DS injured by bully - advice for speaking to school please

[kateSM]

DS year 5 came out of school on Friday with large lump to side of right eye with obvious bruising and grazes. he was swung around by another child in his class who then deliberatly tripped him up. This is the 2nd violent attack by same child this school year. After the first one (DS held down and kicked) I spoke to his teacher and kept a diary of other more minor attacks. I am going into school this afternoon to speak to deputy head. I have sent an email listing all the incidents and confirming that i am concerned for my sons safety. How do i approach this?

last week my son was held in at playtime and made to write lines for messing around in toilets and making a mess. The child who attacked my son on Friday was told off and allowed to keep playing. Is this approach to discipline reasonable? My son thinks it is unfair, I tend to agree with him.

Son will not report incidents to teachers as he feels the child will only get a small telling off and then child will come and attack my son again and worse.

Any advice gratefully received. I am worried this other child could seriously hurt my son if something is not done.

At 5 I think you are right to have a meeting with the class teacher. As it sounds like you are not happy with the response you have had from the class teacher, seeing the deputy head seems appropriate. However I hope the class teacher remains in the loop as clearly she needs to be involved. At 5 it is sometimes difficult to get a clear picture of what is going on. I think with your very conscientious approach to the school that they will become a LOT more vigilant concerning your son. Good luck.

kateSM I had a similar experience in my daughter's primary school. The school handled it badly but with hindsight I could and should have made more of a fuss.
Therefore my view is go in hard straight away, take it to the top straight away, go to the LEA as soon as you think you can. Don't let the school adopt a "wait and see" attitude.
Important point, if other children see this bully getting away with it or having a minor telling off they will soon take the lead and follow suit.
Ask the headteacher if you can see the incident book. Ask to see their policy on head injuries. Why were you not informed? What if (God forbid) your child had ended up with a subdural haematoma (bruise on the brain) and needed hospital treatment. If you had not spotted that bruise, then he could have died in his sleep over the weekend.
Sorry to sound glum but that's the truth IMO.

Yes make a fuss! Every child has the right to feel safe at school. In fact it's one of the questions on the child questionnarie OFSTED gives.

Remember that no child HAS to stay in school for lunch. Schools i have worked in have sent children who cannot behave on the playground home at lunchtimes. They also have to stay with the adult on duty at playtimes. This tends to work quite well because the parents are inconvienced and the child completely removed from the equation at lunchtime.

The other stages school can contemplate are internal exclusion (child in school but not in own class or outside at playtime) for 1 to 3 days. External exclusion first 1 day then 3 days.

Do demand that something is done, no 'we will keep and eye' rubbish. Ask for a written record of what has been said and have it signed and dated by all present.

Children have the right to feel safe. Keep saying that, drop the OFSTED comment in if you can, it scares the dickens out of most senoir managers!!

Am reading this thread with interest as recently my dd who is 4 has been having issues with another girl in her class, she has been pushed over, hit with a skipping rope, scratched and shouted at by this child and I spoke to her teacher about it last week and nothing seems to of changed

Year 5 is very different from age 5

they have a duty of care to your child - how did meeting go ?

Oh yeah, sorry misread age 5. Agree it is different!

I misread too. Read age 5 rather than year 5. more serious as children older...