Injury at school as a direct result of a "curriculum" activity...not sure what (if anything) I want to do about it)

[DoNotsAntlers]

As part of my DTD1s (Yr3) design technology (or whatever it is called) activities todays activity was to make a sandwich.

She came out of school with quite a nasty cut to her thumb and finger - to the extent that she appears to have actually cut through her nail on her finger and into the skin below the nail. The cut on her thumb is quite jagged. She was cutting apple with a vegetable knife. Looking at the state of her tumb it appears that it was a fairly blunt vegetable knife - but IME that makes it worse in some ways as a blunt knife is typically more destructive.

The teacher is aware that she has done this as she has recieved first aid - and has a plaster. BUT I have no incident report (and no explaination from teh teacher) - which is more my concern than the actual injury. If I did this in work I would have to report it as an accident - and it would be followed up with an investigation and actions to prevent it in the future.

On the one hand I don't want to check up as I don't know that it hasn't been appropriately recorded....but I do feel that I should get a "bump note" the same way as I do for playground bumps to explain what has happened.

I am upset that they were using vegetable knives to cut apples...banana's, mushrooms etc. which are softer and easier to handleI can understand but a sharp knife with apple - I wouldn't let her do that at home. And I am upset at the lack of explaination. I am concerned that it hasn't been appropriately logged....

I realised I was being slightly overprotective when my son at 13 asked if he could have a proper pair of scissors as these plastic ones didn't cut properly

Hmm...well...I should have checked the moonwatch before posting shouldn't I?

I thought I mad it clear in the thread title and OP that one of my questions was whether to do anything or nothing....clearly the vast majority say nothing - that is fine I have followed that advice.

I thought I had also made it clear that my biggest concern related to the lack of communication - not the fact that they were using knives, making sandwiches, doing something practicle etc. I tried to say that I was a little surprised at the fact that they were cutting apples (as opposed to something which may have been easier to grip and softer to cut through) - but that certainly wasn't my biggest issue.

But I am sorry - whilst I respect that you have opions Moondog - I found the "get over yourself" comment pretty insulting and unnecessary. I asked a question - answers to that question would have been sufficient without making a personal attack at me.

TY to those who stood up for me - I think doggiesayswoof articulated what I was trying to do perfectly - thankyou.

When my mum did her teacher training teaching practice in the 1960s, one of her fellow trainees gave her pupils (what would be now Yr 4/5 I presume)razor blades to cut something up.

Now, there's something to worry about

(Needless to say, she didn't continue with teaching career. God knows what she went on to do).

Why is moondog being such a bloody cow????

It's uncalled for. OP - I had similar posts on a thread yesterday, it isn;t you, don't worry.

To add my twopenneth to the procedings (a former H&S manager & now a TA - now there's a mix!!)....as a parent, I would expect a word from the teacher to explain the injury. From a H&S point of view - kids can (and should) be taught how to cut up things safely ie. highlighting how to hold something when you cut it up. In Food Tech, kids are taught how to 'bridge' the food to keep it steady whilst cutting between the bridge.
(comparing school with the industry I used to work in is eye opening to say the least...in terms of the lack of basic H&S knowledge & procedures.

DoNotsAntlers on Thu 11-Dec-08 18:03:55

"I thought I mad it clear in the thread title and OP that one of my questions was whether to do anything or nothing....clearly the vast majority say nothing - that is fine I have followed that advice.

I thought I had also made it clear that my biggest concern related to the lack of communication"#

Yes, but I am afraid that to me would be part of the same thing: that you expect somebody else to have to do the communication for a 7/8-year-old. It does sound like babying to me, very understandable in reception, but by the time they are halfway to secondary school, I think they should be getting used to doing their own communicating. If ds hurts himself in PE, I would expect him to communicate, not the teacher to do it for him. If I cut my finger at work, my boss won't ring up my dh to tell him about it. They are growing up in Year 3; that is the point I wanted to make.

At our primary school the teacher would have come and had a word about this as the children came out at home-time.

But I don't understand what the teacher is supposed to say? What can she possibly say apart from "your child cut her finger and I've put a plaster on it", which is information any NT 8 year old should be able to convey, surely?

I have had teachers come out and explain to me how something happened. Sometimes they also included a little bit of advice aimed at the child while they were telling me. I think part of the purpose was so that the child felt cared about plus maybe an opportunity to speak to the parent. I don't know, just being nice, maybe.

There have been other times when the children have come out of school after a bit more than usual scrape and nothing from the teacher. But I usually just think that it had been assessed and wasn't considered a big deal.

Well, what I'm wondering, Whizzz,is whether the teacher actually knew about the bridge method of cutting up the apple. Primary school teachers are often straying into uncharted waters in the Food area and have received precious little training in the subject. Letting your 8 year old make a sandwich at home is one thing, having 30 children do the same thing in a school setting is another. Therefore techniques and rules have to be understood and taught - properly.

I'm afraid I don't go along with the ' let them cut themslves and they won't do it again' school.Trial and error ain't always such a good teacher and I don't need to spend my precious time dealing with accidents if I can prevent them.

And yes, OP, I think they ought to have told you if the cut is as you describe.

"the bridge method of cutting up an apple" ?

coffee just came out of nose

it stings it stings

wtf is the bridge method of cutting up an apple?

Anyone?

Fwiw I think we live in an over paranoid society where parents are unable to let go of the need to micro manage everything their precious offspring does.

Think moondog is spot on.

Um, is no-one a bit more concerned with what the apple had to do with making a sandwich? An apple sandwich?

FWIW I don't think 'get over yourself' is a very nice or constructive response to a simple query, even on mean ol' mumsnet. Blimey, pretty soon we are going to become parodies of ourselves.

I know what the bridge method is but I am not sure how to explain it...

you make a C shape with your left hand - and grasp the apple between teh thumb and forefinger. Then you place the knife in teh hole that is created above the apple and below your hand. Your fingers are then nowhere near the blade and can't possibly be cut.

And to answer Bumper....it gets worse as it was actually an apple, strawberry and banana sandwich