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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Annoyed with school

145 replies

HelpMeToHelpDD · 22/07/2021 10:11

DD is 7, just finished year 2.

They finished for summer on Friday. DD has some medical needs which means medications are kept at school (think inhalers and pain killers plus epipens and similar – DD has severe asthma triggered by both hayfever and hot weather and also triggered by the cold weather. She’s also got an insect allergy that causes antiphalictic shock. There’s also a painful condition which school give pain relief for)

The medicines have not come home. According to DD they were in the side pouch of her bag at afternoon playtime but when I picked her up there weren’t there. I can only assume as DD keeps her water bottle in her other side pouch she’s pulled the stuff out, realised it’s not her bottle and without thinking put it down.

Without them she cannot go to holiday club. Usually I take the ones from school to holiday club then replace everything right before she goes back to school.

She’s been off holiday club this week due to not having the stuff. Next week I have a big meeting I need her in holiday club for as it’s all day and a train ride away.

DD has some SN, and in previous years they’ve either got me to pick the stuff up from the school office or handed it to me as I walk through the gates. Apparently Year 2 and up they don’t do this but with her SN I thought they’d treat her as if she was a younger child – I am assuming she put the stuff in her pouch not realising what it is, I generally don’t carry the pain relief around with me for obvious reasons so she’s probably not even recognised that.

Apparently DD is not the only child in the class to come out without her medicine. I emailed school as soon as we got in before the gates are apparently shut for pickup for the older children (Ys3-6) but got the out of office response. I then called but got a phone message saying the office is closed until September – usually the secretary works until 4.30pm and responds to message and phonecalls until about 5 minutes before that time.

I’ve called the GP to get an emergency reissue but not having much luck actually getting hold of the medicine, remembering I’d usually ask for the reissue as a general prescription so they have 6-8 weeks to source things and there’s always a few weeks leeway with her previous ones if they can’t before school starts.

I have the pain relief as it’s over the counter, and I have the physical epipens and inhalers but I’ve removed them from boxes and thrown boxes away for storage at home so I can’t even send those into holiday club and ask for them back everyday. The home ones go between here and ExHs house so not even a spare supply anywhere.

AIBU to be annoyed with school? And AIBU to ask how on earth I can get her into holiday club next week?

I’m a single parent and if I lose my job because of this then DD will be unable to continue her extra curricular activities that keep her so well and help not just her SN but her medical issues too.

Please help.

Will add here school are generally great and manage DD with her issues well. I've never had direct contact details for her teacher or I'd have emailed her instead.

OP posts:
LadyCatStark · 22/07/2021 12:19

You really should have checked when you picked her up but I would be very concerned about the fact that potentially lethal in the wrong hands medication was left within reach of children all afternoon!

Caretakers tend to work early in the mornings so maybe try going up to school before 9am?

Jossbow · 22/07/2021 12:20

Surely if the pharmacy that dispensed them is one you normally use, would they eally not access their records and print you off a lable to stick on the one you have?

AlexaShutUp · 22/07/2021 12:22

I assumed they were in her rucksack so didn't look until I got home.

So you're annoyed at the school for assuming that dd hadn't lost them but you didn't think to take responsibility for checking yourself? Sorry, but I think the onus was on you as the parent to check.

What I don't understand is why you can't take in the stuff that you have at home for the summer camp? I'm presuming that you must have extra supplies in case something happens outside school hours. Can't you do a handover at drop off and collection each day?

Wannakisstheteacher · 22/07/2021 12:22

Not the schools fault at all.

AlexaShutUp · 22/07/2021 12:22

Oh OK, understand now about the boxing and labelling, but can't you just sort some labels yourself?

EvilEdna1 · 22/07/2021 12:24

It is the school's fault because their medication policy is inadequate and doesn't meet DoE guidelines.

marcopront · 22/07/2021 12:26

@Polmuggle

Has anyone actually read the OP?

It's absolutely the fault of the school. No 7yo should be handed painkillers to carry around unsupervised, and a 7yo with SEN should not be responsible for getting a back of medication back home.

The OP is not about the system the school uses.

The OP is about the school following a given system and her daughter taking the medicine out.

Original poster
HelpMeToHelpDD · 22/07/2021 12:26

@tiredanddangerous

I don't understand why you can't get the stuff prescribed by the GP? Is it a supply issue with the medications?
Yes supply issue.

I have the medicines at home for use there but holiday club won’t accept them unless in pharmacy labelled box with a visible use by

OP posts:
JustLyra · 22/07/2021 12:29

@AlexaShutUp

Oh OK, understand now about the boxing and labelling, but can't you just sort some labels yourself?
A proper childcare place will need proper pharmacy labels to comply with their policies and best practice.
Canigooutyet · 22/07/2021 12:30

I assume you carry a spare set on you when you collect her from school, hence you didn't check.
Gps, online pharmacist, or 111 to get some more

And in future always keep a boxed set at home. If they'd run out of somehow damaged in school they would also need the boxed stuff.

