Supporting pupils at school with medical conditions

Healthcare Needs in Schools

Following the enactment of the Children and Families Act 2014, the Department for Education issued Guidance on supporting pupils at school with medical conditions.

Schools must have an effective policy (using the template on KELSI or an equivalent which is DfE compliant). A recent review of Healthcare practice in Kent Special schools highlighted important issues and the guidance for schools health care (PDF, 101.4 KB) aims to draw attention to the recommendations for all schools.

Healthcare plans need to be in place for pupils who have a diagnosed and assessed chronic medical condition which require personalised intervention from the staff at school during the school day, implemented in accordance with the details of the plan. Parents will have a key role to play in drawing up and signing off a new Healthcare plan. They may need support to understand the details.

Some pupils with a well-controlled medical condition may require regular administration of prescription medication from staff. These staff members should be specifically trained for this purpose from someone qualified to provide it.

Healthcare plans must be subject to regular review and updated accordingly. The school's policy should specify what the school will do when the child's needs or the staff working with them will change.

Arrangements for First Aid Emergencies

Any pupil (or indeed any employee) can experience a medical emergency without having a pre-existing and assessed medical condition, hence the requirement to have members of staff trained in first aid procedures and to ensure that there is a sufficient coverage for all school visits and other absences. The guidance attached was revised and published in September 2015.

Supporting pupils with mental health problems

The government has produced a document for primary and secondary school teachers, pastoral leaders, Special Educational Needs Coordinators and others working to support children who suffer from, or are at risk of developing, mental health and behaviour problems

Supporting pupils at school with medical conditions

Published in April 2014, the government has produced guidance on supporting pupils at school with medical conditions

This is statutory guidance for governing bodies of maintained schools and proprietors of academies in England.

Also, see the template for schools for pupils with medical needs (DOCX, 562.0 KB)

Wellbeing and mental health

You can read about the CYPMHWS Local Transformation plan on the Live It Well website, which is designed to  promote better wellbeing for all Kent residents.

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