A Gripe, injured child. Update

Well, picked up kids from school yesterday, to see son hopping across the grass towards me, at a glance, I thought beesting, his foot was swollen top and bottom. Teacher says, "it's abit puffy but he seems okay" ( words to that effect). On closer inspection he could only move his big toe, bright blue bruise on outside of foot, Yeah Right!!!!!!!
I'm thinking broken, but the school ain't concerned cause I didn't get a call. In car am told what happened and when, lunchtime[:0],
Son says "I asked the teacher to phone you mum, but she said no your okay" ...........what [:0].So home for something to eat, I am a bit concerned thinking why wasn't the school:confused:, Off to A&E, Xray shows three broken metatasus bones.....We OH and I are dumstruck, gobsmacked and , I don't know what to think. Am really pissed, one, that they did not phone me, even when asked to by injured child[!], two no one double checked that he could move all toes, three he couldn't put weight on it and hopped everywhere, four his class teacher didn't notice him hopping and crawling around. And five He sat in class all afternoon, his foot swelling, has a half cast because of it, back next week for a full cast.
Funny how now, what was said to me yesterday is different to what the principal was told this morning, that it was suggested that I get it checked out [!][!] No that is not what I heard Grrrrrrrrrrrrr.......
And the principal askes me today, "well, what should they now do?"

Take more care and time in assessing an injury for a start.......... No second opinion was sort, and I wasn't notified, *^^#*

THAT REALLY SUCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!! I would be spewing and definately making a fuss, FFS the poor kid has broken bones [}] How did it happen?

Hopeless aren't they here? Don't schools have any system for recording injuries? Make a formal complaint to the school and ensure the education department gets one too.
That lack of care in unacceptable. I can imagine the furore with any of my parents at the pre-school in the UK if I'd done nothing about, but then I was never that unprofessional and we actually gave a toss about the kids!

They must have a first aid nursey type person.....surely?

Thanks, that is exactly what we are thinking,
Devan the teacher was a (relieving) PE teacher, my son seems to have a fairly high tolerance to pain and IF "they" had phoned I could of told them that.
Am checking on the injury record when I go in next, prob mon now.
"The principal has total confidence in her staff" Yeah..........

We are just not sure how to approach it, we are stunned.

He was playing rugby, as they do, and was tackled, his foot hit the upright of the goal post ( which is the cause of the break am thinking) his mate then landed on top of his foot with a knee.
It happened toward the end of lunchtime so am thinking ( I do quite a bit of that ) that it was a quickie look at foot a bit of ice and on to class.
The teacher who met me with him yesterday had the gall this morning to say "I had my suspicions" ( she is not the one who made the decision not to do anything) then Why on earth didn't she voice them at the time.

In these days of ISH /nanny control, on a construction site, there would have been hell to pay had the accident not been reported [:0]

When I worked at a school, injuries had to be noted down in a notebook, even scuffed knees and blisters on hands from swinging on the bars.

This is to keep a track of who's been into the sickbay and what they were there for. If a child was injured and the parent was not available I would have to take the child to the local Dr. One boy had arrived at school with a sore thumb. He'd shut it in the car door on the Sunday and he didn't say anything about it until mid week. When his teacher questioned him about it and had a look at it, he was sent to me and we trotted off to the Drs. It was too swollen to get an idea of movement but the Dr seemed a bit concerned her hadn't been taken anywhere the day it had happened. This kid was one of the older kids and didn't make much of a fuss over anything but struth!

While the child is in the school grounds (and on the way home from school) they are the responsibility of the school and measures must be taken if a child has an injury, whether it's calling an ambulance, getting the child to a Dr somehow or sticking on a plaster.

This is pretty awful, your lad should have been at LEAST in sickbay with an icepack while they phoned you. Usually when the parents or guardians aren't available there is a next of kin on file somewhere. Failing that, it should be up to the school.

I'd be tempted to report the school to whoever it is you report schools to! Maybe the Board of Trustees?

Yakut

Mate I would have lost the plot big time!! Write a letter of complaint to the board of trustees, its not good enough. If you don't get an apology or any form of why it happend than threaten to write to the Ministry, that oughta get them worried.Hope the poor guy is ok.

Had the verbal, sorry that it happened.
Get the feeling that nobody did anything wrong, no, Yes we should have contacted you either ( OH checked ph and no one from school tried to ph)................just "I have complete faith in my staff".

Sh*t.

I'd be writing to the Board of Trustees (the Chair of the BoT, actually), and I would be stating what, in my opinion, happened (or didn't happen).

I'd be asking the school secretary / receptionist when the next BoT meeting is, and perhaps I'd even attend.

I'd be chasing up / reading the Minutes of the BoT meeting to confirm that it was bought up at the meeting, and that it was discussed and some 'solution' was considered (an apology; a changing or a reinforcing of their protocols).

I would specifically be asking who their First Aid person is, and why that person didn't feel it was necessary to *at least* call you (especially seeing as the School was asked too by your son). I would be suggesting that that person needed a refresher course immediately, not (at least) RICEing an injury.

However, I think the thing that gets me the most is the School not calling when your child asked. Others' mileage might vary, but I would be letting them know in no uncertain terms that THAT was not the right decision to make for me or my child/ren (!) and that if my child/ren EVER asked for myself or my partner to be called in the future, that it happened within a very short timeframe. Huh!

I'd perhaps even share with the Principal that their 'complete faith in their staff' seems to be completely misled when incidents such as this occur. I shudder to think what may have happened had it been a (eg) head injury dealt with in such a cursory manner.

But, woteva!

If you're not happy with the school's response, go the school's board of trustees. If they give an answer that doesn't satisfy you, or don't do anything within a reasonable time, you then go up to the Ministry of Education. Oh, and take notes of everything you've said, date and time, and to whom, and who gave you what response. It's absolute nonsense that they didn't call you.

Diane

Pru, I no longer have young children but I know through general conversation with my primary school teacher daughter, that injuries to children that occur in the school grounds are treated the same way as they were half a century ago! And that isn't the way yours has been treated.

This boy of yours didn't suffer from a scratch or graze, he broke bones and was then left to get on with it. Not good enough by any stretch of the imagination and if it were my son I would be creating holy hell and making sure the school, OSH, Education Dpt (or whatever they're called these days) all knew that I was less than happy. Get on to it Pru if for no other reason than to ensure it doesn't happen again to somebody elses child.

Cheers,
Ronnie

What the others all said. The school will be kacking itself now, so write that letter to the board next week and also send one to the principal. AND, follow it up. The principal will always stick up for their teachers.

I guess that the doctor told you to register the breakage with ACC ?????

timing plus, E suffered an injury that required medical attention this week as well.

Similar scenario as yours Pru and I hadn't heard a word either. First I had heard of it was when E and SOH walked in my office to show me after school finished.

Our Doctor put it through ACC for us, whether that is normal or not I don't know but I suspect that SOH didn't know anything about it to do it himself if necessary.

However I cannot point any finger at our school for not advising me sooner, E kept the injury to herself for some hours before going to the office to seek help......