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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To complain to school or leave it be

90 replies

Receptive1 · 09/03/2026 21:08

Child has anxiety and a number of other health issues going on - waiting for diagnoses. Managing school but barely, she’s very dysregulated after it. School have been supportive but it’s a huge school and there is little time to do 121. Today she said she ate her break in the toilet as outside felt too noisy, the school have a strict policy you can’t come inside during break or lunch. Some girls found her, reported her and a teacher came in and told her off saying it’s unhygienic to eat in the loo. Obviously yes, but my heart hurts for her as there was just no empathy shown. No one chooses to eat in a toilet, the only time people do is if they are struggling so I’m pretty livid at this response. Do I email? I feel like I all I do is email about issues and I am tired of fire fighting it all.

OP posts:
Receptive1 · 09/03/2026 22:11

Brewtiful · 09/03/2026 22:09

I'm going to be honest I assumed she was secondary age. You surely can't expect her to be allowed inside wandering around unsupervised at 7 years old.

I mean she was in the toilets which are right when you walk in from the playground, she wasn’t wandering the corridors unsupervised 🙄

OP posts:
Receptive1 · 09/03/2026 22:12

Happytaytos · 09/03/2026 22:11

Don't primary usually have the snack in the classroom? This seems an odd set up.

Do they really all eat snacks outside?

The telling off sounds a bit OTT, but eating in the toilet is grim and there needs to be a different plan. The way you've described everything it sounds more Y7 than 7.

Rule is everyone outside to eat snack/
play outside 🤷‍♀️

OP posts:
Brewtiful · 09/03/2026 22:14

Receptive1 · 09/03/2026 22:11

I mean she was in the toilets which are right when you walk in from the playground, she wasn’t wandering the corridors unsupervised 🙄

But if she's not meant to be there and no one knows she's inside then regardless she is unsupervised.

It's also pretty normal for children to eat their snack outside on the playground after Reception in my experience.

BadlydoneHelen · 09/03/2026 22:15

It’s not that unusual to have a rule that children aren’t allowed inside at break/lunchtime surely? If children can wander in and out there wouldn’t be any suitable supervision

Bitzee · 09/03/2026 22:19

I know you say no one chooses to eat in a toilet but if she’s only 7 she might not actually understand why it’s disgusting to do so and how she risks making herself ill. And schools will also have rules to discourage silly behaviour in the toilets. So I do get it. She wasn’t supposed to be there and it’s an inappropriate place to eat.

I still think it warrants a chat (no complaint) with the school though. I would ask to talk from the point of view that you hadn’t realised she was struggling so much at break and suggest that as an adjustment for her anxiety she be allowed to eat her snack in the classroom supervised by her teacher or a TA then go out to play or to the library depending on how she’s feeling?

Watchoutfortheslowaraf · 09/03/2026 22:23

I can understand why you feel so worried op. From the schools POV, they can’t have children inside because there is no supervision and 7 is very young to be wandering around inside unsupervised. Even if she’s sensible, they have to cover their backs, supervision wise.

I would expect the school to have a quiet area in the playground though. My dds school has a little wooden gazebo to the edge of the yard where no footballs can go. It has books and cushions in it. I would speak to school and explain her issues and ask what could be put in place for her outside to help her. I don’t think you’ll be able to ask for a member of staff to be inside with her 1:1- they will likely be on duty outside or needing to prep for next lesson, have a quick drink/use the loo etc at break time

bowlingalleyblues · 09/03/2026 22:25

My kids primary have an inside ‘nurture’ room for children who struggle with the playground, I was able to access it for my kids when one broke an ankle and for the other when she had friendship issues, it was ‘prescribed’ by the pastoral care officer - I spoke to them on the phone and they arranged it. Could you ask about an adjustment like that for your child?

WallaceinAnderland · 09/03/2026 22:28

suggest that as an adjustment for her anxiety she be allowed to eat her snack in the classroom supervised by her teacher or a TA

They will be getting a quick break themselves or supervising the children on the playground. Staff are so thin on the ground there won't be a 1-1 available to sit indoors with one child at breaktime.

SemiSober · 09/03/2026 22:34

WhatHappensAtBookClub · 09/03/2026 22:00

I mean it’s fairly gross to eat in a toilet but why won’t you answer how old she is?

Such a helpful response!

hopspot · 09/03/2026 22:36

Bitzee · 09/03/2026 22:19

I know you say no one chooses to eat in a toilet but if she’s only 7 she might not actually understand why it’s disgusting to do so and how she risks making herself ill. And schools will also have rules to discourage silly behaviour in the toilets. So I do get it. She wasn’t supposed to be there and it’s an inappropriate place to eat.

