| should I take action? - no-one was actually monitoring the outside play area
Posted: 7/4/2009 7:08:43 AM | Last week within an hour and a half of dropping my son off at his nursery school I had a phone call from them saying that he had fallen off the 6ft climbing frame and couldn't move his neck!
They rang for an ambulance which was there when I got there and went to the hospital with him.
After several x-rays it was discovered he hadn't broken any bones (thank god)but his neck was very stiff and sore for several days after the event.
When I spoke to his teacher she told me that no-one was actually monitoring the outside play area at the time it happened so they were'nt 100% sure how it happened but one of the children had come in to tell the staff that he had fallen off the top of the climbing frame.
I'm not sure if I should take this up further( or who with )But it is worrying incase anything happens like that again to other children? It was just fortunate that my son wasn't too badly hurt.(He is in his last term at the nursery and will be leaving in July.)
His teacher told me that there was going to be a meeting on health and safety in the whole nursery. | |
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| should I take action?
Posted: 7/4/2009 7:15:20 AM | | Don't wrap your kids in cotton wool or they'll grow up to be softies and not get anywhere in life, Just let em get on with it. We all knew the risks when we went on climbing frames. As long as there's not concrete under neath its fine. We all knew to go get a teacher if one of our fellow pupils fell off. these did just that. | |
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Posted: 7/4/2009 7:16:28 AM | Madding as it sounds, but there is no insurance as such for playground accidents..you have to take personal insurance out for your child.. The LEA should of sent you out a pack explaining this when your son first started school...
If the head teacher is having a meeting about the health and safety issues of that school.. you can request to sit in with the board of governors to discuss how they can avoid other incidents from happening in the future... | |
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| should I take action?
Posted: 7/4/2009 7:17:00 AM | I find it incredulous to think there was no supervision during play time. I'm fairly sure the area should have been supervised, especially if there's a climbing frame and given that you are talking nursery school age! Has the incident been logged in their records? They should keep a log book of all such incidents and it would be good to ask to see that too as you can gain valuable information from it. Your son could have suffered serious injuries and whilst you won't know whether the accident could have been avoided had his play been supervised or not, it's something you need to consider when determining whether to take any further action or not. I would strongly ask to see that log book and the minutes of the meeting on health and safety. In the meantime, put them on notice that you are considering taking action.
Edit: I'm not sure what age your son is being in the last year of nursery school these days? I'm going by my own son when he was at nursery school. He was 2 years old when he split his head open whilst playing in a toy car. I didn't take it further though as I felt there was sufficient supervision and that the accident was just one of those things. My main gripe in your case is the lack of supervision. | |
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| should I take action?
Posted: 7/4/2009 7:21:49 AM | Even asking the question makes me disrespect you.
Sure, sue the hell out of them, get as much cash as you can. Who will be worst hit? Your kid.
He will grow up
(A) mollycoddled and unable to asses real risk in life having never been exposed to it
(B) Develope a boring and unadventurous character due to never finding himself in a challenging situation.
(C) The school will mitigate against any possible claim, making sure that your son's environment is even MORE sterile and health and safety conscious than it is already.
Claims/blmae culture sickens me. Even when it isn't financially motivated. You simply do not realise the only people you are hurting are yourselves. | |
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Posted: 7/4/2009 7:30:55 AM | | Would the same thing be said to her if her child had actually broken his neck? I don't think asking for some supervision is too much and to be fair, she didn't say her motive for taking it further was financial. | |
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Posted: 7/4/2009 7:35:35 AM | | Children climb up things and children fall off things, accidents happen. Mine have both fallen off play equipment right infront of my eyes and there was nothing i could do to prevent it, it's understandable to be in shock and maybe angry about the whole thing but you'll calm down and realise it was just an accident. Lashing out by taking it further will probably just deprive other kids at that nursery of a play area or at the very least sanatize the experience for them. | |
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Posted: 7/4/2009 7:36:47 AM | oh for crying out loud what's wrong with chalking it up to experience and getting on with it.
All anyone want to do these days is sue and then comes the whole Health & Safety circus!!!
Children are growing up mollycoddled and not willing to take responsibility for there own actions!! | |
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Posted: 7/4/2009 7:38:43 AM | TJ .. thats a tad harsh in them there words sir!
OP .. I would first find out why children of nursery school age were allowed to play outdoors on play equipment unsupervised, as I'm pretty certain that children of infant and primary school age need to have adult supervision while playing outdoors at all times.
IMO I would ask for a meeting with the nursery staff and get reassurances that "accidents" like this wont happen again to your child or any other.
