Parents have the prime responsibility for ensuring a child’s health and for deciding whether they are fit to attend school. Parents should also provide all necessary information about their child’s medical needs to the school.
DfE April 2014 – Supporting Pupils At School With Medical Conditions, Key points are:
This policy may be superseded by a child’s EHC plan or Individual Care Plan, or may be used in conjunction with them.
School teachers have no legal obligation to neither administer medicines to pupils nor supervise them while they take medicine, unless contracted to do so. Staff may volunteer to assist in the administration of medicines but must be given appropriate training and guidance. As a school, we train specific named staff for the purpose of the administration of medicines.
As a school, we have a duty to plan how administering medicines can be accommodated in school and on educational visits to allow children who have medical needs to attend.
Medicines should normally be administered at home and only taken into school when absolutely necessary (where it would be detrimental to the child’s health, or would greatly impact on a child’s school attendance, if the medicine were not taken during the school day).
The school will only accept:
(For use of inhalers see Asthma Policy) The school will not accept or administer:
On accepting medication, the parent must sign a form disclosing all details and giving permission for the medication to be administered by a named person.
The medicine must be kept in a locked cupboard (except where storage in a fridge is required) and only accessed by named adults, or with the permission of the Headteacher.
When administering, the named adult must complete a record (appendix a) showing the date and time and details/dosage of the medication. This must be counter-signed by another adult.
In the case of the child being allowed to administer their own medication, this must again be added to the record and counter-signed by another adult.
Under no circumstances should a parent send a child to school with any medicines, eg throat sweets/tablets, without informing the school. These could cause a hazard to the child or to another child if found and swallowed.
Parents are welcome to come into school to administer medicines themselves that the school refuse to administer, for reasons given above.
Where a child has long-term medical needs, a care plan must be written with the assistance of the school nurse and in the presence of the parent/guardian of the named child. This may also result in an individual risk assessment also being required. The care plan must be followed and reviewed at least annually.
It is the parent’s responsibility to inform the school of any changes to the child’s condition that may require the details of the care plan to be altered.
The Headteacher must ensure that named members of staff are trained to administer or give the level of care required by the details of the care plan.
As a school, we try to ensure that we have sufficient information about the medical condition of any child with long-term medical needs and will request meetings with parents and recognised medical practitioners regularly to provide the correct level of training. Training should be specific to the individual child concerned.
There will also be regular/annual training for all staff on more generalised needs eg asthma awareness and epi-pen training, diabetes and epilepsy. The school is well supported by the School Nurse who provides staff with advice and any relevant training on request.
For the purpose of residential visits, there will be a named person with responsibility for the administration of medicines and care of children as above. Parents will be asked to complete a form and may be required to meet with the named staff to ensure that members of staff are aware of all medical requirements.
In the case of higher levels of care e.g. intimate care, the named member of staff will also meet with the school nurse, or other recognised medical advisor to ensure that they are trained in dealing with the level of care required.
The School will not give your child medicine unless you complete and sign this form, and the Headteacher has agreed that School Staff can administer the medication.
A newly completed form should be submitted every time the dosage or timings of medication are changed.
Surname………………………………………
DoB:………………………………………
Forename…………………………………….
M/F Address……………………………………….. Class………………………………………
Condition or Illness:………………………………………………………………………………………………..
Name/Type of medication (as described on the container)…………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
How long will your child need this medication……………………………………
Date dispensed…………………………………………………………………………………..
Dosage (mg) and method…………………………………………………………………..
Timing……………………………………………………………………………………………….
Special Precaution……………………………………………………………………………..
Side Effects………………………………………………………………………………………..
Self-Administration……………………………………………………………………………
Procedures to take in an emergency…………………………………………………
Storage Arrangements………………………………………………………………………
Name…………………………………………
Daytime phone number…………………
Relationship to Pupil………………………………………………………………………….
Address……………………………………………………………………………………………..
I understand that I must deliver the medicine personally to a member of staff. Signature………………………………………………………………
Date…………………….
I agree that……………………………(name) will receive…………………………….. (type & quantity) every day at…………………(time)……………………………………………… (name)
will be given/supervised whilst he/she takes their medication by a member of staff authorised by the Headteacher.
This arrangement will continue until…………………………………………………………………………… (date)
Signed………………………………………………….. Head of School
…………………………………………………… Member of Staff
