Supporting pupils with medical needs policy

Date of issue: September 2023

Date of review: September 2024

Ratified by Academy Governing Council on: January 2024

Co-op Academy Oakwood is committed to safeguarding every student. We acknowledge that safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility and ensure all of our staff are trained to be vigilant and aware of the signs and indicators of abuse and understand and follow safe working practices.

The viewpoints and voice of students is of paramount importance to our Academy and we will always listen to their wishes, thoughts and feelings, as well as identifying and supporting their needs. We will work alongside students to develop trusting, consistent and professional relationships and show we care by advocating the early help processes where possible. We will identify any difficulties or concerns early in order to act preventatively. We will always provide support and advice for families and parents/carers, whilst acting in the best interests of the student at all times and doing what matters most. Safeguarding also includes ensuring we work in an open and honest way, enabling our students to feel safe by providing a secure learning environment, are equally protected regardless of any barriers they may face and are able to grow and develop in the same way as their peers.

Co-op Academy Oakwood safeguards students by:

• Maintaining a secure site and ensuring that all visitors to the Academy are recorded, monitored and clear about how to raise a safeguarding concern should one arise.
• Ensuring that safer recruitment practices are followed to prevent those who pose a risk to children gaining access to our students.
• Filtering and monitoring all internet traffic into the Academy to ensure that students cannot be exposed to harmful material and communication.
• Ensuring that all staff employed by the Academy have received Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) clearance which is recorded in the Single Central Record
• Providing regular training and briefings for all staff in child protection and ensuring that all staff and visitors know who our designated safeguarding officers and designated senior lead are.
• Ensuring that admission and attendance procedures are robust to protect students, ensure that they are safe and prevent students from going missing from education.
• Empowering young people to identify risks both within the Academy and in their community; ensuring that they have the skills and confidence to help and protect themselves and others.
• Making sure that all students understand the importance of reporting concerns about themselves and peers and giving them the confidence to discuss sensitive issues.
• Providing pastoral and inclusion support to ensure that all students have access to guidance and advice, and when needed referrals for additional agency support to meet their needs.
• Sharing information when appropriate with other agencies and services to ensure that students, children and their families have support to meet their needs and prevent students from harm or further harm
• Taking immediate action and contacting the appropriate agencies when we believe that a student is in danger or is at risk of harm.

Co-op Academy Oakwood is committed to safeguarding and promoting the wellbeing of all of our pupils. We expect our staff, governors, wider professionals, volunteers and all other stakeholders to share this commitment. All of our policies are underpinned and linked to our safeguarding policy through this commitment.

1. Aims

This policy aims to ensure that:

• Pupils, staff and parents understand how our school will support pupils with medical conditions;
• Pupils with medical conditions are properly supported to allow them to access the same education as other pupils, including school trips and sporting activities.  

The governing board will implement this policy by:  

• Making sure sufficient staff are suitably trained;
• Making staff aware of pupil’s condition, where appropriate;
• Making sure there are cover arrangements to ensure someone is always available to support pupils with medical conditions;
• Providing supply teachers with appropriate information about relevant pupils;
• Developing and monitoring individual healthcare plans (IHPs).

The named person with responsibility for implementing this policy is Deborah Minnikin, SENDCo.

2. Legislation and statutory responsibilities

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’s statutory guidance: Supporting pupils at school with medical conditions. 

3. Roles and responsibilities

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 Head Teacher 

The head teacher will:          

• Ensure that staff are aware of the policy.
• Ensure that the SENDco implements the policy.
• Ensures that there is sufficient staff to deliver the policy.
• Work on strategic planning to ensure that the policy can be delivered and implemented.
• Make sure that school staff are appropriately insured and aware that they are insured to support pupils in this way;  

3. The SENDco will:

• Make sure all staff are aware of this policy and understand their role in its implementation;

• Ensure that there is a sufficient number of trained staff available to implement this policy and deliver against all individual healthcare plans (IHPs), including in contingency and emergency situations;  
• Take overall responsibility for the development of IHPs;  
• Contact the school nursing service in the case of any pupil who has a medical condition that may require support at school, but who has not yet been brought to the attention of the school nurse;  
• Ensure that systems are in place for obtaining information about a child’s medical needs and that this information is kept up to date.

3.4 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.  

3.5 Parents

Parents will:

• Provide the school with sufficient and up-to-date information about their child’s medical needs;
• Be involved in the development and review of their child’s IHP and may be involved in its drafting;  
• Carry out any action they have agreed to as part of the implementation of the IHP e.g. provide medicines and equipment.  

3.6 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.  

3.7 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.  

