AIBU about dd's coat?

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Dd was recently in a show at school. On the last night she left her coat in the changing room but didn't realise.
She went straight to her dad's and when she came back she thought she had left her coat there.
She wasn't too worried as she could get it the following Friday.
However when she got to her dads it wasn't there, so we realised she had perhaps left it at school after the show.
Then it was half term.
Today she went back to school and before registration went to lost property to see if her coat was there. The lady knew exactly which coat it was and told her she had taken it to a charity shop!
Is this normal behaviour?
I am absolutely fuming! It was a month old and she bought it with her Christmas money.
I could maybe understand it if it had been there all year and it was the summer holidays but it had only been there a week!
Do the school have a right to give clothes away just like that?
Happy to bow out if I am being unreasonable but I really don't think I am. I want my money back!
I haven't contacted school yet as dd has parents evening tomorrow so I will tackle it with someone then.

My sons school took lost property to the charity shop but only once several reminders had went out.

Dds primary school did this with a brand new jacket. I picked her up from school in a rush and went straight on holiday not realising as it was a warm day. I called the school and left a message that evening to ask to put it to one side but nothing was followed through and the jacket obviously was gone.

I work in a secondary school. Once a term everything is laid out to be reunited with owners.

Anything not claimed goes to charity at end of academic year. Students and parents are always advised when the stuff will be put out. It is advertised several tines

The teacher actually told dd today that she would go to the shop tonight to try and get it back.
To be honest I will be very suspicious of her if it reappears. It is a very popular jacket and many girls have the same one in her year - think a mustard padded jacket from New Look! Everyone is wearing them which is why her initials were in it.

I would have thought it would go to lost property for a certain amount y of time before being donated or used as school spares. One week definitely ridiculous.

I don't think just labelling with intials is good enough - that would help her identify her coat if there were two similar ones in a pile, but quite frankly no member of staff is going to say "A.A." is that Amanda Anderson in 8C or Amelia Ascot in 11G?"
Including a parental phone number is the way to go in future.

My son had the exact same thing happen. New coat, left in a bag because they're not allowed to carry coats around loose. Last day of term. Went back to school, tried to find it to be told that it's been given to the coat donation thing that the school has signed up to.

It had three name labels in (collar, inside cuff and a hidden one) because Ds told me that kids rip out name labels.

He's never forgotten his coat before, has never lost anything at school before.

We just chalked it up to experience and Ds now insists that not wearing a coat is better all round-I was already losing a battle trying to get him to wear a sodding coat anyway.

That’s just not on, is it. Imagine if the same thing happened at someone work. E.g.they accidentally left their coat behind, went on holiday, and came back to find it was missing...

I was always an enthusiastic labeller, iron on name tags are so easy. dd was not happy when i ironed in name labels to her student NHS uniform whilst at uni 😂 but she still managed to lose a tunic along the way.

Sometimes even labelling everything doesnt stop an item disappearing.

TheEmoji
Yes but that policy cannot and should not cover stuff accidentally left on the last day of term like this example and my dds coats. They should be kept for the following term.

How do you expect someone to identify the owner from their initials? Is it a very small school?

Our rule, which parents are reminded of via email, is half termly charity shop. Primary school. I think that's fair, realistically they can't have umpteen years worth of lost property, and they also wouldn't know whether she lost it first day of term or last day of half term.

I work for a charity that goes to schools collecting lost property to give out to refugees in our city and abroad.
I collect from all schools at the end of the summer term, and one or two schools will contact me during the year for a pick up, but never that often!

I didn't expect anyone to identify the owner, I just expected them to keep it there for long enough for to find it herself!
I do not pander to my kids, I'm the opposite if anything, but I still think this is unreasonable.
I would never have expected anyone to bring it back to her, but it should have been kept in a peace she could retrieve it from.

All the (secondary) schools I’ve worked in would’ve given much more time before disposing of lost property. I don’t think your daughter’s school have acted reasonably and should put things right.

You have both learnt from the experience. DD now knows not to leave her stuff lying around AND to ring her dad if she thinks shes left something there.
You've learned that the school has a strict lost property system and you need to label her clothes better. (Initials are no good in a school of 1000+ students, unless its a really unusual initial like X or Z!)

Frustrating but not much can be done about it now, and the lost property woman isn't to blame.

It may well be that they take a load to the charity shop at the end of each half term and your DD was unlucky to lose something so close to the end of half term.

I think if stuff is going to be donated to charity, there needs to be an announcement and fair warning to allow pupils and/or parents to find their stuff before it is donated.

I am pretty sceptical that it went to charity though. I think she’s going to miraculously manage to retrieve it from “the charity shop.”

If the policy is that lost property is disposed of half termly, why aren't parents aware?
I am just a little suspicious that the teacher knew straight away exactly which coat she was talking about.
It was clearly brand new.

That’s just not on, is it. Imagine if the same thing happened at someone work. E.g.they accidentally left their coat behind, went on holiday, and came back to find it was missing...

Dd has a new look coat. I understand your pain. Dd is in yr6. Tons of the girls have them. They’ve got the plain mustard ones in stock online in sizes 8-14. Rather rubbish to have to buy one again at £45 though. The ski puffa is reduced and has a couple of sizes left etc.

That’s utterly ridiculous. They have stolen your daughter’s coat. And I would also be very suspicious if she does indeed manage to retrieve it from the ‘charity shop’.

I’d be writing a strongly worded email to the head and to the chair of governors.

I'd be very if the teacher magically managed to find it.

Also surely a quick message to her dad would have been easy to send instead of waiting a week?

If the policy is that lost property is disposed of half termly, why aren’t parents aware?
Totally agree. Schools need t&c’s added online. One day a parent is going to go ape shit.

Good that she said she'd go and have a look. Will be interesting to see what she comes back with.

Regardless of whether the coat turns up (or where from..), I think it is reasonable to email the school asking for a copy of the lost property policy so at least you both know what it is from now on.

And heads up, labels can be cut out of clothes. I write straight on the inside of the fabric at the back where the label is, and/or underneath inside upper arm. Depends what the fabric is like. I use a permanent marker too. Then any cut out label isn't an issue.