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

I cannot believe people are getting hung up on what might happen to the lovely TA if OP reports what was said,given the potential seriousness of the situation.

At my kids' secondary school there was a flow chart on the website saying who to contact first in various situations, and it's pretty much always the form teacher first. They then escalate accordingly.

Agree re: Bulger. 😔

Never forget that. My eldest had just need born. I've got 4 DDs. Big age gap between 3 and 4 !

How bizarre. Very odd that two girls were out of lessons roaming around the school?!

Going to compose email now. While juggling 2 year old and toast!

@Newnamez Honestly, I would ask to speak to the headmaster about this. I appreciate it's probably not protocol but I'd be worried it wouldn't be taken seriously enough.
I can understand why more and more parents are homeschooling now!
I hope you manage to get a satisfactory outcome to all of this, OP.

Worrying. Thank God for the TA

OP how does DD get home from school?

Thoughts are if this IS picked up by school today and the girls are questioned, is there any potential risk to your DD outside of the school?

Girls can be really horrible. A friends DD is absolutely beautiful and there were some girls who invited her into town shopping with them. Only they weren’t intending on shopping - they were intending on beating her up. The only reason their plan got foiled was her older DS was also at the same school and heard a rumour about it.

Every September we have an updated Safeguarding presentation. Every member of staff at school whatever their role have it drilled into them that safeguarding is every bodies responsibility.
I'm disgusted with the receptionist.

As a teacher myself, I would have rang to check first before I sent her out.

Run of the mill in most schools for pupils to take messages.

TA shouldn’t have said that, but that isn’t the biggest issue here.

That was my immediate thought as well, that’s really scary and I’m surprised the TA hasn’t reported it herself OP? Might be worth speaking to the TA yourself too maybe? Though the cousin conflict could muddy things.

you’ve definitely done the right thing - receptionist sounds super unheflpul. Don’t drop this you’re completely right to push the heads and safeguarding lead.

well done for advocating for your daughter

Good luck! Keep us posted. I would want to speak to someone immediately too.

Not in my experience.

Pupils should be in lessons, not running around school delivering messages.

Really?
Primary school maybe, but I never heard of that happening at secondary school. It's one thing sending 2 well behaved 8 year olds to take a message to another classroom while the rest of the class catch up on their colouring or whatever. But removing a couple of 14 year olds from a maths lesson seems unlikely.

If a school uses students as runners, they are given coloured lanyards with their names on. If they bring messages, it is for the class teacher only.
If a student is required urgently in the office, either a member of the office staff will come and collect them, or there will be a verified note from the runner.

Reception sound wilfully obstructionist. Email, form lead, head of year, safeguarding lead / assistant head at the very least, and the head teacher (if you feel appropriate for situation) and ask for a meeting. It is all very bizarre and clearly something off.

Those girls out of lessons sounds like the incidents we used to have before tightening up toilet permissions. They would ask to go to the toilet, some kind teacher would allow it, but they were arranging to meet up with friends.
Anyway, corridor cctv should identify the girls in question.

I would put everything in wring to the school even if you meet them follow up with an email.
They can deny anything said in meetings, I have regrets that I trusted the principals word in a bullying situation.

Don't drop the TA in hot water by mentioning the 'little shit' comment.

The TA both gave your daughter a useful heads up to be wary of that girl and also got your daughter away from a potentially dangerous situation.

Yes, I agree. You'd think the Safeguarding Lead would be on it, as soon as this report emerged. Very concerning.

I think reception are right. The most they would be able to do is also send an email to the relevant staff saying they had taken a phonecall from Mrs X regarding an issue that happened on X date and could someone please contact her immediately regarding this.

Have sent a simple email to Head of year ( they don't call them that at this school they call them 'teaching lead') saying
Dear Miss X
I would like to request a meeting with you asap about the incident i emailed you about previously.
I would like to request that the safeguarding lead be present. Miss Y i believe.
I can't do today but can accommodate any other day this week.

don’t be fobbed off OP! They need to address this asap, it’s in their own interest. I’d expect a reply to your email within 24 hours. And I’d rock up at school tomorrow if no reply