Are your playgrounds well-supervised?

[BarefootDancer]

How much supervision do your children get in the playground and how do the supervisors deal with incidents? What happens if your dc gets hit and supervisor/teacher is down the other end? Do you tell them to go tell the teacher? I know it is a jungle out there, but just wondering what is usual.

Supervision seems minimal although I'm never there observing it, so just my impression. Teachers on supervision never seem to pick up on anything involving dd and she is reluctant to approach them. There are only so many times you can do it really before giving up I think. Thankfully the break is only 20 minutes here (overseas) though and not a full hour.

I don't know. Ours is a 3 class entry school, so potentially around 630 children out at once. Don't think they have more than a few adults out at that. Maybe 2 for infants and 1 for juniors?

In my experience of working in or children attending several different schools, ive found playground supervision in all the schools is virtually non existent. Teachers/assistants/helpers etc stand around chatting to each other oblivious as to whats going on in the playground. If a child dare come up to them with a problem theyre soon fobbed off.

In my experience (3 children) primary school playgrounds can be quite dangerous places. I wouldn't send my under 10 child to play in local park or street completely unsupervised, but sadly, that is exactly what you are obliged to do in your average state primary school. However, I have had very bad experiences, and perhaps not all schools are as bad.

A lot of bullying and gang culture goes on, and often the "lunch time supervisors" are too busy gossiping to bother to do anything about it.

I think ours is ok - we've not had any problems with it.

Just had an incident where my 4 yr old had a bang to the head in the school play area-he cant remember it happening as he was concussed following the incident.No supervisor either saw the incident nor heard his crying.Older boys took him in and they discovered he had a boiled egg sized bump on the head.School were lucky it was not more serious but he did need to go to hospital and I had to monitor him for head injury symptoms for 12 hours.Have complained to the school but no answers.Shall I take it further or do I then risk both my children being the one with the nightmare mum?

Seemed to work effectively in dcs' schools; children were encouraged to report incidents not just affecting themselves but anything they saw hurting or upsetting somebody else, and it was then dealt with efficiently. everybody knew the rules.