Leaving child alone after club

[Rachirooo]

Hi. I am hoping for some reassurance. My son is 7

I arrived at after school club to pick my son up about 5 mins early. The TA taking the club told me that a teacher wanted a word with me. The teacher invited me inside for a chat. A chat which wasn't appropriate in front of my son.

While I was in the meeting the TA must have just left my son outside on his own and went home. In addition, the head teacher interrupted our meeting to get her stuff, spoke to my son about how muddy he was, but also left him on his own in the playground. Neither of them brought him inside where they knew I was.

Is this a breach? Surely they should never leave a child alone whatever the circumstances. Both knew where I was and could have brought him inside.

Thanks

A 7 yr old should be fine in a school playground.

my kids went out to play at that age.

For 5 minutes yes, but he shouldn't have been left for 30 minutes.

Sounds like everyone, including the OP, assumed someone else had responsibility without checking.

Huge miscommunication by the school here.

The teacher should not have asked for a face to face meeting at that time of day, and absolutely shouldn't have sat with you for 30 minutes. I don't know any school that would think this a sensible thing to do. I understand that you don't want to share the context, but this seems really mad already to me. We would never have a solo meeting with a parent after 4pm - not just for safeguarding children but also the staff.

The TA appears to have assumed, as they'd seen you, that you were now supervising him. But she should have made that clear.

Then, I can't really understand how the headteacher didn't clock that this wasn't right when she left and spoke to your son.

Yes, perhaps you should have checked on him, given the club finished 25 minutes before your meeting did - why would the TA stay for 25 minutes of unpaid work?

But the main issue is that three members of staff had communication poor enough that a child was unsupervised in an insecure area for 25 minutes.

I would say it's worth raising with the school. No "all guns blazing" etc. but explaining your concern and asking what went wrong and how it can be avoided in future.