P E teacher. Please help.

[Chickencuddle]

I phoned in today about my daughter being denied her inhaler during PE. I asked to speak to head of pastoral care. But I got a phone call back from PEt teacher who flat out denied and basically said my dd is lying. She also said she wasn't working hard enough to be out of breath or even breaking a sweat. I said this didn't matter and she needs her inhaler. She said she didn't say she needed her inhaler.
I felt so bad and actually considered if my dd had lied although would be so so out of character for her. I spoke to dd who was shocked and upset about what the PE teacher had said. She insured me she was telling the truth and said her friend had been with her and also she had spoken to a classroom assistant after teacher told her she couldn't get it telling her what teacher had said and classroom assistant said if she didn't feel better soon she had her permission to go get it. But she told me she jyst dealt with the breathlessness and got her inhaler after PE.

Teacher mentioned that changing rooms are 10 minutes away from hall and that dd has never brought her inhaler. I said maybe that could be mentioned that next time she brings it with her. She said that needs to be something I tell her as she has enough kids to deal with. I said that's fine but I wasn't to know it was so far away. I'm only just hearing that now. Also why is she telling me this if dd actually didn't ask?

She has said mean things to dd before denied her toilet which I had to phone for. I didn't want this to be a big thing just wanted PE teacher to let dd use inhaler. But now feels like a big thing and feel like I have to clear dds name as head of year bas spoken to PE reacher and obviouslt believes this as she told her to ohone me i assume.. I believe dd. the details and things she was saying and way she was saying it. Plus I phoned friends mum and explained and asked to speak to her dd. Her dd said exactly what mine said.

What do I do now?

If she needed the inhaler then she needed it, that's clear, but that's not is what actually happened.

Noone here knows whether the child asked and the teacher refused and then lied about it, or the child didn't ask and is saying she was prevented from leaving the class for a valid reason.

I feel like I remember a previous post where the (same?) kid, newly diagnosed and having had asthma, was a massive pain in the arse about wanting to go to the toilet without any medical need, and the (same?) OP maintained that the teacher following the rules about supervision in lessons and not allowing unnecessary toilet breaks was a bully for not giving her daughter special treatment. The way this was defended seems likely to be contributing to the kid thinking she can say or do anything and be backed up against school staff.

You all sound like you're trying to shift blame. I know teachers have hard jobs I'm a classroom assistant for children with special needs. But they are responsible for the children. If a child came to me in achool needing inhaler I'd move earth trying to get them one.

I recommend a running belt designed for small items like phones or inhalers.
If she has a slight build, there is a child's version of SPI Belt that is suitable if adult belts are too large.

Not relevent to this recent diagnosis, but primary schools are often problematic for locking away emergency medication like inhalers and don't prepare children well for having to remember them for PE in secondary, not helped by the lack of pockets in kit and bags to store the inhaler in.

Of course there is a way. A school simply can't say 'sorry your child had an avoidable, life-threatening asthma attack resulting in a hospital admission, we chose not to let them go and get their inhaler.'

Who cares about a phone? If a phone is stolen, it gets dealt with. You don't deny vital medication to prevent an imaginary theft.

Ten minutes away? I know some schools are quite big but it’s a twenty minute round trip from one room to another and back? So roughly a mile?

Do they have huge breaks between lessons to walk to their next class?

No wonder she’s breathless!

Yes teacher wouldn't allow her to go to toilet for 2 hours. She had sore throat and I'd told her to drink lots of water. Kids are allowed to go to toilet. It's basic human right. I'm not expecting special treatment I'm only advocating for my child should be same for all though.
My child is doing amazing in school. Always has in homework. Has great praise off teachers and never in trouble. She doesn't take the piss. Os respectful kind and helpful. I can understand if she was causing trouble and asking for toilet constantly.

100% agree with standing up for herself and advocating for herself when she needs. I'd tell her if it happens again, good chance it will as she's only 11 and it's new, then just go and get when she needs and you will deal with it after. I've always told my daughter the same in instances with bathroom/period issues

I think it would be worth talking to the Association for PE https://www.afpe.org.uk. They govern how PE and sport is taught in schools and also publish Guidance and Safe Practice for PE and Sport in schools which would cover use of medication such as inhalers during PE lessons. The school should have access to that but a conversation with AfPE would help with you knowing what the advice is.

At my DC's school the changing rooms are locked once they're all out, so it may not have been easily available.

Hmmm I thought I remembered your self-righteous tone.

Children are supposed to be able to wait between lesson sessions (about 2 hours, plus form time til break, and again until lunch, followed by the afternoon until the end of the day) to go to the toilet unless they have a serious and documented need. Asking when you know the rule is that you'll be told no, and mithering again upon hearing it is being a pain. (And seemingly, the beginning of this pattern of trying to get out of PE lessons)

And children who don't actually end up using an inhaler at all to alleviate breathing trouble and come home making up stories about needing it but being denied seem to be the same ones whose mums phone in to say it's their human right to dictate what happens when.