I still think it warrants a chat (no complaint) with the school though. I would ask to talk from the point of view that you hadn’t realised she was struggling so much at break and suggest that as an adjustment for her anxiety she be allowed to eat her snack in the classroom supervised by her teacher or a TA then go out to play or to the library depending on how she’s feeling?

Teachers aren’t in the classroom at break time. Children aren’t generally allowed inside as there’s no supervision.

Ella31 · 09/03/2026 23:14

Croakymccroakyvoice · 09/03/2026 22:02

No one chooses to eat in a toilet...

I work in a secondary school. You'd be amazed.

Our SEN students (and a few who aren't technically SEN) have access to our SEN space at break and lunchtimes as a quiet, safe, well supervised place to go. I would imagine most secondary schools have something similar. Primaries may or may not. It's worth asking.

Edited

Totally agree. I'm a secondary school teacher too. I also found children who were being bullied did this too , to escape or hide. I feel awful for the poor kids who feel this is their only safe outlet and I absolutely wouldn't be punishing them

Receptive1 · 09/03/2026 23:24

Ella31 · 09/03/2026 23:14

Totally agree. I'm a secondary school teacher too. I also found children who were being bullied did this too , to escape or hide. I feel awful for the poor kids who feel this is their only safe outlet and I absolutely wouldn't be punishing them

Thank you for understanding and your pupils are lucky to have you. I just feel sad the only place she felt she could go was the toilets for some peace from the screaming and yelling and running. Makes me feel sad. And to then get called out for it when told it’s disgusting 😥

OP posts:
fashionqueen0123 · 09/03/2026 23:28

Receptive1 · 09/03/2026 23:24

Thank you for understanding and your pupils are lucky to have you. I just feel sad the only place she felt she could go was the toilets for some peace from the screaming and yelling and running. Makes me feel sad. And to then get called out for it when told it’s disgusting 😥

Is there no where she can sit like a bench to eat her snack?

Iwantsandybeachesandgoodfood · 09/03/2026 23:40

Absolutely speak to the school @Receptive1. I teach and every primary school I worked at had somewhere that kids could access if they couldn’t or didn’t want to go outside. There is always a member of staff around that can and should be there for the children who find the playground too overwhelming. If they can’t accommodate that then could you try noise defenders? I’d be upset too OP, the school is not being inclusive.

MotherJessAndKittens · 10/03/2026 00:03

If she is only 7 then at primary there must be a place where she can eat and feel safe. In my town all the primary schools have a facility for this (library area in most) with an LA to support. It doesn’t matter if they do or don’t have a diagnosed need. Their teacher and LA will have assessed and recommended a safe area for the children with this need. Sometimes inside or in a designated quiet area of the playground. I agree with posters thinking she was older. A 7 year old should be looked after better definitely!

WallaceinAnderland · 10/03/2026 00:05

Iwantsandybeachesandgoodfood · 09/03/2026 23:40

Absolutely speak to the school @Receptive1. I teach and every primary school I worked at had somewhere that kids could access if they couldn’t or didn’t want to go outside. There is always a member of staff around that can and should be there for the children who find the playground too overwhelming. If they can’t accommodate that then could you try noise defenders? I’d be upset too OP, the school is not being inclusive.

OP said they have a supervised library for those children that need to be in a quiet area. She just can't eat her snack there but honestly, how long does it take to eat a banana?

Rollerbarbie88 · 10/03/2026 00:08

All schools should facilitate a quiet/nurture space, as i guarantee your child isnt the only one who requires regulation. At the bare minimum, she should be offered to sit at the school office quietly if need be. The fact she already has a classroom plan means staff should have thought about breaktimes as well.

If this isn't happening, it is up to you as the parent to advocate. I advise you speak with leadership and not the class teacher; they tend to have staggered staff breaks and are more likely to be the ones facilitating safe spaces while class teachers have breaks. They are also the ones responsible for care plans.

Eenameenadeeka · 10/03/2026 01:17

I would speak to the school because she clearly needs more support, it's very sad to think of her trying to eat in the toilets because she's so overwhelmed outside. She needs a calm space to feel safe. I wouldn't be wording it as a complaint, because the teacher was correct- eating in the toilets is very unhygienic, inside primary school bathrooms can be so disgusting i'd feel sick at the thought of a child eating in there.

