![]() | Stoke Primary School |
Supporting Pupils with Medical Needs |
Policy last reviewed: Reviewed by: Agreed by governors: Shared with staff: Frequency of review: Date of next review: | June 2025 Sarah Morris
Annually June 2026 |
Head Teacher: Staff with responsibility for Attendance
Attendance champion: Chair of Governors: | Matthew Ascroft The Family Team: Rebecca Fenlon Michele Rowland The Safeguarding Team: Matthew Ascroft Sarah Morris (AHT / SENDCo) Ellen Parker (AHT) Rebecca Fenlon Michele Rowland Lucy Fox Matthew Ascroft Martin Shaw |
Introduction Most children will have at some time a medical condition that may affect their participation in school activities. For many this will be short-term; perhaps finishing a course of medication.
Other children have medical conditions that, if not properly managed, could limit their access to education. Such children are regarded as having medical needs. Most children with medical needs are able to attend school regularly and with some support from school, can take part in most normal school activities. However, staff may need to take extra care in supervising some activities to make sure that these children, and others, are not put at risk.
There will be some children whose access to the curriculum is impaired not so much by the need to take medication but that their condition brings with it a level of dependency on adult support to meet their personal needs. This policy seeks to include these children and their needs.
Parents or guardians have prime responsibility for their child’s health and should provide school with the information about their child’s medical condition. We encourage parents/carers to provide school with sufficient information about their child’s medical condition and any treatment or special care needed at school, on admission, and keep us informed of any new or changing needs. If there are any special religious and /or cultural beliefs which may affect medical care that the child needs, particularly in the event of an emergency, we rely on parents/carers to inform us and confirm this in writing. Such information will be kept on the child’s personal record. This policy provides information on our procedures for the storage and administration of medicines to children and the procedures for children who are able to self- administer.
* There is no legal duty which requires school staff to administer medication; this is a voluntary role however school should take all reasonable steps to ensure a child can attend school without interruption to their education. Staff who provide support for children with medical needs, or who volunteer to administer medication, should receive support from the head and parent, access to information and training, and reassurance about their legal liability. Staff should, whenever they feel it necessary, consult with their respective professional associations.
Good Practice Children and young people with medical conditions are entitled to a full education and have the same rights of admission to school as other children. Pupils with a medical condition will not be denied admission or be prevented from taking up a place in school because arrangements for their medical condition have not been made.
Definition of ‘Medical Conditions’ The DfE does not provide a definition of ‘medical conditions’, or a list of conditions that would be classified as such. The school understands that medical conditions refers to either a physical or mental health medical condition, as diagnosed by a healthcare professional, which results in the child requiring special adjustments for the school day, either on-going or intermittently. This includes a chronic or short-term condition, a long-term health need or disability, an illness, injury or recovery treatment or surgery. Being unwell and common childhood diseases are not covered.
Responsibilities It is important that responsibilities for children’s safety is clearly defined and that each person involved with children’s medical needs is aware of what is expected of them. Close co-operation between school, parents, health professionals and other agencies will help provide a suitably supportive environment for children with medical needs.
The Local Authority (LA) is responsible for: The LA is responsible under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, for making sure that a school has a Health and Safety Policy. This should include procedures for supporting children with medical needs, and managing medication. In the event of legal action over an allegation of negligence, the employer rather than the employee is likely to be held responsible. It is the employer’s responsibility to ensure that correct procedures are followed.
Where children would not receive a suitable education in a mainstream school because of their health needs, the Local Authority has a duty to make other arrangements. Please refer to the Local Offer for more details. Statutory guidance for local authorities sets out that they should be ready to make arrangements under this duty when it is clear that a child will be away from school for 15 days or more because of health needs.
The Governing Body of Stoke Primary School is responsible for:
The Head Teacher is responsible for:
The SENCO is responsible for:
Staff members are responsible for:
Parents and carers are responsible for:
Pupils are responsible for:
Individual Healthcare Plans IHPs will give due consideration to the following points and support staff in providing the appropriate care and support for a child with a medical condition:
IHPs will be reviewed annually, or when a child’s medical circumstances change.
Procedure for Managing Medicines These are set out in the Medicine’s Policy. In the case, of a child requiring a controlled medication, outside the usual kinds of medication that might be brought into school, this will be identified in the child’s IHP, along with the procedures for its administration.
Emergency Situations 1. Medical emergencies will be dealt with under the school’s emergency procedures, set out in the Health and Safety Policy. 2. If a pupil needs to be taken to hospital, a member of staff will remain with the child until their parents arrive.
Access to the Curriculum and Extra Curriculum Activities Arrangements should be made, and be flexible enough, to ensure pupils with medical conditions can participate in school trips, residential stays and sports activities. They should not be prevented from doing so, unless a clinician states it is not possible. To comply with best practice, risk assessments should be undertaken, in line with Health and Safety Executive guidance on school trips, in order to plan for including pupils with medical conditions. There should be consultation with parents and healthcare professionals around proposed trips, etc. which are separate to the normal day-to-day IHP requirements for the school day.
|
All website content copyright © Stoke Primary School: Website Policy Website design for primary schools, by PrimarySite.net