| Reviewed by: Michelle Fenniche | 26th November 2024 |
| Ratified by: Resources Committee | 3rd April 2025 |
| Next Review: | Autumn Term 2026 |
Introduction
This policy outlines Oakbridge Federation’s management systems for supporting individual children with medical needs. The Federation follows the government guidance ‘Supporting pupils at school with medical conditions’ December 2015.
Aims
The policy aims to ensure that the information is understood and accepted by all staff, parents, and children. This provides a sound basis for ensuring that children with medical needs get proper care and support in school.
Objectives
Children with Medical Needs
Children with medical needs have the same rights of admission to a school or setting as other children. Most children will at some time have short-term medical needs, perhaps entailing finishing a course of medicine such as antibiotics. Some children, however, have longer term medical needs and may require medicines on a long-term basis to keep them well, for example children with well-controlled epilepsy or cystic fibrosis. Others may require medicines in particular circumstances, such as children with severe allergies who may need an adrenaline injection. Children with severe asthma may have a need for daily inhalers and additional doses during an attack.
Most children with medical needs can attend school or a setting regularly and take part in normal activities, sometimes with some support. 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.
An individual health care plan can help staff identify the necessary safety measures to support children with medical needs and ensure that they and others are not put at risk. Detailed advice on how to develop a health care plan is set out in Annex A of ‘Supporting pupils at school with medical conditions’.
Access to Education and Associated Services
Some children with medical needs are protected from discrimination under the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) 1995. The DDA defines a person as having a disability if he has a physical or mental impairment, which has a substantial and long term adverse effect on his abilities to carry out normal day-to-day activities. Under Part 4 of the DDA, Governing Bodies must not discriminate against disabled pupils in relation to their access to education and associated services – a broad term that covers all aspects of school life including school trips and school clubs and activities. Schools should be making reasonable adjustments for disabled children including those with medical needs at different levels of school life and for the individual disabled child in their practices and procedures and in their policies.
The ‘National Curriculum Inclusion Statement’ emphasises the importance of providing effective learning opportunities through: Responding to pupils’ needs and overcoming potential barriers for individuals and groups of pupils
At Oakbridge Federation we will make sure that all children whatever their needs will be able to access the school building and the curriculum. A strategy plan will be put into place when this is necessary.
Support for Children with Medical Needs
Parents have the prime responsibility for their child’s health and should provide the school with information about their child’s medical condition. Parents, and the child if appropriate, should obtain details from their child’s General Practitioner (GP) or pediatrician if needed. The school doctor or nurse or a health visitor and specialist voluntary bodies may also be able to provide additional background information for staff.
The school health service can provide advice on health issues to children, parents, education and early years staff, education officers and Local Authorities, Early Years Development and Childcare Partnerships and we at Oakbridge Federation should work together to make sure that children with medical needs and school and setting staff have effective support.
There is no legal duty for us as a school to administer medicines. The Headteacher will arrange who should administer medicines within the school, either on a voluntary basis or as part of a contract of employment. Staff managing the administration of medicines and those who administer medicines should receive appropriate training and support from health professionals.
Some children and young people with medical needs have complex health needs that require more support than regular medicine. If this is the case it is important to seek medical advice about each child and young person’s individual needs.
All children who have a medical need – a care plan will be put into place.
Roles and Responsibilities
Parents and Carers
- Parents / carers should not send a child to school if they are unwell or infectious
- Where medication is required to be administered by school staff, this must be agreed and the Parent /Carer must complete a parental agreement for the school to admininster medicine (verbal instructions cannot be accepted)
- Medication should be supplied to the school in its original bottle/packet as dispensed by a pharmacist and include the prescriber or manufacturer’s instructions for administration
- Parents/carers are responsible for informing the school if the medication is no longer needed or the dosage/frequency changes
- If it is known that pupils are self-administering medication in school on a regular basis, a completed parental agreement is still required from the Parent / Carer (verbal instructions cannot be accepted)
- Parents / Carers need to ensure there is sufficient medication and that the medication is in date
- An appropriate medicine spoon, medicine pot or oral medicines syringe must be provided by the Parent / Carer
- Medication must be replaced by Parents / Carers at the request of relevant school/health professional
- Parents should collect medicines held by the school at the end of each term and are responsible for ensuring that expired or out of date medicines are returned to a pharmacy for safe disposal.
Staff
- It is important that responsibility for child safety is clearly defined and that each person responsible for a child with medical needs is aware of what is expected of them
- The headteacher will be responsible for informing temporary, supply and work experience of the arrangements for the administration of medications in school
- Staff should never give a non-prescribed medicine to a child. This is to protect the child and school in the case of side effects.
- Staff should report any issues to their line manager of any concerns including training needs.
Medication Procedures
Prescribed Medicines
Parents should, wherever possible, administer or supervise the self-administration of medication to their children. This may be affected by the child having to go home during the lunch break or by the parent visiting the school. However, this might not be practicable and in such a case parents/carers may make a request for medication to be administered to the child at school.
a) We will never accept medicines that have been taken out of the container as originally dispensed nor make any changes to dosages on parental instructions. In all cases it is necessary to check:
- Name of child
- Name of medicine
- Dosage
- Written instructions provided by prescriber
- Expiry date
- Storage requirements
b) A parental agreement to administer medications form (Appendix 1) must be completed by parents /carers. Available from the school office
c) Where possible medication is prescribed in dose frequencies which enable it to be taken outside of school hours. E.g. medicines that need to be taken 3 times a day can be managed at home. Parents
should be encouraged to ask the prescriber about this
d) A written record of any medications administered must be kept which includes the date, time and by whom the medication was administered. (Appendix 2)
e) Liquid medication should be measured accurately using a medicine spoon or syringe. Medication should not be added to food or drinks unless there is a specific reason
f) Should the medicine need to be changed or discontinued before the completion of the course or if the dosage changes the school should be notified in writing by the parent/carer. A new supply of medication – correctly labelled with the new dose – should be obtained and a new parental agreement form completed
g) All emergency medicines (asthma inhalers, epi-pens etc.) will be readily accessible and never locked away.
