Illness and your child’s education

Academies, maintained schools and pupil referral units should support children with medical conditions.

How schools support pupils with medical needs

Academies, maintained schools and pupil referral units have a legal responsibility to support children with medical conditions under Section 100 of the Children and Families Act 2014 which places a duty on governing bodies of maintained schools, proprietors of academies and management committees of PRUs to make arrangements for supporting pupils at their school with medical conditions.

Details of this can be found in the Department for Education guidance on supporting pupils at school with medical conditions.

You can ask to see your child’s school’s policy on supporting pupils with medical conditions.

Support for medical needs at school

Your child’s teacher can tell you:

  • what medical support is available at the school
  • how to access any medication your child needs

School staff don’t have to help your child with their medication unless they’re employed to do it, like healthcare assistants. However, if they do help, they should get proper training to do so.

If you child gets sick at school

By law, schools have to provide a space for:

  • treatment of sick or injured pupils
  • first aid or medical examinations

Individual Healthcare Plans

If your child has a medical condition that requires management during the school day, such as epilepsy, diabetes or anaphylaxis they may require an Individual Healthcare Plan.

School governing bodies should ensure that the school’s policy covers the role of individual healthcare plans, and who is responsible for their development, in supporting pupils at school with medical conditions.

Individual healthcare plans (and their review) may be initiated, in consultation with the parent, by a member of school staff or a healthcare professional involved in providing care to the child. Plans should be drawn up in partnership between the school, parents, and a relevant healthcare professional, e.g. school nurse, specialist or children children’s community nurse or paediatrician, who can best advise on the particular needs of the child. Pupils should also be involved whenever appropriate.

The aim should be to capture the steps which a school should take to help the child manage their condition and overcome any potential barriers to getting the most from their education and how they might work with other statutory services. Partners should agree who will take the lead in writing the plan, but responsibility for ensuring it is finalised and implemented rests with the school.

Where the child also has a special educational need identified in a EHC plan, the individual healthcare plan should be linked to or become part of EHC plan.

If your child cannot attend school due to illness or injury

If your child cannot attend because of illness or injury, your school and local council will provide support to make sure their education does not suffer. There are minimum standards of education and support for children who cannot go to
school because they are ill or injured.

The school’s role

The school should:

  • have a policy and person responsible for pupils who can’t go to school for health reasons
  • let the local council know if your child is likely to be away from school for more than 15 working days
  • give the local council information about your child’s needs and capabilities and a programme of work
  • help them reintegrate your child back into school when they return
  • make sure your child is kept informed about school events and clubs
  • encourage your child to stay in contact with other pupils (e.g. through visits)

Our role

If your child is going to be away from school for a long time, Solihull Council will make sure they get as normal an education as possible and teaching will be provided based on your child child’s health needs. There should be a senior officer in charge of the arrangements and a written policy explaining how Solihull Council will meet our responsibilities.

We are responsible for making sure your child:

  • is not without access to education for more than 15 working days
  • has access to education from the start of their absence if it is clear they are going to be away from school for long and recurring periods
  • gets an education of similar quality to that in school