OhWise1 · 10/03/2026 01:43

What is all this with snacks? When mine were at primary school, certainly when i was at school, pupils could last from 9 to 12 without having to fill their faces!
Cant you get some, ear defenders for your dd?

TranscendThis · 10/03/2026 02:11

Having gone through this for years with my ND teenager, I learnt many things.

Worrying about upsetting school staff gets you nowhere. Instead, the business like, detached, professional and assertive, yet polite approach is absolutely essential. Schools are overwhelmed atm, I believe moral is probably low for teachers having to deal with so much including a huge number of Neuro divergent kids with not much extra resource to manage their needs.

This means you will not get the absolutely necessary support your daughter needs with the ' oh please thank you, sorry to bother you approach'. I used to do this until I realised in such a difficult way.

You have strong suspicions she's Autistic. Don't ever back down on this in conversation with anyone in school or medical professionals. . Systemic gaslighting by schools and GPs is horrendous. I experienced it, I speak to many going through it now. In the end we had to pay and he is obviously ND in multiple obvious ways.

Your meeting in April - you will need to ask to meet the SENCO and class teacher.

At this meeting I would ask for your daughter to be placed on the SEN register. She doesn't need a diagnosis for this. The school will know. Ask for the school to work with you in the development of a basic SEN plan. This needs to include establishing needs in school and writing them down. One such need is social anxiety, particularly regarding lunchtimes. What exactly will school do to accommodate this? A TA? A buddy system? If there's an issue with food avoidance then obviously this needs supporting properly. The school need to assess and identify all needs.

What else is she struggling with. It won't be just this. And what exactly will they do to identify every need and then outline exactly how they'll support it? That's what the SEN plan is for. They won't have one. You'll need to remind them they should do this.

With the Autism/ ADHD assessment - exactly who is the assessing body for your area? When will they submit an application to assess? And you will need to submit your supporting info as part of it. The NHS tend to commission a third party organisation yo do the assessments. They don't do these easily. You need to push and have evidence to even get them to agree to assess.

So the above is important to ask in the meeting. It's important to note down everything then email it back to them exactly what agreed at the meeting.

Come secondary school, things can become incredibly stressful, distressing and a nightmare if things aren't set in motion now. Never trust a school who says they're doing something without specific defined detail as I've highlighted above.

You could for now write an email about April's meeting forewarning what you'd like to discuss. Eg. SEN plan, assessing needs and establishing accommodations and confirming details ref the AUTISM assessment. You could add one line at the end saying you're particularly keen to discuss issues regarding lunchtime eating as part of this. It has become apparent daughter is eating in the toilets etc etc.

Do it in one brief email like this. If you keep emailing bit parts it misses the bigger picture and you get lost in the category as that parent. The bigger picture is what I've highlighted in the beginning; SEN plan and Autism assessment. What when, how basically. Then tag on your concern ref lunchtime. They'll do something about it if they get an email demonstrating your awareness of the system, their obligations and that you are assertive! 🙏

TheBeaTgoeson1 · 10/03/2026 07:44

Just don’t give her a snack and then she can go to the library. It’s not as if kids need a snack. Surely that’s the compromise

latesupermarketshop · 10/03/2026 08:02

Even if you have a 1 to 1 on an EHCP not all schools follow it (yes it’s the law but they don’t)

She must struggle in the dining hall? Assembly? Food / school lunches an issue at school?

Diagnosis isn’t the bee all and end all what helps is an understanding head which will make reasonable adjustments for children despite having a diagnosis or not. Senco follows the head lead. You need to start at the top not bottom.

If she is eating a lunch at school - I’d leave it. Bigger issues to solve. Make her more protein breakfast to keep her going until lunch.

You can fight with schools all day - maybe they need to look for friendship help as she could be hiding too in the toilet as no friends to hang out with at break time which is causing anxiety too.

howshouldibehave · 10/03/2026 08:47

I would make an appointment to discuss this with the SENCo-she was unsupervised eating in y2/3 which they obviously can’t have but you need to discuss the reasons behind it with them.

A quiet space away from the others is ideal, but in the days of restricted budget are not always possible. We used to have a lunchtime club run by the senco every day, but she is only part time. Ear defenders, a table to the side of the hall, might be reasonable adjustments though.

Pyjamatimenow · 10/03/2026 11:47

She needs help. I used to hide in the toilets all through school. Became a lot easier in high school to hide. Teacher definitely shouldn’t have told her off.

Hankunamatata · 10/03/2026 12:28

Would a set of loops help her?

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