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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

Broken leg and schooling

46 replies

polkadotelephant · 19/02/2023 15:07

How much would you expect a school to adapt for teaching a child who has broken their leg?

Girl (aged 9 in Yr4) has broken her leg in half term holidays and is in a full length cast. Currently can’t use crutches, manage stairs or toilet on her own but is likely to get better at that.

Three main AIBU questions:

1 - toilet use. My thought is that a parent would have to go in if she cannot use the toilet on her own but after that I would expect her to be allowed use of the disabled toilet and be able to go during lessons to avoid crowds.

2 - staying in classroom (or other indoor space) at break/lunch with a couple of friends so she isn’t vulnerable to be knocked over. The school have allowed this previously for an epileptic child.

3 - classroom (this is the big one!). Her current classroom is upstairs. There are no lifts or rescue devices for an emergency. She cannot manage the stairs safely anyway. Should the school swop her class with another class so that she can attend lessons safely? I feel this is a reasonable request. I teach in secondary school and have definitely been asked to move rooms to accommodate short term injuries and long term disability. Is this also a reasonable ask for primary schools?

Thank you

OP posts:

MolkosTeenageAngst · 19/02/2023 15:57

I’m a teacher and we wouldnt be able to just swap classrooms for something temporary like a broken leg. Moving classrooms and all of the class and children’s resources etc is a huge undertaking. If one of the downstairs classes is the same year group maybe the child could join them for now but if they’re a different age group I doubt she could join them as the work will be different and swapping the entire class would be hugely disruptive. Different year groups use different books, different resources (eg: maths and science resources), make use of different displays etc. You can’t move all that just for a few weeks!

NeonBoomerang · 19/02/2023 16:01

I have an operation on both legs when I was six and had my legs in plaster for six weeks. I wasn't able to attend school (even though it was all on one floor) and I had a teacher come in daily to teach me at home. This was 1991 though, so hopefully things have changed since then.

nokidshere · 19/02/2023 16:03

When my son was 5 he severed an artery, several tendons and muscle in his right hand, the hand/arm was out of use and immobilised for 6 months.

I went into school on the first day after summer holidays, we talked through what he could/couldn't do and made arrangements for him. However, amazingly he adapted very quickly and after the first week he was able to work most things out for himself. For instance, they gave him a laptop to do his work on but by the end of the first week he was writing with his left hand. He was able to use disabled bathroom but didn't need/want to after a few days.

School are likely to want to talk to you initially and adapt where necessary but your child will adapt to their cast fairly quickly and then probably set their own pace.

Sirzy · 19/02/2023 16:05

School will need to do a personal risk assessment for her. Swapping classes quite possibly won’t be practical for a short term issue

Littlebluedinosaur · 19/02/2023 16:06

1: yes
2: fine but lunchtime possibly trickier to staff/supervise as teachers are unpaid for that time
3: no. Your child might be able to be educated in a downstairs classroom but it’s unlikely the whole class would get moved. Furniture and resources may be inappropriate for the year group etc. who would move these and when? School is unlikely to have enough money or staff to arrange this.

Bronzeisthecolour · 19/02/2023 16:08

I agree, they won't move 59 other children around for 1 child with a broken leg! They will give her work, laptop etc and she'll sut at back of another class until sge can go up stairs- should only take her a dew days to master that. I'd keep her off for a few days and get her to work at home.

SleepingStandingUp · 19/02/2023 16:19

Loo - I'd probably keep her off until she can toilet alone but yes def disabled loo access. For me it's about having a parent sat outside all day waiting for her to need a pee.

Classroom upstairs - how long for? I think it depends on what you're talking about having to move and for how long. Is there an option of yr3 or 5 are downstairs for her to work down there in some capacity until she can do stairs?

Playtime and lunch time I'd expect her to be supervised inside but by whom? Who doesn't get a pinch break? And no one should be made to keep her company

LIZS · 19/02/2023 16:24

The school would need to do a risk assessment, personal emergency evacuation plan, care plan. What about provision during pe or swimming lessons. Is she likely to be on crutches soon or in a wheelchair? I'd be surprised if parents were allowed on premises to assist toileting but definitely access to disabled toilet. Check the website for any policy and give them a ring tomorrow to arrange to discuss.

felixfeline · 19/02/2023 17:06

My DC badly sprained her ankle so I hear you (not as bad as a broken leg but still a significant injury). She is also on crutches but is now just about hobbling. In all honesty, I wouldn't be sending her in if she was as immobile as your DC. I don't think they can really expect her to be there, certainly not at least till she has mastered the toilet and the crutches

Original poster

polkadotelephant · 19/02/2023 17:11

Thank you. She’s not my child but a close friend. I just wish I could help her out. 😞
My experiences in secondary are definitely different to primary as we would be expected to move rooms but I understand that this would be different in primary. My own son is disabled so I know what needs to be done for a long term disability but wasn’t sure if the expectations would be the same over the short term.