At the end of the day though kids do tend to bounce back very quick from play ground traumas and as there was no serious harm done (thank goodness) I would make sure that the nursery school was aware of your concerns and that the accident itself has been properly logged in an incident book. | |
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Posted: 7/4/2009 7:43:20 AM | ^Thankyou Paulinemab..no it wouldn't be for financial reasons(schools are finding it hard to cope as it is on miniscule government funding)It is more for the fact that yes my son could have been very badly injured..and the nursery were concerned that he had been because of lack of movement and pain in his neck!
I just don't want this sort of thing to continue happening to other children who simply should be supervised whilst playing in the play area(especially where there is a 6ft climbing frame).You wouldnt just leave your 3/4 year old in a park unsupervised so it deffinately shouldn't happen in a nursery school under their care!
I will ask them about their log book but thinking about it when a child has an accident they are suppose to give you something to sign to say that you are aware this accident happened(of which they have'nt!)
Edit..^^mikethebike..Children are growing up mollycoddled and not willing to take responsibility for there own actions!!
????? So my four year old is responsible for the fact that he and other children were left in the outside play area...while no adults were watching them?
OK THEN!! | |
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*kath*
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Joined: 9/30/2008
Msg: 11 | |
| should I take action?
Posted: 7/4/2009 7:46:28 AM | Kids will have accidents we all know that.
It doesnt excuse the fact that the kids were left unsupervised.
It was children being left unsupervised that caused that young child to drown at a nursery.
The minute you hand over responsibility of your children to daycare centres etc then they have a responsibility to supervise them at all times.If accidents happen when supervised then fair enough.
EDIT...it was also lack of suprvising that caused a toddler to leave nursery premises,cross main roads and try to get himself home. | |
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Posted: 7/4/2009 7:47:46 AM | Its very worrying pw because of lack of adult supervision. Could lose count of the amount of "what ifs". Imagine the worst, a child being abducted? I wouldnt sue but would inform local press as sure other parents would want an enquiry.
edit- not everyone panties, me and kath never cause we are perfect!!!! :run: | |
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| should I take action?
Posted: 7/4/2009 7:52:44 AM | Oh ffs ... Taking action does not necessarily mean suing the school ....
Talk about assume!!
OT ..... I would take action yes.... Your child should be properly supervised and at age 3/4 to be using a tall climbing frame without anyone being in the near vicinity is lax to say the least...
The OP has not mentioned litigation, strange how those advocating doing nothing have assumed that's her sole goal should she decide to pursue this incident... | |
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Posted: 7/4/2009 7:55:57 AM |
The OP has not mentioned litigation, strange how everyone advocating doing nothing has assumed that's her sole goal should she decide to pursue this incident..
*Coughs*
I don't recall saying that. | |
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Posted: 7/4/2009 8:00:56 AM | I'm just surprised they have a 6ft climbing frame in a nursery school playground at all!!
Don't they usually have small pre-school toys, cars, sandpits, etc.?
Anyway, on topic, I'm not a believer in wrapping kids in cotton wool either and I think I've mentioned before somewhere that I'm tired of getting letters telling me my 9 year old son has fallen over and grazed his knee/arm/whatever.
However, I do think perhaps a word with the nursery regarding supervision and maybe WHY they have equipment meant for much older children could be in order. | |
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Posted: 7/4/2009 8:02:45 AM | Result of H& S meeting all outside play equipment removed as deemed dangerous , children no longer learn through experience.
Notification bluetacked to noticeboard by saftey spec equipped admin assistant after carrying out a COSHH assesment. | |
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*kath*
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Joined: 9/30/2008
Msg: 17 | |
| should I take action?
Posted: 7/4/2009 8:05:10 AM | My guess is all the OP wants is to stop this kind of unsupervised accident happening in the future where things could be a lot worse next time.
Result of H& S meeting all outside play equipment removed as deemed dangerous , children no longer learn through experience.
Notification bluetacked to noticeboard by saftey spec equipped admin assistant after carrying out a COSHH assesment.
More likely an acknowledgment that these things need to be supervised whilst played on | |
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Posted: 7/4/2009 8:16:18 AM | | I don't think the OP wants to sue, just make sure that children aren't left unsupervised. And we are talking about little ones who have no sense of their own mortality, who want to do the daftest things imaginable and will do given a 30 second slot in which to do it. All this talk about removing play equipment etc is rubbish, its about making sure the staff are doing their job which is looking after the children. Too many cases of kids wandering out of nurseries and worse. | |
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Pud78
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Joined: 4/23/2009
Msg: 19 | |
| should I take action?
