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

Primary education

Injuries at school

11 replies

MegGriffin · 27/03/2009 18:39

Hello. If your child is injured at primary school, do you ever sign an accident book/form like you do at pre-school? I ask because my DD encountered a nasty broken arm at school and I was suprised no one has asked me to sign anything whereas as pre-school where I work, all injuries are signed off.

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edam · 27/03/2009 18:41

not round here - ds gets a sticker saying 'please be nice to me, I bumped my head' or whatever and they put a note in his book bag. Imagine the rules and regulations for schools are different to those for day care.

Broken arm does sound painful, did you not get a call?

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MegGriffin · 27/03/2009 18:47

I did get a call and took her to hospital straight away. It's no big deal really but I was just a bit suprised a bad injury like that does not require any paper work in this day and age whereas as pre-school you only need to fart and we write it down

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cornsilk · 27/03/2009 18:49

The school records it, don't think the parent has to sign anything. Can you imagine how much extra work would be involved if schools had to ask parents to sign a book if their child was injured?

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cory · 27/03/2009 18:54

School records it, but parents don't have to sign. So there is paperwork, you just don't have to sign it. One difference is that a school age child is able to tell you about their injury himself.

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MegGriffin · 27/03/2009 18:54

Ours is a big school so I fully understand they cannot get signatures for all injuries. I just thought they might want one for a broken arm but it's no biggie as I'm happy with what they are doing.

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SoupDragon · 27/03/2009 19:05

DS2 cut his head open on a log in reception and I didn't have to sign anything. There was blood everywhere from what they said. DD had a not-through-the-skin bite mark at nursery and I had to sign an accident form. You're right, it is kind of odd give the sue-for-everything culture that seems to be springing up.

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Whizzz · 27/03/2009 19:23

Hmm - I checked the HSE website & found this advice
here

Bizarre really as if an adult at work broke their arm, then the employer has to report it - whatever the circumstances.

However if a child breaks their arm at school, it only seems to be reportable to the HSE if it arises due to a field trip, due to the condition of the school/playground or due to dodgy supervision. I guess the local authority & school should keep detailed records though

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MegGriffin · 27/03/2009 19:43

SoupDragon, that's what I find strange but as cory said the little ones can't always say what has happened like an older child. That's interesting Whizzz. It's funny how some rules apply to some settings/circumstances but not others but that's life, I suppose.

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cory · 27/03/2009 19:55

Whizzz, I'm not sure that is so bizarre. If adults keep having lots of accidents at work, then that might well suggest there is something wrong with work routines/the workplace, seeing that most adults are fairly sensible about looking after themselves and don't generally career around like loonies. But children do keep having accidents by mere virtue of being children. The fact that a child breaks an arm at school says very little about the school. But if a man injures himself on a building site, then that might well demand an overview of health and safety.

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cory · 27/03/2009 20:02

Or to put it another way: if my employers make sure that my workplace is safe in itself, no dangerous cables or obvious trip hazards, then I'm unlikely to give myself concussion by careering around with my head down and my arms waving like a windmill pretending to be an aeroplane and bumping into my boss. Otoh that is exactly the kind of accident that is likely to happen to ds, however hard his teachers work to make the school safe.

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SaintGeorge · 27/03/2009 20:04

An accident at school involving a broken arm would be reported IF it occurred because of faulty equipment (pothole in the playground, inadequate safety provisions on jungle gym for example) or inadequate supervision.

If the child, for example, bumped into another child whilst running and simply fell badly then it would not be a reportable incident although it should still be recorded in the records kept at the school.

Reportable incidents are signed off by at least two individuals, the person reporting and a supervisor or person responsible for H&S.