Overreaction about glue gun incident at school

[backinthestoneage]

https://www-thesun-ie.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/www.thesun.ie/news/8810155/furious-mum-school-son-burn-glue-gun/amp/?amp_gsa=1&amp_js_v=a9&usqp=mq331AQIUAKwASCAAgM%3D#amp_tf=From%20%251%24s&aoh=16912722078861&csi=1&referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com&ampshare=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thesun.ie%2Fnews%2F8810155%2Ffurious-mum-school-son-burn-glue-gun%2F

Resulting in a teacher misconduct hearing
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/teacher-misconduct-panel-outcome-ms-sarah-mead

No wonder more and more staff are unwilling to do activities and trips. If the slightest thing goes wrong there will be a petition at the school gates and a public hounding

Rediffusion? Should read resign.

Yes, you don’t put Vaseline on a burn. On the healed new skin 1-2wks later, yes it’s ok to use. But directly on a burn- absolutely not.

You did not only say that it was recommended treatment later while neglecting to mention by “later” you meant after it’s healed- you said I didn’t know what I was talking about referring to when I said don’t put Vaseline on a burn regarding a first aid situation. When I do know what I am taking about- that’s a personal attack btw in which you’ve been deceptive in how you present the facts.

It’s not a mere comment.

The report from the panel states that the child initially didn’t want to show the burn, the teacher tried to send him to the medical room and he refused to go, so she told him to run it under a cold tap - which is the correct first aid treatment for a small burn.

her only mistake was in not completing the accident book in a timely fashion and not ringing Mum, which given the other things she was doing after school, seems an understandable omission.

Mum was on the warpath from the outset - I can’t believe her response to all this was to go ‘sad face’ to the media, rather than speak to the school on the Monday morning to find out what had happened.

All could have been avoided if the teacher did a quick risk assessment in their head and thought I have a class of excitable 10 year olds, I am alone and I cant supervise this heat gun sufficiently in this environment so unfortunately it just cant be used.

An injured 10 year old child refusing treatment should have been referred elsewhere to deal with, not forgotten because busy elsewhere.

The teacher has admitted a string of bad decisions and lack of action. While I dont think they should have been encouraged to resign, and I dont think the parents should have gone to the papers, they should be thanking their lucky stars a child was not more seriously injured due to their poor decision making.

The mum is massively over reacting- that could easily have been treated at home.

however it should have been reported. Misconduct panel is way ott.

Speaking as a 15y teacher, this is a horrifying situation, and something that could have EASILY happened to any teacher I know.

She was seriously let down by her school and the school trust, whose initial actions were not to support her, but to throw her under the bus. A long-standing, respected senior teacher, with a previously unblemished record.

The parent is a piece of trash, but I'd like to hope that as the boy grows up, and hopefully enters the world of work himself, he realises - and is sorry for - the role he played.

@WorryWorryWort

IMO the child clearly knew he was in the wrong hence hiding the injury from the teacher! He was not in that group of children and had been sent back to his group. He deliberately disobeyed his teachers instructions.

Yes the teacher made a mistake but admitted it. The fact her headteacher did not support her is absolutely appalling!!

It's all ridiculously overblown nonsense from the mother and why on earth the sun thought it appropriate to publish this non-story in the first place is disgusting! This could have had catastrophic repercussions for the poor teacher involved and it is testament to her dedication to the profession that she is still teaching!

He was sent to the medical room but refused to go. The teacher did her best and told him to run it under a cold tap.
For me, all this does is highlight the unreasonable number of responsibilities teachers have and the lack of TA shows the impact of reduced funding. When you have so many responsibilities and tasks to do each day, it is no wonder something is forgotten. It has happened to me many times.

The HT didn’t tell her to resign, that was advice given to the HT by HR.

The tribunal found her culpable- the facts are she made serious errors.

She hasn’t lost her career. She’d already gotten another teaching job in a different school as there was character statements from her current HT.
The Tribunal decided not to do a prohibition, so she’s still got her new job.

Then you will know the nhs don't use 1st, 2nd and 3rd degree anymore. They use categories, the first two categories are superficial ....not full thickness burns which would be what you're implying is 3rd degree. The doctor says superficial. You are incorrect.

He is a 10 year old child and they make mistakes, and the fact they were moving around groups and the teacher knew they couldnt control this adequately in a classroom alone is a further indication of the extremely poor decision to allow the heat gun to be used.

Agree fully if shouldnt have gone to the papers, but still it should still have been a formal complaint to the school and handled appropriately as it would have been in any workplace where an injury occurred due to safety procedures that are in place (risk assessment) to avoid accidents are disregarded. In our workplace it would have been a final written warning and a period of retraining/supervision - and we dont even deal with children! this is not a scenario that is only seen in schools.

The child was sent to the medical room, he refused to go.

The parent should have been told by the TRA to go back and follow the school complaints procedure as is appropriate. This is what Ofsted would have done.

A school with glue guns that the children can use? Bloody hell, we barely have enough white boards and pens! <missing the point of the thread>

Read the full report. The child refused to go to first aid. The child refused to go and run it under water. The child should not have even been in that group and was most likely being a pain in the arse and thinking he could do whatever he wanted whenever he wanted.

This poor teacher. I think this mum is one of those parents we hear about often on here, and the son felt he was entitled to do whatever he wants and the teacher has been the one to pay the price.

It says on page 7 that the mother did email a complaint to the Trust.

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1176471/OFFICIAL_SENSITIVE__Sarah_Mead_SoS_decision__R.pdf

This report has made my blood run cold as a primary teacher. It really could have happened to any teacher. At the end of the day, it is a workload issue. The teacher correctly dealt with a more serious safeguarding incident in her role as DSL, after she had done the gate duty. It is so easy too see how calling the parent slipped her mind, especially after the child had minimised the injury by first of all neglecting to tell her and then refusing to either have first aid or run it under a tap.

Year 6 children should be able to use a glue gun in the classroom. They are about to go to senior school. The DT curriculum in primary schools has already been whittled away to nothing. In the past, I have taught children as young as Y3 to use hacksaws. Would I do it now? No- too risky. Not because the children aren't capable of handing such tools properly once shown- but because the risk of them not listening and parents then behaving as this parent has done is too great. It is too much of a personal risk for the teacher. Who loses out? The children. They are becoming deskilled and increasingly afraid of their own shadows.

Soon there will be no activities in schools that haven't been risk assessed within an inch of their lives and no school trips or residentials because honestly- what teacher will take the chance? Especially when like this teacher, when something does go wrong (and she admitted her failings from the outset) there is no support from the school or more senior management. You are hung out to dry.

Exactly this. In the head's position the child would no longer be able to participate in any activity, routine or otherwise, which could cause him harm. No trips, supervised in PE, a risk assessment if child needs to use a pencil and ruler...the whole 9 yards! Whole thing was an utter shit show.

The Mother is appalling. Shameful behaviour. Who goes to the sun?

Millicent you come across as having a huge thick chunky fry on your shoulder.
Why is that?

It really makes me wonder if the teacher had input with the mother previously in her DSL capacity which may help explain the response from the mother about going to the sun etc.

Someone who wants a payout as she was probably paid by The Sun for her interview. I wouldn't be surprised if there was a lawsuit in the offing.

My understanding (from the other thread on this that links to the formal hearing) is that she had to attend to a serious safeguarding issue so was not able to contact the parent at that point

I suspect you're right.