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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To think that this was not ok and shows a worrying attitude to safeguarding?

61 replies

Hardbackwriter · 04/11/2021 14:46

Yesterday we went on a school tour for my child, who will start primary school next September. There were about six or seven other parents on the tour. The tour was done by the school secretary. When we got to one of the classrooms it was obvious from the outside (glass door) that the children in it were getting changed for PE, they were all in various states of undress including some just in pants. I assumed we'd turn back and go the other way (going through this classroom was the quickest but not the only way to the reception classroom) but to my astonishment the secretary breezed into the room and gave the same spiel as the other classrooms - 'this is year 3, they're doing gymnastics, they do this once a week' etc. The class teacher said, very weakly, 'it's not really an ideal time...' but that was it. So we all, a group of strange adults, were standing watching these children get changed. DH and I discussed it afterwards and he was quite shocked; he's a teacher (but secondary) and thought that a) it shouldn't have happened and b) safeguarding is usually such a top priority for a school that it seems a bit troubling that neither of the staff present thought this was wrong or were alert to it. It's left me feeling a bit uneasy about the school - AIBU to feel this way, am I being a bit precious about it?

OP posts:
HelloDulling · 04/11/2021 22:00

Heads, and all teaching staff, are really, really stretched at the moment, even more than usual. I’m not surprised they don’t have time to meet every potential new family.

PurgatoryOfPotholes · 04/11/2021 22:31

Totally unacceptable. Small children deserve to be treated with respect too.

alexdgr8 · 04/11/2021 22:40

don't send your child there.
you've already got the cold pricklies.
follow that.
good luck.

Theyellowflamingo · 04/11/2021 22:53

Go with your gut. We turned down an insanely popular ofsted outstanding school everyone raved about for a mediocre ofsted rated “good” school that was a million times more friendly, welcoming and helpful- which has proven invaluable time and time again. It’s a lovely school and my children are happy and learning well, which is priceless. Outstanding school is trading on a decade old inspection and reputation and has a lot of unhappy parents these days.

Complain about the safeguarding - that is absolutely appalling and even if the secretary was stupid enough to walk in while taking a tour I’d expect a class teacher to have the gumption to tell her and the tour to leave. Both of those adults should have had safeguarding training at least annually and even if they didn’t it’s basic common sense you don’t walk random adults into a room full of undressed children. I’d be horrified if my child was in that class and if I heard about it from my child I’d be complaining too.

That the requisite information isn’t on the internet doesn’t exactly fill me with confidence that their training and procedures are up to scratch either.

Hardbackwriter · 04/11/2021 23:23

@HelloDulling

Heads, and all teaching staff, are really, really stretched at the moment, even more than usual. I’m not surprised they don’t have time to meet every potential new family.
I'm sure this is true, and why I wasn't sure if I was being unreasonable to be surprised that it wasn't the head or deputy head. Tbf, though, there was only a choice of four tour dates/times, it's not like it would be a constant parade of people to show around.
OP posts:
madisonbridges · 04/11/2021 23:33

I don't agree with what the school secretary did.

When I was at primary we did PE inside and outside in our pants and vest. And when I went to secondary school, our gym kit was airtex top and pants. In fact I got my gym grade 4 and 5 certificates doing a routine in front of people (don't know who they were) in my pants and airtex top. Must have been about 15.

Different times.

HattieBlue · 04/11/2021 23:52

I was on a school tour (just me and head) and we walked into a classroom - a child had had accident so was being helped to get changed. The head immediately ushered me out and we went somewhere else. I only know it was a child getting changed as the head explained why we couldn't see that reception room. I was basically just spun around in the doorway. I was happy with how it was handled as obviously head couldn't know a child was being changed at that time and I (random person) was removed from area as soon as they were aware. This is what the school you visited should have done.

unknownstory · 05/11/2021 07:15

To me these things just raise concerns about the attitude the school have towards children and parents. It's a total lack of respect for child privacy & a lack of awareness that most parents / grandparents / carers would not want to watch other people's children in their underwear.

It's just not appropriate.
The children were not actually unsafe.
But - They were put in a position they should not have been.
Adults were put in a situation of looking at children in underwear.

The bit about admittance may he a fair point to manage parent expectations. Some parents apply for schools they live miles from then try appealing. See it every year.
But there are ways to make this clear. Some schools near us are clear about this: don't apply if you don't go to church & live out of area etc. One school tells you the cut off distances from previous years.

C8H10N4O2 · 05/11/2021 08:13

To me these things just raise concerns about the attitude the school have towards children and parents. It's a total lack of respect for child privacy & a lack of awareness that most parents / grandparents / carers would not want to watch other people's children in their underwear.
It's just not appropriate

And also the fact that the actual teacher felt unable to tell the secretary that it was the wrong time and she could come back later would bother me. The class teacher should have been calling the shots in that situation.

RevolvingPivot · 05/11/2021 08:55

Mine are 9 and 11 so although not that long ago things might now be different.

We didn't have a tour of the school before applying. We only saw the reception classrooms (not whole school) after we got in.

Still not seen dd11 school at all (covid).

unknownstory · 05/11/2021 20:46

@C8H10N4O2 totally agree. The teacher should have had the privacy of the children in mind and stopped the office lady at the door. Sounds like the woman doing the tour was too assertive & the teacher didn't say a big fat NO. I'm sure other parents would have felt uncomfortable

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