Posted: 7/4/2009 8:21:57 AM | COSHH
Blue tac a controlled substance hazardous to health??????? They may want to do a risk assessment before!
RIDDOR is the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1995. Employers, the self-employed and those in control of premises must report specified workplace incident. They have to report any accident that results in someone having a hopsital visit, 3 days of work, loss of limbs, broken bones and death.
I would imagine there must be something equally similar for schools and I would envisage that automatically that the local Health and Safety Executive would of already been informed.
To try and ensure that your child and others are safe can never be considered a bad thing and people really should try and read what is written instead of what they think they have read. Definitely ensuring that it has been reported via an accident report. | |
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Posted: 7/4/2009 8:31:08 AM | Not even slightly harsh. Just accurate.
and to answer the question posed what if he had been seriously injured, my answer would be the same if it were my own child and they were killed.....because the convictions I hold are held in the best AND the worst cases.
You say it should be fully supervised..........to what level? one teacher per piece of play equipment?
Will you pay for this supervision?
What about required teacher breaks, will you pay for the additional staff to cover? Or more likely will you complain about spiralling costs which you yourselves have brought about?
The world has gone mad, or rather, this rather decadent corner of it has. My sincere wish is to retire in a couple of years when the FTSE recovers from it's lows and leave this health and safety infested culture behind forever.
I feel SO sorry for kids now. No fun at all growing up. I remember playing war with live explosives!!! we got a load of the old explosive noise makers the railway used to use to alert trains to men on a track. Just one of hundreds of ways we could have killed ourselves..............yet somehow managed not to. | |
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Posted: 7/4/2009 8:34:02 AM | When I hand my children over to the school I expect them to be looked after appropriately. If I was looking after a mate's kids I'd make sure they were adequately supervised, when my own were young they were adequately supervised by me, when handing over kids to schools they should also be adequately supervised.
FFS teachers have been shot and killed trying to protect kids in their charge from mad gunmen and scarred for life by machete wielding nutters, surely standing outside watching them isn't too much to expect.
What about required teacher breaks, will you pay for the additional staff to cover? Or more likely will you complain about spiralling costs which you yourselves have brought about?
They shouldn't all be having their breaks at the same time while they are supposed to be looking after the kids . What if some nutter jumped over the fence into the playground and shot your kid through the head because no adult was there to see the danger and try to do something about it? Would you find that equally easy to deal with?
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*kath*
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Joined: 9/30/2008
Msg: 22 | |
| should I take action?
Posted: 7/4/2009 8:34:44 AM | | 1978 I started nursery, outdoor play equipment was supervised by the staff or dinner ladies then. | |
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Pud78
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Joined: 4/23/2009
Msg: 23 | |
| should I take action?
Posted: 7/4/2009 8:39:49 AM | Tjslater I largely agree with what you say in terms of it can go to far with health and safety and you can't have spiralling costs to cover for every eventuality and sometimes accidents happen.....however...
When I spoke to his teacher she told me that no-one was actually monitoring the outside play area at the time it happened
There was no one controlling the outside play area at all, and we are talking small children here, that is dangerous and crazy and not defendable against. If the worst happened with proper supervision you have to accept things happen but when there isn't any you have a right for answers and action imo.
Schools understand this and employ dinner ladies to provide this extra supervision do they not?
You have read what you wanted to read and have gone overboard so I hope the FTSE improves so you have the time read what is there and not what you think is there. | |
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Posted: 7/4/2009 8:42:53 AM | You say it should be fully supervised..........to what level? one teacher per piece of play equipment?/quote} No the teacher should be with the children, no matter where they are and if they aren't supposed to be in that area they should be moved to an area they can play in. We are talking about 2, 3 and 4 year olds here What about required teacher breaks, will you pay for the additional staff to cover? Or more likely will you complain about spiralling costs which you yourselves have brought about? Staff already get their breaks, they don't need extra staff, they just need to make sure the staff are with the children. In my daughters nursery there are over 100 kids attend each day, 50 in the morning and 50 in the afternoon. They are split into groups of 10 and have their own teacher. The groups move as a whole to different activities and the teacher stays with them. They have 2 floating members of staff to cover when the teacher has to have a break. They have a huge climbing frame outside and there is always one member of staff standing next to it whilst it's in use | |
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Posted: 7/4/2009 8:43:29 AM | No real facts have been posted, and YOU are doing a lot of supposing yourself. Where was the teacher? looking after another child? momentarily distracted? who knows.
What I do know is that pushing towards health and safety perfection saves lives and costs LIFE.
I would also suspect that the person concerned loooking after the kids has all the action they need from their own conscience. | |
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