Incident at school - come and give me your thoughts.

[Newnamez]

DD is 12 and in yr7 (first yr of secondary).
On the last day of term before Easter she came home and told us that during the first lesson that day 2 'older girls' (she thinks yr9) came to the class (which had a stand in teacher that day) and asked for her by name and said she was needed at the school office by the Head teacher. She went with them. The girls walked ahead of her whispering.
By chance a TA that DD likes and chats to came out of a room and saw the three of them and asked the girls where they were taking DD. The older girls said 'the office' and the TA said i'll take over and they ran away. The TA shared with DD that one of the girls is her (TAs) cousin and said she was a ''little shit'' !! TA took DD to the office and no one had sent for her. TA took DD back to class. That's the bare bones of it. That is literally all i know.

Now, i hear about this at 6 that evening from DD and get more horrified the more i think about it. I emailed a head of year level teacher that evening. I heard nothing all easter holiday which is fine, but i heard nothing from anyone last night either. (yesterday 1st day back)

Ive told DD not to leave class unless an adult has come for her from now on.

Im going to ring the school this morning to ask to speak to someone in person about this.

Am i wrong or is this quite worrying?! How did the girls know my DD s name and where she'd be? Where were they taking her? Why were they wandering round the school? How are they going to stop this happening again?

What would you do/say?

TIA

The TA did well, she took control of the incident, and reported everything
even if she did call her cousin a little shit - it's probably true

Some 14 yo girls are very immature, particularly those truanting lessons and pulling pranks like these.

I think that sounds like a positive update and I would be happy with what has been said.

I don't know why people are questioning now the fact it was two girls - a lot of silly things usually involve multiple students. They get the attention of the other and egg each other on.

This was how girls were set up and then robbed or beaten up at my comprehensive over 20 years ago. Okay it was a very tough area, but I'd of hoped things had changed by now. Your obviously right to be very concerned.

This

Sounds as if you found a good resolution OP. I hope it has set your mind at rest.
What a totally bizarre incident!

The phone call sounds reassuring. I think there’s not a lot more to be gained by taking it further. You could check it has been logged on CPOMS ( it’s the school’s internal safeguarding recording system - but some schools have a different system) but I am sure it will have been. You have been given a full explanation so it’s hard to see what else could reasonably happen. I’d definitely reiterate to your daughter that the girls did this as a “prank” so she doesn’t pick up on your, understandable, anxiety.

@Newnamez I think my worry would be...where were they taking an 11 year old off, to goodness knows where?? What were they going to do when they got there? Were they going to stop at the toilets to bash her up? Stick her head down the loo? What???
I would be very very concerned.

Thankyou for the update OP. Overall that’s a reassuring response from the school but…

The ringleader decides to “give it a go”.
Give what a go? I’d like to know what she had in mind.
The “main girl”, in particular, needs careful watching.

I think the episode should be kept fairly low-key as far as your daughter’s experience of it is concerned.

I completely understand why you would be upset. It needs to be reported and followed up. Suppose they had tried to take her out of school? Good idea to tell her to only go with an adult from now on. I cannot believe the substitute teacher let her go.

There's not many places in many schools that are always out of sight. Toilets are probably locked during lesson time and there are often staff patrolling.

This is sounds good in the main, but why were these girls wandering around in the first place? Did the HOY have an answer about that? Surely they should’ve been in class, and if truanting then the ‘missing student’ button pressed (or whatever they have). Otherwise surely it could happen again, no matter what they say?

What if the teacher of the 2 students had pressed the "missing student" button and staff were trying to find them? Schools are big places and it isn't unusual for children to walk around during lessons. Some even have permission via movement breaks! Some of you have clearly never worked in a real school.

Thanks for your input. I’ve worked in schools for years! Wandering is a common problem, but it shouldn’t get to the point where they’re able to take another child out of another class! No school I’ve worked in would countenance this.

Can you let us know the school's response? Would be very interested to know how this is followed up...

That's a good result

It's been very unusual in all the schools I've worked in! There shouldn't be "wandering around".

Exactly.

Yes. You ask what safeguarding procedures have been put in place in order to ensure that this never happens again.

I'll add to what others have said about pupils wandering about.

I've already said that pupils were wandering around the building during my last supply stint. Not only were they bullying pupils, but one gang of girls was picking on a young male probationer teacher.

Many people are blissfully unaware of the problems which exist in some schools. I can't speak for the situation elsewhere in the UK, but in Scotland you need a strong HT who is prepared to stand up to the Local Authority. If you don't...

A pp has correctly stated that children now truant inside the building - it's much more fun that way: they can text their pals, arrange to meet up in the stairwells and loos, cause chaos...

Before I retired from my permanent post, we had a "school refuser" who came to school but wandered the corridors - an S1 pupil who had done this all through primary.

Our SLT informed us that we were to follow the Ed Psych's advice: let him be, don't confront but give "friendly gestures" to encourage him to come to class...

One day I looked through my classroom window (onto the corridor) to see this child perched on top of a balustrade with a sheer drop below him.

I was a middle manager at the time, so phoned the office to summon a depute.

When the depute started to spout the Ed Psych's nonsense to me, I said "Fair enough, but when that boy splatters all over the Street [the dining room/thoroughfare area below my room] it won't be the Educational Psychologist's name that's plastered all over the front page of the Daily Record."

Miraculously, it then became possible for the SLT to persuade that boy to enter a classroom.

Completely agree.
In my daughters school they are so strict about this particular issue.
Absolutely no wandering about.

Well done OP.
I don't believe the girls.
I have no idea what they intended but I find the confidence and execution of such behaviour very disturbing.

Take your time in your response.
I think this is a major breach of safety on behalf of the school in their care for your child.

Well done for persevering.
I would be minuting everything back to the head in your response.
Those girls felt comfortable doing what they did and that means things must be very lax.

It depends on the building.

All new builds in my LA have internal toilet blocks on each floor. These have no external door - the sinks are open to the corridor and the cubicle doors go from ceiling to floor. Similar designs (used by BAM) can be seen across the UK. It's supposed to stop bullying and vandalism, but actually makes it more likely.

Staff should be patrolling, but they don't always catch miscreants.

I work in secondary education and the fact that the ringleader is now being escorted to and from classes is telling. This would not happen without some significant previous behavioural issues. It is good the school are taking it seriously, the staff will
undoubtedly been briefed to keep a very close eye on the two older students.

In schools with good discipline, it shouldn't happen. If the pupils concerned are allowed breaks, then they should be carrying 'time out' cards or the like and if they're using them to meet up with pals, the cards need to be withdrawn.

I think you should ask for confirmation that this has been recorded as a safeguarding issue.

Nowhere have I said a school should allow it. I've explained how it is possible for students to be wandering. 14yos don't always do what they are told... Shock.