Ok to make a child clear up their own sick?

[FannyMcAdams]

I’d like some advice from parents out there please.

If your child woke during the night and was suffering bad sickness and diarrhoea and vomited in their bed (top bunk). Would you make them (still feeling very sick) climb back up the ladder with a bin bag and make them strip their bed and clean the mess up?
My next question is: would you expect this to happen to your child in a paid JUNIOR boarding school?
After cleaning the mess up the child was taken to the school medical centre where they continued to suffer more sickness.

I’d appreciate as many views as possible before I take matters further and to ensure I’m not overreacting.

Totally unacceptable whether at home or at school.

In no way is that acceptable, anywhere.
My little man has a lovely cuddle with a blanket and mummy or daddy if he's been sick while the other cleans up everything.

No, that's awful & i am worried that you felt the need to ask

So wrong. I view it as abusive behaviour

Ex-housemistress here. I would never have made a child do that and I don’t know any house staff who would have done. I’m appalled and so sorry for your DC 😣

It disturbs me that you even have to ask the question OP

No, no, no.
My lovely landlady cleared up after me when I was lodging (at 16 yrs) and had a horrible sickness bug.
I feel so sad for your poor DC.

I would have some very pressing questions about the qualifications of the matron/house master who did this. It is really not normal at all.

Poor kid. Certainly not ok in my book to ask a child to clean it. It verges on abusive to me.

Something similar happened at my first school, a boy was sick and the staff said he had to clear it up himself and it served him right for eating too much. I will say I was only about six and may have misremembered, but I am fairly clear. What you have described is not ok and I would probably remove a child from that kind of environment.

No! That's awful.

I do Boarding duties in a Boarding School and this would never happen in my care. I could only see a 'can you pass me your pillow' type of scenario if child was still on top bunk (am very short and bunk beds can be a challenge!) but definitely not ask them to clean up. I am an experienced teacher and mother of two but am aware that many schools fill their boarding duties with 'gap' year type students, young and inexperienced but good at say rugby. Even if this the case it is no excuse. The school needs to train the Boarding team. What age is your child? Name and shame the school!

Jesus Christ. You need to take that to the head and the governors and if they don't react completely appropriately to the newspaper. Can you imagine how they'd jump on that- 'Dickensian abuse behind the scenes at xxx grammar'

Appalling.

I think that you need to re-evaluate your schooling/life decisions

Is this post about you as a child op?

No, I'd be complaining to the school and possibly ofsted.

I couldn't physically get into the top bunk so depending on the child's age I might ask them to fold the sheets over so the whole thing was in a parcel and pull it towards me, but that would be all. And if they were too young or too ill to do that then no I'd sort something else out.

It sounds like a a pretty crap situation for a child though - we need more info OP. Your child, how old, what did you say when you found out etc etc

Unusual for prep to board on top bunks

Is this UK

That's so bloody awful :(

No not ok it’s cruel and abusive. Poor kid

Thanks everyone. I'm a single mum with no help from my ex whatsoever. My boy is 11. I've made a complaint to the school - the Head Master asked the Head of Boarding to do an investigation. He then wrote to me stating no breach had been incurred because Matron couldn't deal with the smell and it made her gag. She also couldn't climb the bunk steps which the Head of Boarding said are designed for children, not adults. My son hasn't been back to boarding since the incident. He really loves Boarding (3 nights a week) so he's gutted I'm not letting him go back.