Creams and Lotions
a) Non-prescribed creams and lotions may be applied at the discretion of the head of School in line with this policy but only with written consent from parents and carers. See intimate care policy.
b) Parents and carers are responsible for sending in the cream, labelled for the individual pupil.
c) Sun cream needs to be supplied by parents and carers. We ask parents and carers to apply sun block in the morning before coming to school. Children may bring in their own creams but parents and carers must ensure it is in date and of at least SPF 25 or above. It should be labelled clearly and is the child’s responsibility. Staff will pupils supervise pupils applying suncream.
Alternative Medications
Alternative medication, including homeopathic medication and herbal remedies, will not be administered unless prescribed or agreed by a GP/consultant.
Simple Analgesics (Pain Relief)
These will only be given if there is an on-going medical condition and it has been prescribed by a GP/consultant.
Refusing Medication
a) If a child refuses medication staff will not force them to take it
b) The refusal will be noted and parents contacted by telephone
c) In the event of a child refusing emergency medication, parents and carers contacted immediately by telephone. The emergency services will be contacted immediately and if needed a member of school staff will accompany the child to hospital to allow parents time to arrive.
Storage and Disposal of Medication
a) All medication will be kept in School Reception Office
b) Medications that require refrigeration will be stored in the fridge in school office. The medications should be in a closed container and clearly labelled PUPILS MEDICATIONS. The fridge will not be accessible to pupils.
c) Children prescribed with an Epi-pen will ideally need to have TWO pens in school – one to be kept with them/in the classroom and the other as a ‘back up’ to be kept in the First aid room
d) Epi-pens should be kept in a clearly labelled box in the classroom; this must travel with the children at all times including PE lessons and off-site visits
e) Any emergency medications will be stored out of the reach of children, in the same room as the child wherever possible and easily accessible to staff. All members of staff working in the school will need to be made aware of the location of the emergency medication
f) Regular inspections of all the medications held on site will be undertaken by the lead first aider and any medications found out of date, no longer needed or not displaying clear labelling will be removed and returned to parents/carers
g) Any medications not collected by parents/carers at the end of term will be taken to a local pharmacist to be disposed of.
Educational Visits and Trips
a) Where pupils are going out on a school trip, any medicines required by pupils will be considered as part of the overall risk assessment of the trip. This may include any special procedures for individual pupils
b) Any medications including emergency medications will be held by nominated members of staff during the trip
c) Pupils with complex medical needs may necessitate a health plan specifically for the visit
d) For residential visits parents and carers are required to complete a parental agreement form for all forms of medication. This includes over the counter medication such as travel sickness. The form will also include permission for a small dosage (stated on the form) of paracetamol to be administered should the pupil require it during the trip. Any such administration of paracetamol is recorded and parents are informed and asked to counter sign on the child’s return.
See also:
DfE guidance on Health and Safety on Educational Visits,
There and Back Again Guidance 2022
Or:
Contact the Outdoor Education Adviser, Paul Bond on learnoutdoors@btinternet.com
Self Administration of Medications
a) Older pupils with a long-term illness should, whenever possible, assume complete responsibility for their medication, under the supervision of their Parents / Carers. It should be noted, however, that children develop at different rates and so the ability to take responsibility for and to manage their own
medicines varies. This should be borne in mind when making a decision about transferring responsibility to a child or young person. There is no set age when this transition should be made. There may be circumstances where it is not appropriate for a child of any age to self-manage
b) Health Professionals need to assess, with Parents / Carers and children, the appropriate time to make this transition. Where it is appropriate for pupils to self-manage, Parents / Carers will be required to complete a “Self Management” form which will detail where the medicines are to be stored during the school day.
Pupils with long term or complex medical needs
a) Parents or carers should provide the head teacher with sufficient information about their child’s medical condition and treatment of special care needed at the school
b) Arrangements can then be made, between the parents, head teacher, school nurse and other relevant health professional to ensure that the pupil’s medical needs are managed well during their time in school
c) For pupils with significant needs, arrangements will be documented in a Health Care Plan. Schools must make “reasonable adjustments” for pupils with medical needs.
Asthma
Please refer to Asthma Policy
Allergies
Please see Allergy and anaphylaxis policy
Emergency Procedures
a) In a medical emergency, first aid is given, an ambulance is called and parents/carers are notified
b) A staff member will always accompany a pupil to hospital and stay with them until a parent/carer arrives
c) Should an emergency situation occur to a pupil who has a Health Care Plan, the emergency procedures detailed on the plan are followed, and a copy of the Individual Health Care Plan is given to the ambulance crew.
Training
a) Any staff required to administer medicines will receive suitable training
b) All identified staff will receive refresher training on the common conditions of Asthma, Epilepsy, Diabetes and Anaphylaxis
c) Records are retained for all staff training.
Review
This policy will be reviewed by the resources committee at least every two years, or if guidance were to change.
Other Policies
This policy should be read alongside: