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Primary education

Join our Primary Education forum to discuss starting school and helping your child get the most out of it.

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Original poster

illnes verses SATS

24 replies

wendymakinson · 08/05/2017 11:00

Hi. My 10 year old had an accident playing football yesterday. We thought it was sprained and put a support bandage on. This morning it looked bad and we took her to hospital. Rang the school to explain. School rang back (8 calls) and we were told to discharge her and get her to school for her exam and then we could take her to hospital after. I refused. They then called my husband many times until he came to hospital and said he had been told if we didn't take her there would be consequences. So, against my better judgement, my husband discharged her from hospital and she is now having to do her SAT Reading test whilst in pain.!! what do people think to this?? I am really mad!

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Finnellajoe · 08/05/2017 11:05

What consequences? Utter rubbish, I think I would have told them to stick it! Hope your daughter feels better soon.

sazzleevans · 08/05/2017 11:07

I would have refused but that is easier said than done. I would make a complaint!

Lumpytits · 08/05/2017 11:38

Disgusting!

BeyondThePage · 08/05/2017 11:41

I would have refused - just flat out refused - and faced any so-called consequences later.

(there are literally NO consequences that trump a child's health and wellbeing - NONE)

BigWeald · 08/05/2017 11:43

That very much sound complaint worthy to me. Consequences??? School progress statistics that don't look as shiny as they could. On the other hand, there's no telling what consequences there may be for your daughter from her injury not having been seen. Maybe none at all - maybe lifelong issues!

The point is precisely, there is no telling. The school does not have the medical training to make such a decision over the hospital!

So clearly they are putting their results over the child's welfare. Disgusting!

TeenAndTween · 08/05/2017 11:46

Mad.
All you needed to do was promise not to be in contact with other families, sort out the medical issues, and then the DC could do the test later in the week.

bojorojo · 08/05/2017 12:20

They can reschedule the test. Perfectly possible and this should have been discussed with you. There are no consequences for absent children and this should never be a threat to parents. I am truly mystified why schools behave like this. There is something to be gained if they can reschedule, if that is possible after discussion with the parents, but if it is not possible, then it is not. Schools only get this agitated about the 100 plus children. Shame your DH was not very robust in defense of his child. He rather rolled over, didn't he?

Original poster

wendymakinson · 08/05/2017 13:09

Thank you all for these responses. I am so glad I am not alone in how I feel. I agree with all the responses and now feel the consequence of taking her to school. she doesn't feel listened to. she feels forced and that her pain diesnt count for anything. there is also the fallout if being in total disagreement with my husband!

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noshit · 08/05/2017 13:13

Utter rubbish. Health is far more important. It wasn't as though it was trivial if you needed hospital treatment. I'd be inclined to complain to the governors. I hope you DD is ok btw.

PatriciaHolm · 08/05/2017 13:49

The school can apply for a timetable variation for a child who was ill and missed the test if they return within 5 days, but they also need to be sure that the child has had no contact with a child who has taken the test or had any access to the internet. Pretty much impossible to ensure in reality.

Her absence will have caused them some admin issues and if she was likely to score well, they're probably frustrated at not having her scores, but if she's hurt herself badly enough to need hospital then that's tough!

Trb17 · 08/05/2017 14:01

Mad. No way would I have discharged DD from hospital under these circumstances. No test is more important than health.

Emma1609 · 08/05/2017 14:07

Wow - that is shocking. Please, please complain upwards and upwards- consider complaining to Ofsted. Disgusting behaviour.

DoctorDonnaNoble · 08/05/2017 14:15

No consequences. The resits in secondary that were planned are no longer happening. We have plenty of students who arrive at our school without SATs

BillyButtfuck · 08/05/2017 14:32

Fuck that, complain to Ofsted.
Aren't schools supposed to act in a child's best interest and protect them?

Original poster

wendymakinson · 08/05/2017 18:17

appreciate all comments and concern. she is ok. thankfully it's only a bad sprain but that isnt the point. I told the ht that I 100% disagreed with what happened and she replied with. ok I will take that on board whilst smiling. my daughter is set to receive the highest marks in reading and I am now thinking about what happened today in a more sinister view! complaint is now being written ...

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harderandharder2breathe · 08/05/2017 18:52

Glad she's ok!
But there's no excuse for the school to have acted like that. It's an unfortunate thing to happen at an inconvenient time but these things do happen and it's SATS not a-levels! The only consequence is the schools stats not looking so shiny if she's such a good pupil. I wonder if they'd have said the same if she was behind?

Wolfiefan · 08/05/2017 18:56

I'm an ex teacher and I think education is extremely important.
NO test. Especially not SATS are more important than the health and wellbeing of your child. What if it was a serious break and more damage was done in school? And how does any child do their best when in pain.
School are B completely U.
Hope she feels better soon.

bojorojo · 08/05/2017 21:35

That's why they were desperate then - an excellent reader. If a child is kept at home they certainly can be isolated from other children and will understand instructions not to talk about it. It could have been timetabled so you took her straight into the test. However there is no need to row about it with your DH. I think that just makes it worse for your DD. None of this is the end of the world and he was pressurised into making the wrong decision. Also she is leaving the school soon so try and let her enjoy the rest of her time there. You should write to the Chairman of Governors about the continued pressure of the school and the fact they did not reschedule. The only possible defence the school has is they had a lot of absences for Sats so panicked! That's a long shot though.

ToDuk · 09/05/2017 06:58

This is awful. Please make sure you address your complaint to the governors not just the head so that the head can't just brush it aside. This really needs to be looked at.

That1950sMum · 09/05/2017 07:02

They were, of course, being unreasonable.

Having said that, as you knew it was SATS the next day it would have been sensible to get it checked out properly when it happened not wait until the next day.

Carollocking · 09/05/2017 07:10

Take it all the way as you'll be fobbed off by rubbish. From school complaint then backed up by the governors only when you get to the government complaint will you gain any satisfaction.

Carollocking · 09/05/2017 07:11

Stats mean nothing bar showing the school in a good light ,if she'd been a low achiever for sure they'd have in fact been happy if she'd not attended

mrz · 10/05/2017 06:34

Why would they be pleased?

Feenie · 10/05/2017 07:15

Why, carollocking? The absent child's results still figure in the data.

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