Healthcare professionals, such as GPs and paediatricians, will liaise with the schools nurses and notify them of any pupils identified as having a medical condition.  

4. Equal opportunities

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.

5. Being notified that a child has a medical condition

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.

6. Individual healthcare plans

The head teacher has overall responsibility for the development of IHPs for pupils with medical conditions. The day to day responsibility is delegated to the SENDCo and named adults on the plans. 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:

• What needs to be done
• When  
• By whom  

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 not a consensus, the SENDco in consultation with the head teacher 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 statement of special educational needs (SEN) or education, health and care (EHC) plan. If a pupil has SEN but does not have a statement or 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 SENDCo and senior leadership team will consider the following when deciding what information to record on IHPs:

• The medical condition, its triggers, signs, symptoms and treatments;
• The pupil’s resulting needs, including medication (dose, side effects and storage) and other treatments, time, facilities, equipment, testing, access to food and drink where this is used to manage their condition, dietary requirements and environmental issues, e.g. crowded corridors, travel time between lessons;
• Specific support for the pupil’s educational, social and emotional needs. For example, how absences will be managed, requirements for extra time to complete exams, use of rest periods or additional support in catching up with lessons, counselling sessions;
• The level of support needed, including in emergencies. If a pupil is self-managing their medication, this will be clearly stated with appropriate arrangements for monitoring;
• Who will provide this support, their training needs, expectations of their role and confirmation of proficiency to provide support for the pupil’s medical condition from a healthcare professional, and cover arrangements for when they are unavailable;
• Who in the school needs to be aware of the pupil’s condition and the support required;
• Arrangements for written permission from parents and the head teacher for medication to be administered by a member of staff, or self-administered by the pupil during school hours;
• Separate arrangements or procedures required for school trips or other school activities outside of the normal school timetable that will ensure the pupil can participate, e.g. risk assessments;
• Where confidentiality issues are raised by the parent/pupil, the designated individuals to be entrusted with information about the pupil’s condition;
• What to do in an emergency, including who to contact, and contingency arrangements.

7. Managing medicines

Prescription medicines will only be administered at school:

• When it would be detrimental to the pupil’s health or school attendance not to do so and 
• Where we have parents’ written consent.  

Pupils will not be given medicine 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:

• In-date
• Labelled
• Provided in the original container, as dispensed by the pharmacist, and include instructions for administration, dosage and storage

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.

All controlled drugs are kept in a secure cupboard 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 may administer medicines and procedures. However, this will be discussed with parents and it will be reflected in their IHPs.  

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:

• Prevent pupils from easily accessing their inhalers and medication, and administering their medication when and where necessary; 
• Assume that every pupil with the same condition requires the same treatment; 
• Ignore the views of the pupil or their parents; 
• Ignore medical evidence or opinion (although this may be challenged); 
• Send children with medical conditions home frequently for reasons associated with their medical condition or prevent them from staying for normal school activities, including lunch, unless this is specified in their IHPs; 
• If the pupil becomes ill, send them to the school office unaccompanied or with someone unsuitable; 
• Penalise pupils for their attendance record if their absences are related to their medical condition, e.g. hospital appointments; 
• Prevent pupils from drinking, eating or taking toilet or other breaks whenever they need to in order to manage their medical condition effectively;
• Prevent pupils from participating, or create unnecessary barriers to pupils participating in any aspect of school life, including school trips, e.g. by requiring parents to accompany their child;  
• Administer, or ask pupils to administer, medicine in school toilets.  

8. Emergency procedures

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.  

9. Training

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 head teacher. Training will be kept up to date.  

Training will:

• Be sufficient to ensure that staff are competent and have confidence in their ability to support the pupils;
• Fulfil the requirements in the IHPs;
• Help staff to have an understanding of the specific medical conditions they are being asked to deal with, their implications and preventative measures.  

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.  

10. Record keeping

The governing board will ensure that written records are kept of all medicine administered to pupils. 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.

11. Liability and indemnity

The governing board will ensure that the appropriate level of insurance is in place and appropriately reflects the school’s level of risk.  

12. Complaints

Parents with a complaint about their child’s medical condition should discuss these directly with the SENDCo and head teacher in the first instance. If the SENDco and head teacher cannot resolve the matter, they will direct parents to the school’s complaints procedure.  

13. Monitoring arrangements

This policy will be reviewed and approved by the governing board every 3 years.  

14. Links to other policies

This policy links to the following policies:

• Accessibility plan
• Complaints  
• Equality information and objectives
• First aid
• Health and safety
• Safeguarding
• Special educational needs information report and policy.

Appendix 1: Being notified a child has a medical condition