Students with Medical Conditions

Whilst there is no legal or contractual duty on staff­ in school to administer medicines or supervise students taking their medication, we wish to support our students where we can, in order to help them to be happy in school and able to achieve their full potential.

The primary responsibility for a student’s health lies with the parent or carer who is responsible for the student’s medication and they should supply the school with any relevant information. This information can be provided through the regular data collection processes that take place during a child’s time at our school, but if there are any changes that the school needs to be aware of, parents must tell the school at the earliest opportunity.

Where parents have indicated that there is medical information that they wish the staff of the school to be aware of, this information will be recorded in the school’s Medical Register. In addition, if the nature of the medical condition means that a Medical Care Plan is required to bring together the actions needed to manage the condition(s) in school, a plan will be produced in consultation with the parents and, where appropriate, medical professionals.

Only medication that must be taken during school hours, or may be required in the event of an emergency, should be brought into school. If possible, students who are taking medication should do so at home, outside of school hours. Where it is necessary for medication to be brought into school, it will be managed as outlined below:

• Asthma inhalers – we encourage all students who have an inhaler to carry it on their person, ensuring it is readily available if required. If your child is not able to carry their own inhaler, we will store it for them in an accessible location in the school.  We also have a number of spare inhalers that can be used in the event of an emergency for those students who have been prescribed an inhaler and where parental consent has been given.

• AAI devices – adrenaline auto-injectors are often referred to by the brand name Epipen. Current guidance from the Department for Health indicates that anyone prescribed an AAI device should have two devices available. As with inhalers, students are encouraged to carry their own AAI device(s), ensuring it is readily available if required. If your child is not able to carry their own AAI device(s), we will store it for them in a readily-accessible location in the school. We also have a number of spare AAI devices that can be used in the event of an emergency for those students who have been prescribed an AAI device and where parental consent has been given.

• Non-emergency medication will be stored in a locked cupboard at the school’s main office and students will report here when the medication is to be taken. Parents need to contact the school to make us aware of any medication that their child requires and provide this to the school in the original packaging and with the prescriber’s instructions visible.

Please note that it is the responsibility of parents to ensure medication is replaced if it passes the ‘use by’ date and also to collect unused medication when it is no longer required in school.