To angry with the way school handling his accidents

[JamforBrains]

DS4 is 7 (yr2). He fell while running in the playground and cut his head open above his eyebrow. I get a call from the school saying he may need hospital treatment and would I come and collect him. When I get there he is sitting outside reception, unaccompanied. His head is completely bandaged as is one eye. His white shirt is red with blood. I go over to him before going to the desk and talk to him for about 30 seconds to a minute before a receptionist asks if she can help. DS is disoriented and ask her to call an ambulance. "I don't think there is any need for that!" She says "it would be quicker if you take him yourself" I ask again for an ambulance explaining that his altered mental state concerns me and if he deteriorates in the back of the car while driving to the hospital I am helpless. She begrudgingly calls one. DS need 9 stitches to close the wound and was kept in overnight for observation. I have 2 AIBUs.

1. AIBU to think someone should have called an ambulance before calling me? He had a cut the length of his eyebrow and gaping. He wasnt behaving normally.
2. As no ambulance was called. Shouldn't someone have been sat with him in reception? Obviously the receptionists weren't keeping an eye on him or they would have noticed me sooner.

Fortunately DS is OK and back home but I can't help thinking it could have been worse. I will go in on Monday and find out why no one called an ambulance but I just want to know if IABU before going in all guns blazing.

One of mine had a similar accident at school requiring stitches under a general

He was fine in himself though

School phoned me and made me aware it looked awful, when i arrived 2 people were sat with him and he was holding a dressing to the wound

School offered me a lift to the hospital but we made our own way

I dont think you are being unreasonable at all

I’m a first aider and that’s appalling! For starters - you should never bandage a head wound over the eye as it can increase any disorientation. He shouldn’t have been left alone, and if he was altered then they should have called an ambulance straight away.

@Jessikita that’s not correct at all - if someone is showing signs of an altered mental state they need to be closely monitored so the OP couldn’t very well drive him alone to A&E, in case he lost consciousness or had a seizure whilst driving. Head injury + loss of consciousness or altered mental state should always be an ambulance.

My child suffered a serious head injury in a pe lesson.
This resulted in 5 months off school.
They didnt even tell me at the time. Luckily I was picking child up that day - usually would have come home on bus.
Child collapsed shortly after we got in the front door. Fortunately was able to tell me about the injury otherwise I would have had no idea.
Teacher lied about it and HT backed her up.
I never got a single letter about attendance though. They probably lied about that too.

We wouldn't have left a year 11 pupil alone, let alone a primary child. You need to make a formal complaint to governors.

You need to make a formal complaint to governors.

I would follow the complaints policy rather than go straight to governors as, if you haven’t already spoken to the head or even class teacher, governors will just send it back down the line.

He wasnt behaving normally.
What does that mean? If he was speaking total nonsense, eyes rolling, falling asleep or vomiting then indeed, they should have called an ambulance asap. If he was just a bit quieter, subdued, then no, it didn't require an ambulance and you over reacted.

Same with being unattended. If he could be seen where he was sitting from someone in reception, absolutely fine, especially if he had already been looked after by someone with first aid or a nurse. If he was totally on his own and had been so for 20 minutes, then indeed, not appropriate.

Swing I am sure the OP knows her son's version of normal.

As for him being alone....but view-able. WHO the fuck leaves a 7 year old with a bad head injury uncomforted!??

I'd be calling your Local authority and asking for a full investigation. No way is leaving a child bleeding alone acceptable. 999 should have been called.

This is appalling. File an official complaint. The school needs to urgently review their first aid and safeguarding procedures.

I'd be calling your Local authority and asking for a full investigation.

Investigation by whom? FFS

YANBU.

I'm not sure that it would have warranted an ambulance outright but i think it depends on a few factors including the proximity of the school to A&E.

I think that at the least he definitely should have been monitored until you could get there, and if you were likely to be more than 15 minutes or so i think staff should have arranged to meet you at A&E. If this was not possible, an ambulance should have been contacted.

It's unacceptable but I think you should take this up with the headteacher in the first instance and ask about their accident, head injury and safeguarding procedures, which might be in need of review.
I hope your son is feeling better soon.

@Ilovecamping. I did too even if it was receptionist or caretaker. Just sombody

@RavenclawRealist. Exactly how I feel. No one could have been watching him for me to come in and chat to him for that long before anyone came to talk to me.

@jessikita. I would not have called an ambulance if it was just a cut. He was showing signs of a head injury. Had I taken him and he had vomited (risk of choking), had a seizure or stopped breathing, how would I have dealt with that and driven? I also don't carry the relevant equipped or medication to deal with these situations as I don't drive an ambulance.

I would innocently ask to see the accident book to initial it
My son was concussed at school, which is when I found out they didn't have one
When I asked to see one they cobbled something together starting on the day/time of his accident
You can then take it from there in how/with whom you process a complaint

@swingofthings. He was talking, stopped and stared before continuing what he was saying. It's hard to put into words but he wasn't normal. Yes he could be seen from reception but they obviouslywerent paying attention as they didn't notice I had arrived.

They have an accident book. One you fill in and give the top copy to parents. It says "monitored in school" which, obviously, wasn't the case!

Ds was 15 when he connected heads accidentally with another boy in a rugby warm up at school, both boys were taken to he school nurse where they stayed until each parent arrived. When ds was handed over to me the nurse stated that she was sure both boys would be fine as she had never had so much banter from injured parties in her time.
DD has had two head injuries twice in her time in education but has had someone with her both times.
The way your ds's school handled the situation is appalling and they should be brought to task by whatever means possible.
I hope your brave boy is doing ok!

Thanks everyone. I will definitely take this further. DS is fine. He has been stropping for most of the day because I wouldn't take him ice skating. He didn't see a problem if he wore his bike helmet

YANBU. When you complain make reference to the fact that it is a safeguarding issue and the school clearly failed to act appropriately. Depending on the response you might want to go further and report to Ofsted (if in England) that the school is not taking safeguarding seriously - which they clearly are not from what you describe.

Have yo spoken to the school OP? What did they say?

Just this weekend i was out with my Mother and she fell (public place with 2 staff, neither appeared to be first aider) large cut to head but totally conscious and alert. Staff called for an ambulance straight away and paramedic car arrived within 15 mins. Operator specifically said to apply pressure with clean towel etc but not to wrap in dressing . It was clear she needed hospital and it was deemed too risky for one person to transport her in case her condition deteriorated.

This was an adult with full mental capacity accompanied by her NOK.....how can they possibly justify such poor treatment of you young child when they have a legal duty of care???? You are definately NBU and should raise merry hell!

I don't think that they should have called an ambulance for the cut but they dhould have dressed it to try and stem the bleeding and there should have been someone with him checking that he wasn't showing additional signs like concussion.

Went into school yesterday but the head teacher was "busy". The only time he could see me was 7am this morning (think this may have been because we live a far distance from the school and he thought perhaps I would say no). In I go this morning, very calm (inside wanting to scream what the f* you doing?) and asked why my son had been treated this way. The headteaxher explained that it wasn't an ambulance situation as it was just a cut. He was very ill informed. He knew nothing about the actual injury, the altered mental state or the receptionist's comment. Je was astonished it required stitching. I have educated him on when and when not to call an ambulance, the seriousness of a head injury especially in children and he has promised to update the policies regarding forst aid and to make sure the staff especially first aiders are aware of the new policies. Fingers crossed