OP posts:

eatdrinkandbemerry · 19/02/2023 18:33

My five year old broke his leg and full cast with tip toe positioning so he couldn't even stand for 9 weeks.
His school made me sign something to say a TA could help him in the toilet.
He had to use a wheelchair so was allowed out at playtime but supervised as he was ace at propelling himself along but the didn't want other kids pushing his chair.
All downstairs his classroom but i the odd occasion he couldn't join his class he worked at a desk in the headteacher's office or reception.

Bluevelvetsofa · 19/02/2023 18:41

My granddaughter broke her leg when she was five and in Reception. The school only permitted her to be in, if she had a parent or grandparent with her. They wouldn’t allow a TA to go to the toilet with her, so she had to be at home quite a bit, until she was able to get about on her own.

handmademitlove · 19/02/2023 19:21

If the school are reluctant to allow her in I suggest you ask them to urgently contact the school nurse to work it out. My Ds (yr6) has been in a cast since Christmas - only took a few days to be competent on crutches enough to get to his classroom and toilet. I drive him to school - have permission to use the staff car park. The stairs would need someone to supervise, or parent to escort at start and end of day, with an evacuation plan written up in case of emergency.
When my other Ds broke his shoulder they couldn't put him in a cast due to the location on the injury and the head tried to say he couldn't go to school due to risk. The consultant was quite clear that there was no reason he shouldn't be in school and it was up to school to find a way to make it work, as he was well enough to be there.

greenacrylicpaint · 19/02/2023 19:28

when dc had a broken leg they went to school almost as normal. however was very cabable wth crutches almost immediately and toilet wasn't an issue.
dc had a buddy (rotation daily) to carry bags & books. was outside with the others for the longer breaks but not the 5 minutes ones.
was still expected to attend pe but did other activities whilst there.

wishing a speedy recovery.

Badbudgeter · 19/02/2023 19:33

It’s worth asking the consultant for a letter to confirm that dc is medically allowed to be in school. When DS broke his elbow we had to bring a letter in to say he was ok to go back.

He stayed in for breaks. Wore joggers not trousers. School gave painkillers. I gave paracetamol in morning. School gave ibuprofen at lunchtime as we were told to keep on top of pain meds.

LeFeu · 19/02/2023 19:35

I was a bit older when I broke my leg, in secondary school. I had a cast up to my thigh with a slight knee bend. I coped with upstairs classrooms by going up and down on my bum 🤷‍♀️ Seemed fine at the time! I was allowed to wear whatever bottoms I wanted to make going to the loo easier, and stay in at break. Is there only one class for her year group or 2/3? Perhaps she could join a different class for a bit?

AuntyMabelandPippin · 19/02/2023 19:35

Two of my DC had broken legs at Primary.

There was no lift, but they could get upstairs themselves. The school happily accommodated them, the only comment was that if the fire alarm went off they'd have to have a fireman's lift from the headteacher.

WhatHappenedToYoyos · 19/02/2023 19:38

Find their policy on the website for pupils with medical needs and read it. In there it should detail accomodations they will make in addition to their duties to support attendance for pupils with short and long term medical needs. I've had to write the policy for my own school so am familiar with these things.

Once you've got their policy you can then decide if your expectations are reasonable.

Oigetoffmylawn · 19/02/2023 19:59

This happened in my kids school.

Child could not return to school until they could safely move around on crutches and toilet independently. Until then work was sent home. It was the same set up in terms of upstairs classrooms and they could temporarily move one of the other classes due ages and resources.

lailamaria · 20/02/2023 00:36

@Tiredalwaystired my primary school didn't, it was all on one floor, my high school did, i'm a wheelchair user so i wouldn't have been able to go to any of the schools we looked at if there wasn't a lift, i can't really do stairs at all, I get the buildings old that's not something i took into account it's still baffling to me though

CupidCantAimStraight · 20/02/2023 00:49

I broke my knee when I was in secondary school and was in a full length cast. I don't remember any special adjustments except not having to do PE, a friend carrying my lunch tray and books (backpacks were strictly forbidden), and my parents collecting me from school by car rather than walking home. My school had a LOT of stairs and we changed classrooms every period.

You definitely can do stairs in such a cast, and the loo too... The best thing you can do will be to teach her some techniques to manage those things herself. I distinctly remember it being easier to manage stairs if I ran the crutches up the riser of each stair before plonking them on the treads - it helped with proprioception.

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