Vincent Gates’ grandmother, Ann Gates from Sanctuary Point, was ropable when she learned the child had been placed in the sick bay for two hours in severe pain.

“I can’t understand the school not calling an ambulance when a child is screaming in pain from a broken bone,” she said.

“I’m appalled.

“When his mother picked him up she had to take him to the hospital and he was transferred to Wollongong. I think that is pretty serious.”

She said the principal of the school could have knocked her over with a feather when he said schools only called an ambulance when they believed the case was serious enough.

The boy’s mother, Natalie Gates, said she was exhausted after having to travel to Wollongong to treat her son’s broken ankle.

“Where the bone is broken is very rare, so a specialised doctor was needed which is why we had to go to Wollongong,” Miss Gates said.

“My son doesn’t handle pain very well and he said he was nervous to go back to school with a broken bone because he can’t handle the crutches very well.

“I’ll have to organise school work to bring home to him so he doesn’t miss out … it could take longer than eight weeks to heal because of where he broke his ankle.”

A Department of Education spokesperson said Nowra Public School’s staff immediately applied appropriate first aid on the child – immobilising and icing the ankle.

“The first aid quickly took effect and the student was comfortable,” they said.

“Staff tried at least three times to contact the parents on the given mobile number within five minutes of the incident.

“A school’s decision on whether to call an ambulance is made case by case, schools err on the side of caution.”