

littleducks · 28/02/2017 20:44

I think you are being unreasonable these are secondary school kids

TheFairyCaravan · 28/02/2017 20:45

I would have expected a secondary school aged child to speak up if they didn't have access to their home.

I expect the staff were busy contacting the parents of the children who really needed contacting, those with SN etc. and didn't have time to contact every other parent.

Most kids by the time they are at secondary school have key and a phone.

Itsnotwhatitseems · 28/02/2017 20:45

I understand where your coming from Op, I have a memory of being sent home on a snow day, both parents were at work (before mobile phones/texts) and I had forgotten my key. I managed to get in the garage and waited in their very cold until my parents came home.

Pooka · 28/02/2017 20:45

There are about 1800 children at dd's school. No way that a staff member would be able to speak to every parent!

The school would probably text and email - is what they've done on snow days, along with allowing children to use their phones in form room to contact parents.

Dd has a key attached to her school bag. Has since she started secondary.

Biscuitsneeded · 28/02/2017 20:46

My DS is 11 and in year 7 and I think this situation is completely OK. He has a key to our house, but if he didn't have it with him he would just go to a mate's house. He would also ring me. I would also assume that if he knew he had no key and couldn't go to a friend's he would have the sense to tell a teacher.

bloodyteenagers · 28/02/2017 20:46

Haha the school phone every parent.
Lets look at the logistics.
There's a power shortage so chances are schools telephony systems are not working. So this means asking staff to use their own mobiles - not everyone has unlimited.
Then people have to sit and call what 80 students parent just for year 7. Some will be lucky and first number is a hit others second and third numbers. That's what 120 calls just for one year... how long does that take?
Or a quick text alert.

bigearsthethird · 28/02/2017 20:46

I think at secondary school it's totally reasonable. If mine couldn't get in they would ring a relative or arrange to go home with a friend. I'd have no issues with mine coming home and bringing any friends who couldn't get in their house right away.

The thing is you did get the text and you were able to let your oh know do he could get home. So not sure where the danger was.

AliceInUnderpants · 28/02/2017 20:47

This frightens me a bit tbh.
If a child has SEN would school make other provisions? My DC will not have a key, carry a lot of cash, or probably not have use of a mobile. Is it up to the school to contact me in cases like this, or do I need to put a plan in place before it evens happens that they have to contact me?

hareagain · 28/02/2017 20:47

DS has had a key and a phone since secondary for many reasons, including such as this. DS' school would not send kids home however if they were told there was an issue by the child, ie, they couldn't get in or contact parent. Time to make sure your child is confident to speak to school if such an occasion arises or give him a phone and a key.

bunnylove99 · 28/02/2017 20:47

He's at secondary now. He should have a key to his home and know what to do in such situations. Perhaps this might be a good opportunity to go over such occasions with him and give him some independence and responsibility. We all have to do it. What was the situation yourself at that age? It sounds like you are still in primary mind frame for him, but they all have to grow up on us!

rollonthesummer · 28/02/2017 20:49

If he doesn't have Sen it's your job to prepare him with what to do like tell a teacher, carry a key, have a back up plan etc

Absolutely!

Pooka · 28/02/2017 20:49

That's interesting manicinsomniac. My cousins son is one month older than dd but where she moved on to 11-18 secondary for year 7 he stayed at prep until start of year 9. He seems way younger than dd - much less independent. I think he's having now the whole adjustment/shift that dd had at 11 in part because the prep was lovely and cosy and small. He's really taking to it like a duck to water now though!

NapQueen · 28/02/2017 20:50

Unless your son has SEN which would mean he needs additional care there doesnt need to be a parent at home.

If I were a teacher/staff at that school, id also assume that kids would come to me or someone if they had any issues/problems getting home or getting into their home.

Sounds to me like the school did their best.

DJBaggySmalls · 28/02/2017 20:50

Its a good idea to teach your kids what to do in an emergency, and this would be a good example. Your DC's need to learn to tell a teacher theres no one home, not just obediently leave the school.

StarryIllusion · 28/02/2017 20:51

What NT 11 year old doesn't have a key to their own home and can't be trusted in the house alone for a few hours? If they forgot it or something they would just have to go round a mates house or camp out in McDonalds/Library etc. It would be a long boring lesson in why we don't forget our keys but hardly the end of the world. I would also expect any 11 year old to be able to tell their teacher if there was a problem getting home/in. Those with SEN likely had other arrangements made for them.

NapQueen · 28/02/2017 20:52

Also is it really that big a deal if no one is home? They could phone or borrow a friends ohone to call you or their dad to say "going to Xs house" or "got my key, ill go home can Jimmy come round?"

Pooka · 28/02/2017 20:52

230ish a year at dd's school bloodyteenagers. Lots of staff but would be like a telethon against the clock!

GarrulousGrimoire · 28/02/2017 20:52

Said lots of town dwellers with jobs close by?

My DC wouldn't be able to get a bus to our home from secondary school it's a 20m drive away with no bus service. I work from home OR am a 2 hour drive/train away, there would be no neighbors to let them in and it isn't always possible to keep my phone on or get a relative/friend to cover.

I used to go to school a car then bus them train then walk away! We were never sent home.

So no while a 15yo I would expect to loiter around or mooch off a friend at 11/12 they can still be quite young and vulnerable.

Biscuitsneeded · 28/02/2017 20:53

Manicinsomniac, I teach in a private school too and I agree that many of my year 7s and 8s have never had any independence and wouldn't know what to do/how to get in if we sent them home. In my view this is not a good thing! If children are wrapped in cotton wool for too long they begin to believe that they aren't capable, which creates needy adults with poor self esteem and bugger all resilience.

MsMarvel · 28/02/2017 20:54

When in was in secondary, if there needed to be a closure, they would ask over the fanboy system for any pupils who would have issues with sent home / no access etc they needed to let teachers know. But other than that it was down to you to flag any issues. Of course pupils aren't going to be asked individually.

atheistmantis · 28/02/2017 20:54

I think we need to credit children with some common sense.. My youngest starts secondary school in September, I put this scenario to them and they said they would either go to Granny's house (walking distance) or walk to my work place (ditto) and would phone me to tell me where they were going.

No school would let SEN children just leave without talking to a responsible adult.

noblegiraffe · 28/02/2017 20:55

Secondary kids usually have their own mobiles and can contact their own parents if there are issues.

The idea that staff might individually phone every parent of every child during a powercut when there probably aren't many computers even working to access the phone number database is bonkers.

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