DD in yr 1 - I want to change her primary school - help!

[Mummybookworm]

DD's primary school has never been great with communication, they had a poor Ofsted report last year after previously having achieved Outstanding. I have lots of niggles and I want to move her. She, however is happy and has plenty of friends. My dilemma is - do I move her because I want her to go to a better school or do I leave her be as she is happy? Academically she is where she should be (so they tell me).

I am fuming today as she told one of the TA's at lunchtime that she didn't feel well. The TA apparently told DD's teacher and nothing was done. She was home an hour from school and vomited everywhere. The school did not call me.

Any advice please as I am rather muddled at the moment. I don't want to potentially move her and her then be unsettled.

Thanks.

I'd never move a happy child, without a very, very, very good reason.

But she wasn't actually sick at school? I'm not sure I'd expect a call to be honest..she must have been well enough to participate this afternoon

No she wasn't sick at school, but she told one of the TA's that she didn't feel well. They should have at least investigated it/asked her more questions and then made a decision.

People move homes all the time, changing school for most children (primary) is really easy. After a few weeks you wouldn't notice the difference.
As for your poorly child, schools very rarely send children home if they don't feel well anymore- they have to have a proper temperature/be sick in school or need treatment for an injury.

Lots of children say they don't feel well, when in reality they are fine. If your child had visible signs of illness - a high temp, drowsiness, vomiting or diarrohea then you should rightly be cross that the school didn't contract you, but if there was no visible signs of illness then the school needs to make a judgement call, which is what they did.
Don't let this one incident skew your decision making about moving schools.

When she was in Y1, my DD used to tell the TA she felt sick almost every other day. Fairly sure she wasn't the only one! They certainly couldn't be ringing home every time a child said it. All the school can do is keep an eye on your child - if they don't see any visible signs of them being ill, they will keep them at school.

In terms of moving her what are your reasons? Poor communication is a PITA but can be lived with (and once you've been in the school a while you get to understand the "rhythm" of the school year). The way your post is worded sounds like your desire to move DD is a reaction to the Ofsted report - whereas actually getting a bad Ofsted can often prompt a school to improve.

I know kids who have moved school and been hugely upset by it, then kids who have moved and been fine. The kids who were happy at the original school have understandably found it far tougher, so I agree with starball; it would take a lot for me to move a happy child.

Oh dear this is what worries me about parents sometimes being oversensitive! I am a reception teacher - I cannot tell you the amount of children EACH day that say they are poorly, if I rang each of these parents nothing would get done in the classroom as I would be spending the whole day on the phone. The teacher would have made a professional judgement (remembering she is the professional). Why are parents so unreasonable - we cant win - send them home, that annoys them - keep them at school to monitor situation - that annoys them mmmmmmmm - confused.com!!!

Insisting on being described as a professional whilst bitching about parents on a web forum primarily aimed at parents = a little ironic?

I am a parent also, and that is why I am on here.
I'm genuinely sorry if I've offended anyone, guess I'm just passionate about teaching, and just hope parents understand that everyday we strive to do out absolute best for the 30 children in our care.
I also understand that, as parents, we want to think our children ARE being given the best care.
Again, I apologise, just felt like having a rant, guess now I see it was possibly not the best thing to do.
Just really want to raise awareness that the majority of teachers really are trying their hardest.

Polly pocket - i understand what you are saying about parents being unreasonable. I am not a teacher but agree that parents can be very unreasonable and never happy.
I also think that you are a parents first and teacher second and are entitled to an opinion. Opinions are not necessarily 'bitching' as trapper puts it.

Hi PP - please don't worry about having caused offence. I don't doubt your passion and dedication - teaching is a tough gig and I certainly couldn't do it.

I don't think it's parents being unreasonable, it's more a case of one set of parents wants school to keep their child regardless of how ill they appear and another set wants schools to send them home if they say they feel ill (even if they look and act perfectly fine) and other set fall somewhere in between so it is a no win situation.

You need to be careful as the grass may not be greener ...

ps pollypocket31 - I nearly wrote a similar post

What is the alternative school? Have you visited this academic year?

Personally I wouldn't move a child unless here was a good reason. Why did the school get a worse ofsted.

Thanks Trapper Cazzybabs and Norudeshitrequired. Hope OP makes the right decision. Word of advice though, moving children when they are happy can be very stressful for them and you may end up in a worse situation. Only you can know how she may cope, and how unsatisfied you are with the school. Good luck.

Mummy

My dd is at a so called good school. This illness thing has happened to us twice, where she has not felt well, looked beyond atrocious when we pick her up and she has immediately vomited all over the car.

I agree I am amazed they did not ask questions, my DD has a lot of head injury slips, what if something serious was happening. I am sure I remember a school nurse, temperature strips and so on...

Anyway, not sure about moving unless you know the other school is going to be sooo much better.

Oh Just read what some teachers on here said.

I have to say when I look at my dc and one complains of a head ache or the other a tummy ache, I can usualy see they look OK ish. Nothing serious.

However the days I have picked one up who has been very poorly they do tend to look well very poorly.

So the blanket excuse, we care for 30 we cant spend all day ringing home when they all say they are ill does not wash with me.

Sorry.

You have eyes, you can see a child who looks, pale, listless, not themselves, quiet, dark shadows under eyes and looks like they are about to vomit.

Yes we can see that (a child who is sick). Those are the ones I send home. We have temperature sticks which we use daily, and as for head bumps, a parent is called if they needed an ice pack. But I cannot speak for every school.
We don't have funds for a school nurse but everyone is first aid trained.

Yes we can see children who look and act ill and can check for raised temps but in the absence of any evidence we would monitor the child rather than contact parents who are usually annoyed to be called out of work when the child makes an immediate recovery following collection

I have called a parent before to collect a child with a temperature (verified 4 times over the course of 10 mins by several adults). Parent then complained child was fine within an hour of reaching home - wrote a letter to the Head . She felt we should have kept her in the medical room.

Our usual routine for 'unwell' children is unless there are visible signs or a temperature we keep an eye on them in class and mention this to whoever collects them at the end of school.

Just to add, I am completely in favour of children looking a bit pesky being kept in school for the rest of the day unless they are seriously injured or sick. I would want to be called every two minutes for headaches etc.

Peaky! Not pesky. Although the pesky ones should stay in school too