Really angry, say something or over reacting?

[aawcmon]

My DD has just started high school and is loving it so far. She has asthma which is well managed, but she always carries her blue inhaler just in case of emergencies. Today, she had a really bad attack for the 1st time in years. I got a phone call from school office saying can you come and collect your daughter, she's feeling a bit breathless. I arrive at school within 20 mins and was shocked to see the state she was in. She was struggling for breath and was crying. She didn't have any adults sitting with her, only her friend from class. Reception staff couldn't have been less interested if they'd tried, I received no background info to what could have triggered the attack. DD had taken her blue inhaler multiple times, but it did not help.... DD was in such a state, I phoned doctor's office who advised me to take her to A&E straight away. We ended up being in hospital most of the day on nebulisers, steroids, x-rays, and she will need on going checks this week as her lung capacity is still not ideal. I am so angry with the school, it was obvious just by looking at her that she was in distress and to leave her by herself, she was panicking and exacerbating the issue. Should I bring this up with school or leave it (DD doesn't want me to do anything as she's scared teachers won't like her as much if I complain)

Fortunately for everyone that queried my statement its not a situation I have been it. It is a situation as an asthmatic where I absolutely would stand my ground. My point as that my SMT's default position would be to send me back to class. I'm not saying I would have left a pupil in that situation, I'm saying I guarantee I would have been told to.

Just spoke to school, I've got an appointment to go up tomorrow afternoon for a discussion. Apparently the investigation uncovered some 'issues' and as a result, changes will be made. I also received an apology which I thanked them for but advised that until I knew what changes were being implemented, I will be prepared to take further. Thanks again for everyone's helpful advice, I don't think I could have been so calm and collected otherwise.

I am sorry to hear about this.

There was a very widely reported incident where a boy lost his life at school because his asthma was badly damaged.

Please get an asthma nurse, clarify procedures and draw their attention to that case.

I hope your daughter is ok.

This happened in my town. Horrendous.
www.inverness-courier.co.uk/News/Shock%20of%20sudden%20death%20of%20eight-year-old%20Inverness%20girl.htm

Remain assertive tomorrow OP. You are well within your rights to take it further and get the LA involved. Good luck!

Complain very loudly. I almost lost my son this year and I was with him in the hospital when he went into respiratory failure. His asthma was never bad like that before. The school has a duty of care to your daughter and they let her down very badly.

your child is new to the school. They have apologised and promised to make changes. I agree they should tell you what the changes are so you can be sure this sort of incident is handled properly in future - but dont get too heavy handed if you want her to be happy there.

I don't think she intends to already taken she's handled it really well so far.

Good luck with the meeting tomorrow OP. It all sounds promising to me they have agreed that they are in the wrong, have taken it seriously and fingers crossed you'll be satisfied with the outcome.

Fantastic update OP. The head seems to be doing exactly what they should so I hope it all goes well tomorrow.

Great update. Glad they are taking it seriously. Let us know how it goes.

Definitely no plans to be heavy handed, I've already advised that I'm not interested in shouting or creating a scene. A straight to the point what went wrong and how this will be rectified moving forward, that's it..no drama, just facts. This is in the best interests of both my child and the other kids at school, I think that's fair.

The response (when you eventually got to them!) from the HT sounds positive so far.
I think you need to have a clear idea of what you want from the meeting.
My suggestions would be :

1. A new Care Plan, drawn up jointly with the school, yourself, your dd, and a medical professional (I know systems are sometimes different in Scotland, but this could be a specialist Asthma Nurse, or the school nurse).
2. An assurance that the school's policy for what they do with Care Plans once they have them - where they are stored, who has access, etc. - is reviewed, and then the resulting new policy is made clear to you
3. A commitment from the school to do some Asthma awareness training. That should definitely include the office staff, and not 'just' teachers, if the pupils are expected to go to the office if they are unwell. I would also ask for mid day supervisors, lab technicians, librarians, and any adult who might come across her to be included too, but think the office staff are a MUST.

I'm sure other wise posters will be able to think of some other points, but it is always good to start a meeting knowing what you want from it. Don't be afraid to write things down before the meeting. My tip would be to visibly write notes of what is said, and clarify with them, as each point, who is agreeing to do what, and, in what timescale, so there is no forgetting confusion once the meeting is over.

Well done. You have handled it very well. And looks like the school will be a safer place now.

Great result, well done OP.

That's promising OP, well done. Hope it goes well this afternoon.

Don't forget to insist on an incident report. I'd also be looking for an acknowledgement of the problems/issues and apology in writing.

Hey op - any chance of a quick email to the HT to confirm your last phone call with them yesterday before you meet today so that there's a contemporaneous account of what's been said - and things don't get muddled or forgotten between meetings and calls...

And then send another email in with your minutes of the meeting afterwards to keep them on their toes!

BunBunny makes a really good point. Please if you can write an email summarising the main points in your conversation with the ht.

I find that sometimes people go back on a good first response when their self-protective instincts kick in. So it’s afterwards that the minimising and dumbing down happens. Very useful to have an email written before this happens toget them to stick to their first reaction.

Good luck, you’ve doing so well. Hope your dd has recovered ok, from the shock as well as the actual attack.

Well done. You are doing exactly the right thing and I'm so glad you found help on this thread to proceed.

I hope all the issues will be to your satisfaction. You obviously know best what that is.

Will be resolved to your satisfaction.