This policy aims to ensure that:
The governing board will implement this policy by:
The named person with responsibility for implementing this policy is the School Nurse
This policy meets the requirements under Section 100 of the Children and Families Act 2014, which places a duty on governing boards to make arrangements for supporting pupils at their school with medical conditions.
It is also based on the Department for Education (DfE)’s statutory guidance on supporting pupils with medical conditions at school.
This policy also complies with our funding agreement and articles of association.
3.1 The governing board
The governing board has ultimate responsibility to make arrangements to support pupils with medical conditions. The governing board will ensure that sufficient staff have received suitable training and are competent before they are responsible for supporting children with medical conditions.
3.2 The headteacher
The headteacher will:
3.3 Staff
Supporting pupils with medical conditions during school hours is not the sole responsibility of one person. Any member of staff may be asked to provide support to pupils with medical conditions, although they will not be required to do so. This includes the administration of medicines.
Those staff who take on the responsibility to support pupils with medical conditions will receive sufficient and suitable training, and will achieve the necessary level of competency before doing so.
Teachers will take into account the needs of pupils with medical conditions that they teach. All staff will know what to do and respond accordingly when they become aware that a pupil with a medical condition needs help.
3.4 Parents
Parents will:
3.5 Pupils
Pupils with medical conditions will often be best placed to provide information about how their condition affects them. Pupils should be fully involved in discussions about their medical support needs and contribute as much as possible to the development of their IHPs. They are also expected to comply with their IHPs.
3.6 School nurses and other healthcare professionals
Our school nursing service will notify the school when a pupil has been identified as having a medical condition that will require support in school. This will be before the pupil starts school, wherever possible. They may also support staff to implement a child’s IHP.
Healthcare professionals, such as GPs and paediatricians, will liaise with the school’s nurses and notify them of any pupils identified as having a medical condition. They may also provide advice on developing IHPs.
Our school is clear about the need to actively support pupils with medical conditions to participate in school trips and visits, or in sporting activities, and not prevent them from doing so.
The school will consider what reasonable adjustments need to be made to enable these pupils to participate fully and safely on school trips, visits and sporting activities.
Risk assessments will be carried out so that planning arrangements take account of any steps needed to ensure that pupils with medical conditions are included. In doing so, pupils, their parents and any relevant healthcare professionals will be consulted.
When the school is notified that a pupil has a medical condition, the process outlined below will be followed to decide whether the pupil requires an IHP.
The school will make every effort to ensure that arrangements are put into place within 2 weeks, or by the beginning of the relevant term for pupils who are new to our school.
See Appendix 1.
The headteacher has overall responsibility for the development of IHPs for pupils with medical conditions. This has been delegated to School Nurse
Plans will be reviewed at least annually, or earlier if there is evidence that the pupil’s needs have changed.
Plans will be developed with the pupil’s best interests in mind and will set out:
Not all pupils with a medical condition will require an IHP. It will be agreed with a healthcare professional and the parents when an IHP would be inappropriate or disproportionate. This will be based on evidence. If there is no consensus, the headteacher will make the final decision.
Plans will be drawn up in partnership with the school, parents and a relevant healthcare professional, such as the school nurse, specialist or paediatrician, who can best advise on the pupil’s specific needs. The pupil will be involved wherever appropriate.
IHPs will be linked to, or become part of, any education, health and care (EHC) plan. If a pupil has SEN but does not have an EHC plan, the SEN will be mentioned in the IHP.
The level of detail in the plan will depend on the complexity of the child’s condition and how much support is needed. The governing board, headteacher and school Nurse will consider the following when deciding what information to record on IHPs:
Prescription and non-prescription medicines will only be administered at school:
The only exception to this is where the medicine has been prescribed to the pupil without the knowledge of the parents.
Pupils under 16 will not be given medicine containing aspirin unless prescribed by a doctor.
Anyone giving a pupil any medication (for example, for pain relief) will first check maximum dosages and when the previous dosage was taken. Parents will always be informed.
The school will only accept prescribed medicines that are:
The school will accept insulin that is inside an insulin pen or pump rather than its original container, but it must be in date.
All medicines will be stored safely. Pupils will be informed about where their medicines are at all times and be able to access them immediately. Medicines and devices such as asthma inhalers, blood glucose testing meters and adrenaline pens will always be readily available to pupils and not locked away.
Medicines will be returned to parents to arrange for safe disposal when no longer required.
7.1 Controlled drugs
Controlled drugs are prescription medicines that are controlled under the Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2001 and subsequent amendments, such as morphine or methadone.
A pupil who has been prescribed a controlled drug may have it in their possession if they are competent to do so, but they must not pass it to another pupil to use. All other controlled drugs are kept in a secure cupboard in the school office and only named staff have access.
Controlled drugs will be easily accessible in an emergency and a record of any doses used and the amount held will be kept.
7.2 Pupils managing their own needs
Pupils who are competent will be encouraged to take responsibility for managing their own medicines and procedures. This will be discussed with parents and it will be reflected in their IHPs.
Pupils will be allowed to carry their own medicines and relevant devices wherever possible. Staff will not force a pupil to take a medicine or carry out a necessary procedure if they refuse but will follow the procedure agreed in the IHP and inform parents so that an alternative option can be considered, if necessary.
7.3 Unacceptable practice
School staff should use their discretion and judge each case individually with reference to the pupil’s IHP, but it is generally not acceptable to:
Staff will follow the school’s normal emergency procedures (for example, calling 999). All pupils’ IHPs will clearly set out what constitutes an emergency and will explain what to do.
If a pupil needs to be taken to hospital, staff will stay with the pupil until the parent arrives or accompany the pupil to hospital by ambulance.
Staff who are responsible for supporting pupils with medical needs will receive suitable and sufficient training to do so.
The training will be identified during the development or review of IHPs. Staff who provide support to pupils with medical conditions will be included in meetings where this is discussed.
The relevant healthcare professionals will lead on identifying the type and level of training required and will agree this with the headteacher and School Nurse. Training will be kept up to date.
Training will:
Healthcare professionals will provide confirmation of the proficiency of staff in a medical procedure, or in providing medication.
All staff will receive training so that they are aware of this policy and understand their role in implementing it, for example, with preventative and emergency measures so they can recognise and act quickly when a problem occurs. This will be provided for new staff during their induction.
The governing board will ensure that written records are kept of all medicine administered to pupils for as long as these pupils are at the school. Parents will be informed if their pupil has been unwell at school.
IHPs are kept in a readily accessible place which all staff are aware of.
The governing board will ensure that the appropriate level of insurance is in place and appropriately reflects the school’s level of risk.
The details of the school’s insurance policy are:
Explain your school’s approach here. Enter the details of your school’s insurance arrangements, which cover staff providing support to pupils with medical conditions. Insurance policies should provide liability cover relating to the administration of medication, but individual cover may need to be arranged for any healthcare procedures.
For academies, including free schools, insert/delete if not applicable: We will ensure that we are a member of the Department for Education’s risk protection arrangement (RPA).
Parents with a complaint about their child’s medical condition should discuss these directly with the School Nurse in the first instance. If the School Nurse cannot resolve the matter, they will direct parents to the school’s complaints procedure.
This policy will be reviewed and approved by the governing board every year
This policy links to the following policies:
