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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think school should have rung me?

161 replies

Quandary2018 · 27/09/2018 23:30

Turn up to after school club tonight at half 5 to be told DS10 has had an accident at lunch time and his arm has been put in a sling
He’d fallen awkwardly on it playing football and had told them the pain was a 9 out of 10.
He’d been asked if he could have calpol, he said he could, but wasn’t given any.
A teaching assistant had to sit with him all afternoon because he couldn’t hold a pencil to write because of the pain.
No one rang me, I was at work but had my mobile on my desk and the school have my office number too.
I would’ve come and picked him up early had I known. Instead he was at school, in pain, all afternoon.
I took him to a&e straight from school because of how much pain he was in and he has fractured his wrist.
I cant work out why they didn’t call me

OP posts:
BewarePregnancyHormones · 28/09/2018 08:21

All guns blazing... fractured wrist! 😡

Yes I would be all bloody guns blazing!

He could easily do more damage to his wrist by not having it seen to straight away.

ShalomJackie · 28/09/2018 08:23

Echoing what pthers have said but also depending on the fracture the sling may have needed to be at an entirely different angle!

CoraPirbright · 28/09/2018 08:23

Best of luck finding the teacher this morning. It’s an absolute disgrace - your poor son!

Sundance2741 · 28/09/2018 08:28

It won't be the teachers decision but whoever is in charge of medical issues.

MadameJosephine · 28/09/2018 08:31

I would be furious! Surely there should be an investigation of some sort to ensure this does not happen again?

My DD broke her arm at Nursery and the Health and Safety Executive were informed, there must be similar arrangements for schools?

Easynow · 28/09/2018 08:31

I would also ask where the accident form is, that they have recorded the accident on, with the time, date & reason for putting a sling on?

Was it to reduce swelling? Minimise pain? Reduce movement? Stop other children from banging into him?

Surely there is a tickbox on the form to say - Parent informed yes/no.

CatkinToadflax · 28/09/2018 08:31

Awful! Poor boy!

Our school failed to notify me when DS was kicked in the face (“it was an accident, Mummy, he was aiming for my stomach!”). I arrived after school to find he had bruising all round his mouth and swollen, bleeding lips. I raised it verbally with his head of year the following day and she was extremely apologetic - two different members of staff both thought the other had called me. Not an excuse, but a reason, at least....

babybythesea · 28/09/2018 08:38

Dd2 broke her arm at school and I proved difficult to get hold of. Took them about 20 minutes to get through to me. By that time, she was on her way to A&E. That's what you do if you can't contact the parent for whatever reason, you don't just leave it.

IKnowWhatThisIsLike · 28/09/2018 08:54

Yes they should have called you. You should follow this up so that they improve procedures

ArtemisWeatherwax · 28/09/2018 09:00

Surely it took more effort for them to put him in a sling and give him a TA all afternoon than to call you! Calling you would have been the most sensible result on any level.

YeTalkShiteHen · 28/09/2018 09:03

I’m usually firmly on the side of the school, but in this instance OP YANBU at all.

Your poor bairn had no pain relief for a fractured wrist for hours, because someone decided not to contact you. That is one of those times it’s entirely reasonable for you to meet with senior management and ask what went wrong, why you weren’t contacted and what they’re going to do to stop it happening again.

You need to see the incident/accident forms too.

Hope your DS is ok.

notapizzaeater · 28/09/2018 09:09

Your poor DS, hope school can explain what happened and make changes so it doesn't happen again.

glitterelf · 28/09/2018 09:09

@MadameJosephine my son fractured his wrist in two places last week due to being shoved by another kid. I looked into who the school would have to notify and it appears that depending on circumstances as to whether they have to notify HSE or not. If it's a sporting incident then no and if it happens on the playground again depending on circumstances it's generally a no and my sons incident was regarded as violence so again they didn't have to notify anyone.

Babynamechange123 · 28/09/2018 09:11

YANBU at all. I'd be livid at not being called. I broke a toe at school and my mum was called within 5 minutes despite there being nothing that can be done for a broken little toe but to strap it up.

GinIsIn · 28/09/2018 09:26

They left your child with a broken limb and didn't call you - I think if ever there was a time for all guns blazing, this is it!

