Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Dc absent from school, so school called police

170 replies

angelinheaven · 13/06/2017 15:08

Hi all, wasn't sure where to post, so posted here for traffic.
My dc was absent from school today, and I wasn't well either so at 7:10 am I emailed school so didn't have to think about ringing them at 9am.
Anyway where I live I get no mobile phone signal if downstairs, and the school tried calling me twice, and then called my mum, who was at work so did not answer her mobile either. So the school then called the police to say they where concerned that dc wasn't at school and they couldn't get hold of me.
So I then had a police officer knocking at my door!!!!!!!
Head teacher said she was worried and the reason why they didn't read my email was because the receptionist was off ill and no one else can access the school emails.
I am in shock that this has even happened, is this normal. My dc is never absent from school, and before anyone asks we have no issues with care of my dc or social services etc.
So just really confused, teacher did apologies, but still!!!!!! X

Message from MNHQ: We've been asked to put a trigger warning on this thread because there's some distressing content further down about a recent news story involving a child.

OP posts:
BoysofMelody · 13/06/2017 15:26

The problem isn't with the op but with the school's stupid email setup that only allows one person to check the emails. Or in more likelihood, the secretary was off and no one had the gumption to check the email before wasting police resources.

Coddiwomple · 13/06/2017 15:27

As above: not being able to check work email if one person is away is just wrong and completely ridiculous. I would complain about that!

I would be grateful about someone checking on the family. It's one of parents nightmares to pass out leaving your child alone without anyone noticing. No one accused you of anything, they just checked. Good opportunity to remind your child that the police is here to help.

Topseyt · 13/06/2017 15:28

Yes, you should have phoned really. It is the usual system, and in many schools it is an automated system to marry up absentees with absence messages once the register has been taken.

ScarlettFreestone · 13/06/2017 15:28

They need to sort their email system out but under the circumstances I don't think they were unreasonable.

Our school has a voicemail absence line, so you can call and leave a message at any time regarding a sick child.

KoalaDownUnder · 13/06/2017 15:30

I disagree that the school did anything wrong.

The child(ren?) didn't turn up. Nobody phoned the school to say why. The school then phoned the mother, AND the grandmother (who is presumably listed as the next 'emergency contact'), and couldn't get hold of either of them.

In the light of the recent tragedy in Hackney, what would you expect them to do?

TheSnorkMaidenReturns · 13/06/2017 15:30

Secondary school has a line where you can register absence at any time - so you can call following a 5am vomming episode.

I think it sounds a very good thing that the police came out to check on you. Hope you are both feeling better now.

araiwa · 13/06/2017 15:31

also only sending an email is just lazy and not sufficient because situations like today occur- you have no idea if your email was sent correctly or read- always call and speak to someone and then the police wont waste their time and knock on your door

user789653241 · 13/06/2017 15:31

Doesn't school have answer phone for out of hours?
We can leave message out of hours, so we don't need to phone at certain times. I wouldn't email, since it can be missed easily.

ChilliMum · 13/06/2017 15:34

I think this is great. Surely the point of community is to look out for each other. If it is a waste of police resources then that is because we do not invest enough in our services not because the school are over reacting.

I once fell down the stairs rushing to get to school. Dcs were 7 and 3. As it happens bar a few bruises I was fine but it could have been much worse. It gives me some confort to know that there are people who care if my kids don't turn up at school.

RB68 · 13/06/2017 15:34

Its standard practice and fair enough in my view - but they should have access to email as you won't have been the only one - next time phone the phone and leave a voice message as well

harderandharder2breathe · 13/06/2017 15:37

It would be reasonable of the school if the OP hadn't emailed to advise of DC's illness

They need to sort out the email access so it's not all down to one person.

But if no email and no response on the phone then yes it's the right response to send police to do a welfare check

chipscheeseandgravy · 13/06/2017 15:40

There was a case recently in the paper a young Mum had died and her little boy who was autistic starved to death over a 2 week period because he couldn't feed himself or call for help.
The school didn't call the police after the child failed to turn up to school. I think the woman wasn't found for a few months after she died.
I think schools do this as a safety/safeguarding thing. Sounds extreme but at least you know if anything happened the school would react.

Sirzy · 13/06/2017 15:40

Does the school have a reporting protocol for illness? Does that include email? Ds school isn't really a "technological" school so other than if I emailed the Senco I wouldn't expect it to be seen/acted on quickly so certainly wouldn't email about absences.

I think overall though they where right to chase up like they did when they couldn't make contact with anyone - on a side note is it worth getting a landline installed if your home signal is so poor?

WinifredAtwellsOtherPiano · 13/06/2017 15:41

The OP was reasonable. The policy to send the cops round for unlocatabld children is reasonable. The school's IT system is highly unreasonable.

NavyandWhite · 13/06/2017 15:42

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

MadisonAvenue · 13/06/2017 15:42

The secondary school that my sons went to encouraged parents to notify them of absences by email, there was a specific email address supplied by them.
Less time consuming for the staff I would think than having to take phone calls, write down info etc.

NavyandWhite · 13/06/2017 15:43

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

GreeboIsACutePussPuss · 13/06/2017 15:50

my school have a policy of sending someone round to check if we can't get hold of anyone, it is quite a new policy though and I can see it wasting a lot of peoples time at the last few days of term when a lot of children are "ill"

No one being able to check email is ridiculous, unless you sent it to the receptionists work email not the general office one, but i know we ask parents to call not email, as emails aren't always checked first thing.

WinifredAtwellsOtherPiano · 13/06/2017 15:51

Even the very best parents sometimes fall downstairs and break their necks, you don't need to be on some kind of watch list. I hope the OP is now reassured that the school were just checking she hadn't dropped dead of a heart attack, and not impugning her parenting - and that she's also considering getting a landline or a phone signal booster.

Bambambini · 13/06/2017 15:52

Little boy (5) in my kids year phoned the school to say his mum was sleeping. Teachers popped straight round to find his mum dead and him snd his baby brother on their own. Thank god he was smart enough to use the phone.

Piffpaffpoff · 13/06/2017 15:54

There was a case near me where a child didn't turn up to school, no-one realised and he'd been abducted and subsequently murdered. One phone call at that time could have made a difference. Now, if I've not called the school by 9.15, we get an immediate text plus phonecall asking us to make contact asap.

In your situation, I'd firstly be grateful that they are taking your child's safety so seriously. Socondly I'd be asking them how they are going to ensure that access to the emails will be given to someone else, to stop this happening again.

May50 · 13/06/2017 15:56

I had similar a couple of months back, DD was poorly so I emailed the school in the morning, around 7.30am. About 9.30am had a phone call from the school secretary to ask why DD absent and I said she was poorly, but hadn't she picked up the e-mail that I sent. I can't remember the reason why the e-mail wasn't read.

Floralnomad · 13/06/2017 15:56

I don't think there is anything remotely wrong with how this has been handled , I'm sure if the police were really busy then the welfare check would just be shunted along until they aren't busy later in the day . It's absolutely not a reflection on your parenting just a sensible caring school .

JennyOnAPlate · 13/06/2017 15:59

Well at my dcs school a member of staff would call at your home in the first instance. If there was no answer they would then call the police.

The school has to know where your dc is during school hours for safeguarding reasons.

KoalaDownUnder · 13/06/2017 16:04

I'd be asking them how they are going to ensure that access to the emails will be given to someone else, to stop this happening again.

And I'd expect they'd probably say 'Please call the school instead of emailing, to stop this happening again'.

Email is not great for time-sensitive matters, really. Would you email your boss to say you're not coming in that day? I wouldn't.

Please create an account

To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account.

Join Mumsnet Log In

This thread is closed and is no longer accepting replies. Click here to start a new thread.