DirtyDancing · 22/07/2021 12:33

@BernadetteRostankowskiWolowitz

It seems poor planning to not even have an at home set of medications.

If she comes home from school on any random day she may not have the medications. What happens if you need them over night/ over the weekend?

I agree. If it's this essential why isn't there back up meds? We often had eye drops not come home and things. Always get a spare ...
JustLyra · 22/07/2021 12:38

There's a major supply issue with epi-pens and has been for a while.

Might actually be worth asking pharmacies while you're ringing around what ones they do have in stock. Then if you absolutely can't get her prescribed one asking the GP if there's an alternative that can be prescribed from the available ones.

AThousandStarlings · 22/07/2021 12:42

You need a solution. Can you get the prescription medicines from your main hospital's pharmacy (the one with an A&E). They're pretty well stocked and fast/instant to issue medicines or take the prescription to a pharmacy that holds current stock. Looking forward perhaps hold spares of your daughters medicines (ask the GP for another prescription for this purpose, so if she looses the medicines you're not short or in a panic). Also I'd be a very worried about a bag of medicines lying about somewhere on school grounds (in case another child found them). At that age medicines should be supervised. Message school staff directly.

Lottie4 · 22/07/2021 12:42

I'd email and phone the school. This is just about your child's needs, they need to check if the medication is still in school, if not, parents need to know in case another child has got them stashed away at home.

DeciduousPerennial · 22/07/2021 12:47

Private GP appointment, get each item put on a separate prescription. Ring round pharmacies - including out of area, potentially miles away - to source the items you need. You’re potentially going to need to do a bit of driving.

In future, order a couple of repeats a couple of weeks early so you always have spares at home of everything.

Summertime21 · 22/07/2021 12:51

The school should not be putting such important medication in the pocket of a 7 year old and expecting that to be ok. To me that's a safeguarding issue. You should have checked before leaving the school as well. Email the school and put a message on Facebook if you have it for a contact

mrsm43s · 22/07/2021 12:57

I'm shocked that the school would give important medication to a 7 year old to bring home, and that you didn't make your own arrangements to go into the school office and collect the medication. No primary school that my children have been at have even allowed standard asthma inhalers to be carried to and from school by the child - every single medication has to be signed in and out of the office by an adult!

Are you sure they were given to her, and you weren't supposed to go and collect them yourself from the office?

Purpletomato · 22/07/2021 12:58

I don't believe for a second that the school's policies for medication allow them to let 7 yr olds be in charge of it. It's a potentially serious mistake and should be drawn to their attention even if you had loads more.

Gillgardens · 22/07/2021 13:03

I don't quite understand why if the medication is so obviously vital that you didn't check. Going forward I am sure you always will from now on. I might have forgotten other things but always checked my son had his medication on the last day of term because his learning difficulties may well have meant he took them out of his bag after being given them. Although in primary school the children were never trusted with medication, the parents always had to collect and drop off at the school office.

Is there not an automated service at your GP surgery to order a new prescription?

Thebookswereherfriends · 22/07/2021 13:03

Honestly, you can’t blame school here. I check my daughter’s bag everyday for her water bottle because kids forget stuff. If you knew you needed this medication to come home with you, then you should have checked right away at school. It’s a shame it’s going to have such an impact now, but all you can do is try to get new prescriptions ASAP.

SlothinSpirit · 22/07/2021 13:12

Why is a 7yo being entrusted with medications?

Crazy. Probaby negligent.

And now these medications have gone missing in school, a younger child could pick them up and swallow them and no one's concerned?

I'd be reporting the school to the HSE. Unacceptable on so many levels.

DillyDilly · 22/07/2021 13:14

I’m surprised the school was locked up for the summer the minute the last child left the building. There’s usually staff in the school for a while afterwards.

Where do you think the medicines are if your DD had them in her bag? Surely if they were found in the grounds and clearly labelled, you would have been contacted?

cansu · 22/07/2021 13:19

Two Options

  1. Send an email to the headteacher and other senior leaders asking whether the caretaker can let you in to find it. There should be a key holder who can do this.
  2. Phone the surgery and insist they issue more medication urgently. If necessary, ask for a telephone appointment and ask for a prescription then.
Original poster
HelpMeToHelpDD · 22/07/2021 13:39

Not managed to get hold of anyone at school but have posted on the schools general facebook (not been approved yet).

Have managed to get hold of my GP again who are going to reissue the epipens under a different brand name which is what we're struggling to get hold of.

OP posts:
Original poster
HelpMeToHelpDD · 22/07/2021 13:50

@Canigooutyet

I assume you carry a spare set on you when you collect her from school, hence you didn't check. Gps, online pharmacist, or 111 to get some more

And in future always keep a boxed set at home. If they'd run out of somehow damaged in school they would also need the boxed stuff.

Lesson learnt not to throw the boxes out at home, so at least I can send those and get them back everyday.
OP posts: