Injuries at school

[Returning]

DS broke a bone at school yesterday playing Rugby. Now my initial response, and likely the response I'll keep, is 'oh well, these things happen!". However, should I expect the school to make any contact with me as it happened during a lesson. I could argue that it happened because with all the rain after a prolonged dry spell the ground was particularly slippery. I have no intention of causing a fuss over all this, DS should recover with no problems, but I'm just not sure what to do/expect?

DS has lessons on 2 instruments and I pay for him to belong to a couple of music groups - he won't be able to take part in these for a number of weeks (I don't know how long yet). Should I do anything about this?

Genuinely interested in what others should do as I'm unsure if I'm being too passive about the whole thing - DH thinks I may be.

Well the only time one of my children was injured at school - and in a far more minor way than a broken bone - I was called by the school nurse after she had treated him, and then a very apologetic head of year quite late in the evening as he had only just heard about it.

The HOY checked how he was and then explained what the school were going to do to minimise the chances of it happening to another child.

It was an accident, it wasn't something you would expect to happen, but given it did the school quickly came up with an idea to reduce the chance of it happening again.

So for a broken bone I would expect a call.

Thanks. That's my general response too, but DH thinks that perhaps more consideration should have been given to the conditions. On one level I agree with him, but I don't really agree with all the Health and Safety madness like not playing conkers etc, and I know that making a fuss about this sort of thing doesn't help.

Waiting for a fracture clinic appointment to find out how long its likely to be in a cast. Then I'll decide whether its worth doing anything about the music lessons or not.

Thanks Silas. That's the sort of thing that I would expect. The school is very organised and generally very good at communication, so we'll see. The reality is that if they make contact with us in the way you describe, my DH is much less likely to take it any further - communication is very powerful!

For a broken bone, i'd expect a call from the school. Did they take him to hospital or did you take him in the evening? A boy in my DS's class broke his foot a couple of weeks ago and all the teachers are fussing over him.

I know my DC's (private) school have insurance for the pupils so maybe if your son's school had this, they would be able to claim for the missing music lessons? It's worth asking the question.

my son broke his arm playing "it" on the playground.

The school called and said that "maybe" he was hurt "a little bit", and could I pick him up, if I had time, but it was probably not serious.

When I came to school, he was a shivering wreck with a limp arm, and in A&E it turned out to be broken.

The school never called to check up or anything, basically it was shoved under the carpet. I think they feared litigation, they were careful not admitting guilt, by not saying "sorry this happened" or anything.

With hindsight I wish I'd kicked up a bit more of a fuss. But not sure how.

Sorry, that may not be helpful.

The school phoned me when it happened as the finger was pointing in the wrong direction and so obviously damaged! I was happy with their initial response, I'm just waiting to see if we have any further contact.

DS is back at school. Good point about emailing them, though, it's easy to forget in a big school that one childs piece of news can easily get lost. I don't really know what DH is expecting them to do, except probably to make some arrangement over the missed music lessons. We now have a fracture clinic appointment so I now have a good reason to email the school without it sounding like I'm making a fuss.

Thanks

If your paying for music lessons through school it's certainly worth asking if they can credit them to next term.

Council run swimming at our local pool did (they won't do odd weeks for holidays and illness, but 1/2 the course they were great about).

Private music teachers, it's clearly at their discretion. DD1's I'm certain would be sympathetic.

One lad at our DC's previous school (well known sporting school) had his wrist fractured by a senior pupil 'rugby tackling' him on the way to a lesson. Totally out of the blue, unprovoked attack. The lad didn't see who had done it as he was face down on the ground and the cowardly 'attacker' had run off by the time he got back to his feet. the injured lad went to his next lesson. Teacher there said his wrist looked a bit 'strange' and suggested he go to the school medical centre. The nurses there said they thought he had fractured his wrist and told him he needed to get an x-ray but then just discharged him from their 'care' with a glass of water and a paracetomol. The lad called his Mum to get her to collect him from school and take him to the hospital for an ex-ray. No one from the school called the parents to even inform them that he had been injured and quite possibly needed an x ray. The lad was only 14/15 at the time. The lad who had been injured was a talented athlete who had just been selected for a Talent Academy selection thing in his sport. He could not go due to his wrist being in plaster. major upset for him. Missed all of his swimming events that season. Missed all of his cross country events that season. The school only communicated with the parents when the parents asked for a meeting to see what school was doing to try to identify the 'attacker'. A witness stepped forwards to identify the 'attacker'. the 'attacker' just denied it was anything to do with him. Nothing further happened. It was as if the school were actually relieved that the 'attacker' had not owned up as that meant the school could do nothing further about any of it. But most worryingly was the fact the medical staff never even called the parents to ask them to collect him from school as they thought he needed an x ray etc. Nothing at all. Just discharged him from their 'care'. At least your school called you!

I am that a school would just leave it up to an injured child to sort themselves out.

I'm not a pfb type (the occasional spell of benign neglect works wonders) but I would enquire about the welfare of a colleague injured at work, let alone if a child was injured in my care on school premises.

This has nothing to do with liability or any risk of legal action; it's about common decency, kindness and compassion. Traits that schools purport to encourage and epitomise in their glossy brochures

Hope your DS is back playing soon.

The school contacted you when it happened! Your initial op made it sound like they hadn't What other communication are you expecting??
I suspect you're waiting for people to agree it would be ok to sue... it wouldn't

Ok, now I'm really offended! Under no circumstances do I, or will I, have any intention to sue! Don't be so patronising!

It's more that I haven't had this happen to a DC before and am unsure of what to expect. DH is only bothered because he thinks the PE dept probably shouldn't have been playing on the surface given the conditions, but his only interest is in ensuring it doesn't happen again, not suing them!

Some of you clearly fell out of bed the wrong side this morning. Thanks to those of you who have contributed some really good advice. We are not all entitled so and sos you know! I'm not particularly bothered about getting a refund for the music lessons, but if there is a normal protocol in these matters then that is what I was asking about.

I think you have been entirely clear in your posts that you are not planning to sue Returning. And if you were it would no ones business but yours and your family.

Ignore the haters!

Hope your son mends soon.

Thank you, Notinaminutenow.

The contact I had on the first day was from the nurse asking me to collect my son and take him to hospital. Yes, all fine and well managed, but I just wasn't sure if the school would contact me further.

I get what you are saying OP.

One of my children had a fairly serious injury during PE [led to several surgeries and months off school, impacted on future career options and still causes my child pain], I was phoned and told to meet my child at the hospital where the ambulance was about to take him. After that point I had no further contact from the school, no 'how is he doing' nothing. Well actually I got texts and a letter asking why my child was absent from school! That didn't go down well.

I think they were worried about litigation and were choosing no contact in case anyone said anything that implied blame on their part. I generally don't agree with suing over accidents and it wasn't a route I'd like to take. But their lack of care and concern left a bitter taste.

It was shoddy treatment all round TBH, but I didn't sue, despite being advised to.

Yes, I suppose the compensation culture does stop schools from contacting in case they say anything they shouldn't. With posters like Mary and Molly around, I think everyone has to be doubly careful what they say these days, if people are always looking for the negative.

No, I wouldn't expect them to contact me for a broken finger!

DS2 dislocated and broke his shoulder in 3 places playing rugby for the school (at school). He was taken away in an ambulance, they rang me the next day to see how he was.

My dd broke her arm at school just before Easter (indisputably an accident - she leaned down to pick up a friend's jumper and fell, snapping both the bones in her forearm). The school called me to take her to hospital. The head of the school phoned that day to check how she was doing. I think this was a reasonable expression of concern on the part of the school.

I don't know if it makes a difference that my dd is at primary - it may be that secondary schools are less likely to do a follow up phone call.

What I would say is - despite the fact that there was no chance of a successful compensation claim - the school was clearly worried that we'd sue. I guess that some schools will be so worried about litigation that they don't do anything that could be construed in any way as an admission of liability.

As I posted on the rugby thread DS has had 2 significant injuries in school rugby. One was really poorly dealt with and I did write. They sort of apologised. There as a bit of victim blaming in that he " didn't make a fuss" .

There is a lot of " battle adrenaline" and I don't think a teen in a match situation really knows if they are seriously injured or not - and if the teacher gives them a cursory once over they think they are ok....it's hard

It depends which bone was broken.

At DD's school they contact the parents as soon as possible if a child is injured enough to merit medical attention.

If it is a lower limb the year learning mentor invites the parent(s) and child to a meeting to make sure that they have covered all H & S aspects - for instance anyone on crutches isn't allowed on the fourth floor because if a fire broke out they wouldn't be able to evacuate the premises quickly and safely. The child also gets a lift pass and a pass to leave the last lesson early to allow them enough time to get a seat on the bus. They also get to choose a friend to help them with their school bags etc.

As far as playing sport on a muddy field is concerned you would have to talk to whoever is in charge of H & S policy at the school. Although in the UK if they didn't play on a muddy field they wouldn't get many football/rugby games in. Perhaps they don't have a suitable wet weather surface.

I don't think it is unreasonable to ask for a credit for the music lessons until your son is able to play again.

I hope he makes a speedy recovery.