Would you be happy with this outcome?

[SloNorris]

Yr 7 DS.

I get a call from school saying DS in in first aid as he says someone has punched him in the face. He doesn't know who. He is given an ice pack

The school say he's been hit in the side of the face, and they can't say what kind of hit it was fist/ slap etc...

DS says he just felt someone hit into his backpack and as he turned to look someone has punched him in the side of the head.

They say they are checking CCTV.

Hours later I get a call saying they've checked the footage, they can't see what kind of a hit is, but it looks like it's just him 'being silly in the corridor'

I immediately say there's being silly in the corridor and there's hitting a child in the face.

My son has no idea who this kid is. Teacher said it looks 'random'.

They won't tell me kids name (understandable)
What year they're in, I feel it makes a difference. Yr7 vs Yr 10 ect
But they wouldn't tell me what his punishment would be either.

For all I know he's just got a lunchtime detention.

Would you be happy with this.

I didn't push it on the phone as I really thought CCTV would show it was an accident.

The downplaying it as horseplay really pissed me off tbh. Saying it's just silly Ness in the corridor. This kid has randomly hit my child in the head.

Would you contact the school again? And if so what would you say?

"Hours later I get a call saying they've checked the footage, they can't see what kind of a hit is, but it looks like it's just him 'being silly in the corridor'"

Sorry to clarify, they say the child that hit my son was just being silly.

My son was just walking to his lesson and didn't engage with this child at all.

Sounds like it was an accident - the child being overexcited and rough, rather than targeted at your DS.
What outcome do you want?

I wouldn't expect to be told anything about the other pupil or their punishment. I'd ask what the school was doing to prevent it happening again and I'd expect a better answer than "Nothing, s/he was just being silly."

It wasn't an accident. Even the school said it was deliberate but random?! . They said the kid has hit my son in the side of the head but they can't see if it was a fist or slap (DS says fist)

They then tried to downplay it as 'horseplay' when my son was minding his own business and just walking to class.

Punching a random year 7 in the head is not 'sillyness' it's assault.

And I don't know what the difference would be regardless of it being a punch or slap, they're both equally dangerous.

If it was an accident, I'd expect the other child to apologize tbh.
I know how crowded and crazy the corridors can get but I'd be mad with "it was just horseplay"
Do parents have the right to see the CCTV?

I’d report it to the police - this is appalling from the school.

if you were walking down the street and got hit in the face, you’d report it, so I would do in this case too. The only reason I wouldn’t was if the school handled it well which they’re clearly not.

I know your son may be concerned about it coming back on him, but seeing as he’s already being targeted - I’d also make sure he made it know the school decided to call the police in, not you or him.

please explain the rationale behind your post as it is at odds with the situation OP has presented. You’re acting like the other child accident slipped but OP said her child was walking and deliberately punched so your post is bizarre

Its probably kids just being twats.
If its not clear who it is from the cctv, and noone else will tell then id hope theyd pressurise some of the other kids to tell, or to hold an assembly on it.

I read it as if it was random act of twattery. As in not anyone bullying the child specifically.

They know who it is. They said they identified him.

If you got punched in the face would you just brush it off as someone being a twat?!

This is what I was thinking. Involving the police.

I would 100% do so if someone randomly hit me. So why shouldn't I do it for my son?

The police won't be interested and won't act.

OK. But at least I will have tried to do the best I could to show him this isn't acceptable.

They are telling you:
Your son wasn't specifically targeted
He was hit by another kid
They have identified who it was and dealt with it.

I am not sure what you want.
Do you want a say in the punishment? You won't get one.

I think you have interpreted what the school has said incorrectly. It doesn't mean the other child hasn't been sanctioned.
Going to the police would be ridiculous and pointless.

I've been in the same situation with my DS who was targeted at random and punched in the face.

I called non-emergency, they said that the best bet was to ask who the school's police liaison officer was and ask them to review.

School sounded very much like they gulped in a "who bloody told her about that", then, because I requested it, they got her in.

She called me and was actually lovely. She admitted the Police can't really take action, because of ages, but she said she was trained in "scaring the crap out of them" about what happens when you do that as an adult.

The boy who did it apologised to DS, and his parents were informed that if any more trouble occurred, further action with the Local authority would be actioned.

I would strongly suggest you ask the same as apparently schools now have Police liaison officers.

Thankyou so much, that's incredibly helpful and I'm so sorry your son went through similar. They shouldn't be going to school and being assaulted :(

No they shouldn't. It's bloody appalling.

He's all good now though, I hope your poor DS will bounce back too

Schools will, unfortunately, try and do the bare minimum if they think they can get away with it. It's why in most parent groups or WhatsApps, the same old names feature time and again. At a time when schools find it hard to exclude, you would think they would do whatever it took to teach these bullies.

It's always good to know what's available though so I hope you can find out who your liaison is

What outcome do you want?

The school have identified who did it. They are dealing with that person. What more do you want?

@SloNorris I would report it too. Community liason sounds a good pathway to try.

If for no other reason than to show your ds that you've got his back and won't tolerate unacceptable behaviour towards him.

I was bullied, punched, etc, as a kid and my parents never took any action, just expected me to tough it out.
It can make you feel worthless, as if your parents don't care enough to support you, why would anyone else?!

I just wanted to add support, because you are right that children should be able to walk down a corridor unmolested. If the other child gets off because “it’s just horseplay” the school is failing in its duty of care to both children because the other child needs to learn that it is NOT acceptable to be a prat in the corridors with so little awareness of his presence, the space he is occupying, or the location of bystanders or he is going to grow up to be an arsehole.