I don’t know what to do.

[Howisthisok1]

i work as a TA in an inner city primary school. Three weeks ago, the children went on a residential to Wales. I opted not to go. A few days ago, one of the girls told me she’d left her accommodation on one of the nights and slept elsewhere with another group. I reported this. Her parents were called in.

The following day she told me she was angry, because another girl had done the same but would not be getting into trouble. I told her she should report the other girl. She then told me that three of them had gone to the DSL to report it and were told ‘keep this to yourselves, you are too late to report it - stop throwing others under the bus.

AIBU to think this is totally wrong and you never tell children to keep quiet about safeguarding?

Edited to add he did tell the girl she could bring it up at her forthcoming meeting but that he did not wish to be involved.

Op you have been advised repeatedly to contact the LADO but have not engaged with that suggestion once. That is the next and only course of action.

If you have concerns about a member of staff, you go straight to the head. If this is true, it's a massive safeguarding breach and the head needs to know.

You have to report to the chair of governors - the issue is now with your head not having dealt with it appropriately.

Also, you're deeply foolish not to be in a union if you work in a school with such shitty approaches to basic safeguarding.

As a parent id be furious if my child was told to keep quiet in relation to safeguarding this perpetuates women not speaking up and being believed culture.

To the post who referred to complaint culture- vile comment and ignorant of the implications of not listening to vulnerable people in any situation.

As a professional I often have to follow safeguarding procedures. I would factually document the disclosures made and the actions you took and raise a further concerns with HT if they don’t respond to that I’d report to LADO. I’d also document everything as if the have an approach of retaliatory behaviour that is bullying then they need to be very careful.

I can not understand why the DSL doesn’t initiate a review of the risk assessments in place regarding supervision of children while on residential - at the very least to inform future policy of how residentials need to be managed.

It beggars belief, what would the DSL do if a child said something that could be concerning but is unclear and fail to follow through. I’d really be concerned about their professional judgement.

There’s an escalation chain for safeguarding that everyone in schools is trained in. Download the school’s safeguarding policy, and follow it. It’s the local authority I believe which is your next step, LADO I think they were called? As pps said, a word with the union might be wise for your protection, and they should be able to go through the safeguarding too.

You should be in a union. You need to rectify that immediately.

I don't know what you want to achieve from repeating the same points.
I have said twice record your own CPOMS so you have a written record of what was said (you are either ignoring my comment on this as you don't want to do this, or maybe you have already done it so could perhaps confirm that you have done so).
As you then say that the DSL is a concern, you need to do as others say and report higher up - LADO.
Others have also suggested that there should be more than one person in charge of safeguarding in the school so have you spoken to them?

You seem to be going round in circles. Either you are concerned enough to formally report it or not.

Are there other jobs in the area? TA jobs here are quite common now. I've got 2 going at my school.

Like I said much earlier up the thread, your duty of care means you report to the LADO and chair of governors. SLT and DSL of several years speaking here.

And I'm sorry this has fallen on shoulders to report your colleagues for their poor practice. You know you're doing the right thing.

Call the lado because the girls moved around to their friends glamping pods? Doesn't sound like any unsavoury adults were involved and more like silliness from a group of young girls. I'm struggling to see the safeguarding issue here

Your school should have a whistle blowing policy which should protect you whilst you report, the DSL telling students to keep things to themselves is a serious issue. If this does blow up you could be investigated as you also knew and didn't act on information. It's a tricky place to be when colleagues are involved but children must come first. Hope it all gets sorted x

Well there is your answer. If you want to be forced out of your job but be 'in the right' go ahead but make sure your union is behind you and record everything

You are comparing CSA to a group of girls being silly at a camping trip. One is illegal and a massive safeguarding issue, one is a behaviour issue. I presume they were told to keep quiet because the only outcome is they get in to trouble. For all you know, the HT and DSL have taken this on as learning for the next trip, but you wouldn't be privy to that as you are no way involved

The safeguarding issue is that the girls are being told by the adult in charge to keep quiet about it.

I agree his response to them saying don't throw other people under the bus is suboptimal given it could be seen by a child as a reason to never report anything more serious.

But I am struggling to get my head round why the child leaving a glamping pod to pop to another child's pod is considered so serious and what you think the staff should have done instead to prevent this

Do you think a teacher should be awake all night monitoring a field in case a child exits a pod? How would this work if they then need to supervise the children during the day as well or do you think there should be double the number of staff?

Why would leaving their tent during the night be a safeguarding issue? Presumably they were also allowed to leave them to go to the toilet?
As long as no-one left the campsite entirely, can't really see what the issue was in the first place, or why anything needed reporting.

Yes, because the only outcome is they get in to trouble for leaving the tent but it is now after the fact, nobody to injured or came to any harm and they school can take this situation on board for next year's trip

As someone with a Y6 Gdd who is currently on such a school trip in Wales, I must say I’m appalled that this was ever allowed, and is now being swept under the carpet.

Surely you should be appalled at your own child's behaviour if they did this, and anyway, is it really that big a deal? Sneaking in to friends tents on a camping trip if a contained field of other kids and teachers? Heck of a lot of drama on this thread

I don't work in safeguarding so perhaps the nuances are passing me by. But it seems completely mad to me, to risk your job because there was a situation where no one was hurt, but it was dealt with in such a way that, if a completely different situation should arise in future, it might be dealt with in a way that wasn't ideal.

Of course they’re trying to cover their backs to keep their jobs. Happens all over the place.

How much do you want to keep your job would be my question to you?

Then you should join one immediately and get union support for this.

You have misunderstood my post.

You cannot expect a staff member to stay up all night on a residential. I've done many myself and kids get out of bed to go to the toilet during night etc. The kids are responsible for their own actions. They are right that there is very little that can be done about that now. The trip is over it was silly behaviour, there literally is nothing to be done about it as the trip is over. They didn't do anything kids haven't done on pretty much every residential.

Your issue is now with the teachers conduct and speculating about something that has not happened.

I agree. The OP is only a TA and wasn't even on the trip. As long as her reporting to the Head is recorded. How can this be prevented. It cant be. Stop any trips of this kind in case a child decides to visit friends in another tent?

OP I’m so shocked at some of the awful responses you’re getting, totally missing the point and minimising the situation.

You are absolutely right to take this further,

Especially if the DSL has previous form for lying/spiteful behaviour: they should not be the DSL!

Thank goodness for decent people like you doing the right thing