New boy medical examination Post Reply

[Turquoise girl]

My 13 year old son has just started at a well known boy's boarding school. As it is full boarding I was obliged to agree for him to be registered at the school's local doctor's surgery & I understood from the contents of the school diary that the 'new boys' medical examination' was to be scheduled for last week. Although I did not feel entirely comfortable with the idea of an examination by a doctor I did not know, I did not make a fuss as I have no wish to single my son out at school as having a difficult parent. However, I was shocked to learn that it is 'standard procedure' at this school (& many others I have now learnt) for boys to have their testicles inspected during this examination. I have gone back to the school stating that I believe that I should have had the opportunity to provide fully informed consent especially given my son's age. I can't believe that I am the first parent ever to have queried what in my view appears to be an outdated & unnecessary procedure which may also serve only to embarrass a young boy during his first few weeks at a new boarding school. I would be grateful for any comments especially from doctors to inform me otherwise.

[Siansnowden]

This is totally inappropriate and very concerning. Every area has a Local Authority Deignated Officer who can discuss this with you; please google this; it is dependent on the local authority the school is in. Please also google Myles Bradbury. Please take it further, it is very important. I work in child protection.

[Sarah2016-t]

I agree with Sian above- I work with her in child protection in london locally.. This doesn't sound appropriate.. Please feel free to go to your gp to discuss this and look at the WANDSWORTH Local designated assigned officer who can help you to report his behaviour. If the school is in another area or you want some advice please come back and post again and I can contact you directly off this site.. There are people who can help and support you with this if something inappropriate has happened here.. I hope you and your son are ok.. I am worried about you both..

[Bluerose20]

As far as I understand it, this is quite common. I suppose your first reaction in this situation is to be uncomfortable but I assume the examination will be done by a qualified doctor, as regulated by the General Medical Council, and is in the interest of the duty of care the school owes to your son. As your son is a full boarder, any examination to ensure your son is healthy will be comprehensive. I find it dreadfully sad that such examinations, when a party is trying to act prudently in ensuring the health of your child, is met with such grave cynicism. A testes examination is a standard medical test for males.

[LP73]

As I understand this type of examination is normal and is done at a certain age for all boys.
I do however feel that a parent should have been advised so that the child could have been accompanied if so desired.

[Scottov]

As far as I understand it, this is quite common. I suppose your first reaction in this situation is to be uncomfortable but I assume the examination will be done by a qualified doctor, as regulated by the General Medical Council, and is in the interest of the duty of care the school owes to your son. As your son is a full boarder, any examination to ensure your son is healthy will be comprehensive. I find it dreadfully sad that such examinations, when a party is trying to act prudently in ensuring the health of your child, is met with such grave cynicism. A testes examination is a standard medical test for males.

Could not agree more.

Of course he should be registered with the local doctor. Of course the doctor should carry out a standard medical check.

And no, I don't think it's anything to do with the school. It's the surgery who carry out the fully regulated medical service

This is cynicism bordering on something worse

[Siansnowden]

Hi
I really do understand the view that I am cynical but the sad fact is that some people and of course not the vast majority will abuse their power to be inappropriate with children; this is irrelevant of profession, class, culture etc. I have provided an exmplw of Myles Bradbury ( please google this) who excelled in his field as a paediatric oncologist but who have many children who had cancer a genital examination which was never medically needed. He totally admitted his sexual interest in children and is now in prison. It is completely expected that one would sent hat this happens but I am said to say it does and I have come across it countless times due to my work. If mum speaks to the LADO anonymously at first to see what it would involve and then think about the next step but Please, please don't do nothing; you will regret it. I am not saying this GP is a perpetrator but it may be an inappropriate medical examination based on old fashioned practice at the most but it is concerning enough to pursue. Good Luck; if you contact the admin of this site, she can put you in touch with me and I am happy to talk it through. Please also Google Southbank International School, Westminster. I would like to reiterate that this is not cynicism but keeping an open mind and let the LADO do its job.

[Scientist]

I went to two boarding schools, prep and public school, starting at the age of just under 8. Most of my friends did likewise. What you describe is pretty standard and there is nothing to worry about.

Your response to it is typical of "first generation", urban boarding school parents; if you're not in this category, apologies if I got that wrong. If I am right, you need to get a grip - and don't let your own concerns negatively influence your son. Although boarding schools today are not as tough as they were when I was there, they are still a more "character building" experience than the average cushy home life a day school child will experience between the commons. The last thing a boy starting boarding school needs is a neurotic, paranoid mother (egged on by ignorant commentators) getting worked up about what she thinks is or isn't "appropriate".

Sorry to be so blunt, but your post really made me despair for an instant.