LoniceraJaponica · 28/09/2018 09:29

"I would go in, all guns blazing, straight to the top. And the governors if not satisfied with the response"

I am not confrontational at all, but I would hve done the same.

I used to be a school governor. My remit was to ensure that the school complied with all the H and S policies and aspects. This is wrong on every level - H and S and safeguarding.

The school needs to understand that they failed in their duty of care towards your son. I would be furious and make my thoughts known.

I would email the head teacher and copy in the chair of governors.

MustShowDH · 28/09/2018 09:33

How is your son feeling about how he has been treated?

TomHardysNextWife · 28/09/2018 09:33

We had a call from school once to say that my DD had been swinging on the back two legs of her chair and had bumped into a table... she was very upset and could we collect her. So I pottered off to get her, thinking she'd have a bruise tomorrow...... and found her sat sobbing her heart out with a huge deep bleeding cut across the top of her nose, exposed bone and having missed her eye by millimetres. I was so so angry, we had to rush her straight into A & E and she had to have plastic surgery on it. The Head was genuinely shocked that we had taken her to hospital as she didn't think it was that bad Shock. She's now 22 and still has a very visible scar between her eyebrow and nose.

I'd certainly make a complaint in writing to the Head that you weren't informed, and copy in the Governors. That's appalling he was in pain and you weren't contacted.

MumW · 28/09/2018 09:41

Appalling neglect. Fracture or not, pain described as 9/10 should not have been left untreated.

I would go in very calmly at first and make a complaint.

MadameJosephine · 28/09/2018 09:53

That’s interesting glitterelf I think depending on what the school had to say I might be tempted to call the HSE myself for advice

SassitudeandSparkle · 28/09/2018 10:11

Hope you get somewhere with the school today, OP. Definitely a case worth taking up with them.

ParanoidGynodroid · 28/09/2018 10:20

That is shocking. As a teacher, I have called parents for far less than this; and as a parent had school call me for far less, even if I didn't need to collect my child. The head of my DDs school even offered to take her to A and E for me after she got grit in her eye!
I hope you get this sorted to your satisfaction, OP, and that you let your guns blaze at least a bit!
Your poor DS.

cobblett36 · 28/09/2018 11:17

YANBU ! I can't believe you weren't contacted about this. My DD came out of school Tuesday with a split lip, cut cheek, bruised knee and shoulder from a collision with another child. I was livid that they hadn't rang me as the state of her face was quite a shock. Her mouth was covered in blood. So you are definitely not being unreasonable. I hope you and your DS get a huge apology off of the school and they change procedure. Sending best wishes for a speedy recovery.

CoraPirbright · 28/09/2018 14:58

What news OP? Have you spoken to the school &, more importantly, how is your ds?

Original poster
Quandary2018 · 28/09/2018 17:45

DS is fine, he remembered to go to the office at lunchtime for some calpol and remembered to collect it at the end of the day which I was sure he’d forget! He says it’s only slightly uncomfortable but he’s absolutely fine in himself which is the main thing.

As far as the school goes, I went in this morning after taking the DC to breakfast club and handed over the calpol and just asked whether it was policy for parents to not be called when a child is injured
The lady in the office was shocked his wrist was broken and also that I hadn’t been called (she hadn’t dealt with it yesterday)
She said the senior first aider who’d treated him wasn’t in school today and then she went and got the head who went and got DSs class teacher.
Verdict seems to be that they were certain it wasn’t broken which is why they didn’t call me, apparently the first aider moved his hand and wrist around a lot and according to them he didn’t express any pain- he says differently- and they said he seemed fine all afternoon and not in any distress.
I asked if he’d made more of a fuss, crying for longer etc would they have called then and they said they would’ve so then I pointed out that because DS had put a brave face on they’d failed him.
I said I would’ve thought that when it became apparent he was in too much pain to write that would’ve been another opportune moment to call me- they agreed
I also made the point about sling position potentially not being correct and that if they felt the need to put a sling on then it should be policy to call a parent
They definitely have my correct number, I’ve always had the number I do now and they have my work number and 2 alternative contact people- they simply decided it wasn’t serious enough to ring.
I believe they will show more caution in future, they have apologised profusely and said policy will be reviewed

OP posts: