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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To be fuming that school didn't inform me my 5 year old ds was pushed off the climbing frame and has huge lump on the back of his head!!!

42 replies

CharlieBoo · 06/05/2010 18:58

Soooo mad. My mum picked my ds up from school today and as on the way home he told her he was pushed off the climbing frame and his head hurt. Mum felt his head and had a huge lump there. Teacher didn't mention anything. My ds is fine but nipped him up to drs and dr was more concerned about not knowing how far he fell. Ds said he told teacher but she didn't say or do anything. Am quite cross at this, and think I'm going to have big words tomorrow. Am I over reacting??

OP posts:

strawberrycake · 07/05/2010 08:16

At break in our school it's 240 children to 2 teaching staff, a similar ratio to most. Down to 1 for a few min if one has to take a child inside for an injury (we do try to send with other kids). Unless you've got superwoman on duty things will be missed. It's not neglience in this situation if a small fall is missed, it's human. Before anyone suggests about putting more staff on duty all staff give up their morning break to go outside on a rota, thus working the entire morning without so much as a toilet break, and I don't think w'll be hiring anyone for 15min a day!

ilovesprouts · 07/05/2010 08:21

YANBU ,my dd got pushed down some steps in y9 school never rang me i had to take her to A&E big bruise on her ankle,head,and by her kidneys boy did i go mad !!id go in to complain

seeker · 07/05/2010 09:03

There is a huge difference between taking the word of a 14 year old and a 5 year old about what happened.

Don't complain - find out what happened.

Do people take children to a and e for bruises? Or to the doctor because they bumped their head and lunch time but were fine all afternoon? I must be incredibly neglectful!

mummytime · 07/05/2010 09:21

At my DCs school, young children always get a sticker if they bang their head, older children are sent with a note. All accidents should be recorded in the accident book, this doesn't happen but all head injuries should be recorded.

You need to inform the school that your son had fallen and hit his head. Is it recorded? And ask for details about the schools policy.

This is a health and safety issue. If he has a big lump, with a different skull structure he could have had concussion.

But children do not always tell when they have been injured. I once collected DS with a wound which was bleeding on his leg, he had not told anyone about it.

Sonilaa · 07/05/2010 09:27

a+e - not just for a big bruise. but if the child still complains of a headache a few hour after, yes!

seeker · 07/05/2010 10:07

Proper headache - of course. But sore round the bump no.

ZZZenAgain · 07/05/2010 10:11

have you spoken to the school about it?

ilovesprouts · 07/05/2010 11:07

id still follow it up tho,school told me to take my dd to a&e due to pains by her kidney ,girl got 2weeks susspension did it on purpose ,lots of ppl saw it i mean was down 20+ steps

Cretaceous · 07/05/2010 11:25

Blimey, ilovesprouts, think that's not really a comparable situation. How awful for you and dd. Why would anyone push anyone down a flight of stairs? You must have been horrified.

OP - I think that puts an accidental overlooked bump on the head into perspective, though. Obviously the school should have mentioned it, but I'd save your fuming for a more serious situation. (And you don't know the full facts yet.)

wannaBe · 07/05/2010 11:32

was death and brain damage from bumps to the head common place in the 70s/80s then? Because I don't remember all this hysteria over bumps to the head when I was at school, and I know that falling off things was quite common place, and yet I don't ever remember anyone being rushed to a&e and yet they didn't drop dead either.

Sonilaa · 07/05/2010 13:53

well, two peers "dropped dead" when I was at school. one with a crushed voice box the other after a fractured spine after falling onto the back of the head... both unpectacular falls as far as I can remember...

SeasideLil · 07/05/2010 14:07

Even if someone is actively supervising a climbing frame or ropes, they might bend down to comfort one child and another might fall off! It's unrealistic to think you can look at every child all of the time. My daughter came out of school with a cut on the head when 4 and I was initially angry no-one noticed, but when I questioned her, she had told a dinner lady that she'd fallen but was ok. She hadn't noticed the cut herself, it wasn't reported and so there was no note.

I'd chalk it up to experience unless you are absolutely sure he told someone he'd banged his head and they then didn't let you know.

olderandwider · 07/05/2010 16:12

wannaBe - I fractured my skull falling off a slide onto concrete when I was 7. No, my parents didn't sue, but I got 6 weeks off school .
I still remember the tall "apparatus" in the school playground, with the long ropes that the naughty boys used to climb up during break. From the top, it must have been a 10 feet drop onto solid concrete. Those were the days indeed.

giveitago · 07/05/2010 16:18

YANBU and you are lucky he said what had happened.

My ds tells me nothing so I'd rely on the nursery and school soon to tell my EVERYTHING. If they don't there could be problems.

Recently ds came home - seemed off sorts - said nothing - luckily nursery phoned to apologise that they'd forgotten to say that he'd had a fall - I checked and there was a huge lump on head so I could take him out of hours to have him checked out - if they'd said nothing I'd never have known.

rhondajean · 07/05/2010 21:25

Can I ask here whether the rest of you would expect notification home if your child was treated for an injury at school?

Long story to this - I wont bore you - just wondered what normal procedure is in other schools. I was told they dont notify parents unless its a head injury, as they have too many children to deal with with injuries every day (whole other issues there!) and also never do so in writing.

Thanks in advance for information.

seeker · 07/05/2010 22:09

At our school the first aider writes on a sticker and sticks it on their victim's jumper. My ds often comes out with 3 or 4 stickers! Some of them are quite funny - "accidentally kneed in the privates" was my favourite.

But all i do is say"OK now?" Child says "Yes, fine" and then i throw the sticker away.

sleepingsowell · 07/05/2010 22:14

I've only ever been informed in writing of head bumps.

Other things DS has told me about (or it's obvious because he's got a plaster on his knee or something)

I think the offices in schools probably see lots of kids each day with bumps of one kind or another (and lots of kids who 'need' to be treated for something because they have had a little bump and feel a bit down and need it acknowledged!) I imagine if the office had to put all of these, every day of the week, in writing, it would add up to a lot of time, effort and paper that could be better directed elsewhere.

It's school, not nursery and most 4/5 year olds can cope with telling mum they had a minor scrape.

If it's a head bump though yes of course it should go in writing, just in case. At DS' school they write, and give the child a sticker to wear home.

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