[Scottov]

Hi
I really do understand the view that I am cynical but the sad fact is that some people and of course not the vast majority will abuse their power to be inappropriate with children; this is irrelevant of profession, class, culture etc. I have provided an exmplw of Myles Bradbury ( please google this) who excelled in his field as a paediatric oncologist but who have many children who had cancer a genital examination which was never medically needed. He totally admitted his sexual interest in children and is now in prison. It is completely expected that one would sent hat this happens but I am said to say it does and I have come across it countless times due to my work. If mum speaks to the LADO anonymously at first to see what it would involve and then think about the next step but Please, please don't do nothing; you will regret it. I am not saying this GP is a perpetrator but it may be an inappropriate medical examination based on old fashioned practice at the most but it is concerning enough to pursue. Good Luck; if you contact the admin of this site, she can put you in touch with me and I am happy to talk it through. Please also Google Southbank International School, Westminster. I would like to reiterate that this is not cynicism but keeping an open mind and let the LADO do its job.

I would strongly urge you to pause, reflect and consider what you have written here.

You are clearly implying that something inappropriate has gone on, and that implication is not mitigated by just saying you're not.

The above hysteria is not proportionate and is just the sort of uninformed twaddle that could make matters worse.

[Toto]

I am a GP. A testicular examination as part of a routine examination is not unusual and is probably part of the "tick list" on the schools medical form. This is to detect undescended testicles which may not have been picked up previously and may lead to an increased risk of testicular cancer later in life. I would be surprised if your son did not have a chaperone with him during the examination. A chaperone would be there to reassure and protect your son and also protect the GP against any allegations I would speak to his matron to suggest better communication with parents about what is involved in the examination.

[riccione]

As has already been posted, this is an entirely normal procedure, and as someone who had testicular cancer as a teenager i can't emphasise enough how important it is that our boys have their testicles checked as they reach puberty and beyond - i wish to god i had!

To the initial poster, i would say that if you're worried then either ask if you could be present or arrange for a chaperone to be. And to the second and third posters on this thread (who i suspect are the same person), i'd love to know exactly what your involvement in child protection is and why you'd respond to this standard procedure in such an alarmist way.

[Minatoku]

I think this is absolutely crucial for boys' testes to be examined and I guess it should be standard practice at the GP.
As a mum of 3 boys I definitely want my boys to be checked from a very young age.
This is routine practice in a lot of European countries as well.
I know too many men with testicular cancers and I am sure this could prevent some of them in the future.

[Scottov]

For me the issue is the lack of notification to the parent rather than the issue of having a medical examination. Agree with the GP comment.
Could you imagine picking your child up from state school one day and hear that there had been a genital examination without you hearing about it?

To the OP:
Given your feelings regarding the examination behind closed doors, are you sure that you want to send your child away full stop?
I mean, forget the examination, you will be sending your child away "behind closed doors" for years!
I personally would never do this, it goes against all my parental instincts.
However you dress is up, however fancy the school is, it's an institution.
People are willingly taking their children from a family setting to an institution.
I've seen grown men still affected by this separation, it's not a joke.
To me the whole concept of boarding school is outdated and from an era when parents were not as hands on and not even that affectionate towards children in general.
Why would a modern day parent opt for this?
I want to see my children EVERY DAY, I want to see their faces, kiss them goodnight, give them a cuddle, laugh with them, talk to them when they are upset, why would you deny yourself and the children this?
Children belong in a family setting.
Education cannot be more important than family.
I just look back at how I was at that young age, I cannot think of anything more daunting or horrific than my parents sending me off to a boarding school.

This is how I see it. And just wonder if it's a good idea for someone who is not happy to hand over control of your child to a school. This is what you are doing by sending them off. For me it's bad enough that "normal" school get to tell you when to go on holiday.

There's a few issues here

1. The school did not examine him. The local GP did.

2. The examination does not appear to be in any way unusual.

3. Whatever your views on boarding it's clear they're not based on any particular experience or knowledge. For some it's not right, for others it's the best experience of their lives.

[Scottov]

As has already been posted, this is an entirely normal procedure, and as someone who had testicular cancer as a teenager i can't emphasise enough how important it is that our boys have their testicles checked as they reach puberty and beyond - i wish to god i had!

To the initial poster, i would say that if you're worried then either ask if you could be present or arrange for a chaperone to be. And to the second and third posters on this thread (who i suspect are the same person), i'd love to know exactly what your involvement in child protection is and why you'd respond to this standard procedure in such an alarmist way.

There is no way either of these people/person works in any way with child protection.

One of them (assuming they are not the same person) even recommended having the OP's mum contact the LADO to remain anonymous.

Anyone who thinks there is a need to remain anonymous to the LADO (presumably because they are all in it together in one big conspiracy) is a fantasist and not someone who works in child protection.

[Clare_f]

A friend of mine went to the boarding school where his father was the school doctor. It was a standing joke that his dad had held the testicles of every boy in the school. He's not a paedophile, he's a doctor doing his job.

Certainly, when I was at school, these exams were a normal part of an examination. To me, the issue is with the lack of detail regarding the exam that was given to you.

I'm sure there would have been a chaperone, I'd check this with the school.

And petal - the child in question is 13. Not an ickle baby. For the vast majority of secondary children, they thrive at boarding schools. It's not right for everyone but what school is?