Ok so this the issue. They cannot let children into changing rooms unsupervised. They’re normally locked. So it would have involved all 30 kids going back in.

She should have been sent to medical though.

You need to make a written complaint about all of the issues with the PE teacher AND the fact that you had requested a call back from the Head of Pastoral Care, yet the PE teacher called you - that is also unacceptable.

Fight it out, sick of grown adults lying to cover their own arses in professional settings.

A text book can be forgotten. A pair of socks can be forgotten.
Vital medication CANNOT be forgotten. Taking it with you should be as inherent as breathing to a Ventolin dependent asthmatic!

Except it's not a rule in their school and children go to toilet all the time when they need it.

It sounds like there’s a lot going on, it’s not just the inhaler. Why don’t you try and arrange a face to face meeting with someone at the school to get to the root cause of your concern as it’s a bit unclear from your posts. Are you concerned your DD is not being believed? Is it that she’s lost trust in the teachers and can’t speak up? That you don’t feel the teachers are looking after her wellbeing?

I’d follow up in writing to the head teacher to say you’ve had the conversation but are still very concerned. It needs to go on the record. Even if your daughter is being economical with the truth, that teacher needs to know that you won’t tolerate an inhaler being denied. That’s irresponsible and your child could die if it happens again. She’s 11 for gods sake, ignore the idiotic posters going on about how she needs to take responsibility. Yes she does, but if she forgets she still needs immediate access to her inhaler.

Not yours though, because she's starting to make a nuisance of herself across the board, what with toilet breaks, refusing to participate, and arguing, and now trying to use her new diagnosis to gain some sort of power.

If the teacher says your daughter didn't ask for her inhaler, what makes you think this isn't true? And if she was fine without the inhaler, then how did she need it?

As a teacher I have to say, parents particularly of girls, can be very blind to their actual behaviour. I’ve emailed parents about behaviour in class and been told flat out no they are not like that. I had to remove 2 14 year old girls from a lesson as their behaviour was actually unsafe - doing science - after explaining at the start what behaviour is expected and several warnings as their behaviour escalated every time I turned away from them. They had lunch time detention next day and I emailed parents. Both parents blamed the other girl. One said that her daughter was so upset and cried about having detention and has never once stepped foot out of line at school and basically that I’m just making it up.

i can see a scenario where 12 year old turns up for pe, stands round chatting not listening to the teachers instructions, teacher getting annoyed keeps telling them off, then when it’s time to start actually doing the lesson they say ‘oh I need to get my inhaler’. When they haven’t started the lesson yet.

kids say all sorts to get out of class too. I never say that they can’t go the toilet but some kids vanish for 20 mins and I have to send someone to find them.

I would have a face to face formal meeting with the head and pe teacher. She's only 11 and this is new to her. Not sure why everyone is blaming a child.

The child has recently been diagnosed. They have to overwrite their non-inhaler years, they will learn it.

Are you suggesting an asthmatic child should be denied an inhaler and potentially have a serious attack? That's not acceptable in a school, for obvious reasons.

@Neodymium it doesn’t matter, at the end of the day if you don’t believe that child then you’re taking a chance with their life.

I'm amazed at some of the responses on here. Asthma kills people.

By the sound of it this teacher denied an 11 year old potentially life saving medication and then lied about it to cover their arse. No wonder the child was upset. I would be too.

Definitely complain.

What would you like to happen OP?. Do you want the teacher punished in some way?

She's faced a patently complaint - her head of department has obviously spoken to her and asked her to call you. She will be panicking about possible repurcussions now.... Is that enough? Or do you want her sacked?

I think the compassionate thing to do would be to realise that teachers have a huge amount to deal with, including numerous requests fron kids to go to the loo, go fetch inhalers etc, many of which are just attempts to get out of class (I am not saying your daughter's was - I can't know that.). The teacher presumably assumed, in the stress of a busy lesson, that that's what it was - I am quite sure she didn't intentionally set out to murder your daughter.

If your daughter had been in the grip of a severe asthma attack the teacher would undoubtedly have sent someone to run for the emergency inhaler. I am quite sure she doesn't calmly watch children die.

I have asthma myself - I know it's possible to feel breathless without it being visible to others. Though when it becomes serious, at that point others can tell if they are interacting with you (because it is hard for you to talk, etc). But the teacher made a mistake, yes. An regrettable but understandable one I would argue.

I am sure she has leaned her lesson. I'd suggest you leave it now. Remembering there is a crisis of recruitment in teaching, and assuming you don't want your daughter taught by supply teachers who change every week and aren't invested at all in the kids......

I know this isn't the issue here but there's no way the changing rooms are 10 minutes away, think about how far you get in 10 minutes.

As for the inhaler, I'd ask to speak to the classroom assistant to try and verify what your daughter is saying.

Not if they hadn’t started the lesson yet.