Medical needs

Medication in school

Children may require prescribed medication from time to time. If your child needs to have prescribed medication administered at school, please come to the Office where you will need to complete the required permission form.  Staff will administer this in a voluntary capacity and it is the responsibility of the parents and/or children to remember to come at the appropriate time.  

If your child needs medication three times a day the local authority recommends this doesn’t come to school but is taken before school, on return home from school and before bed (unless it is essential to be taken before food at lunchtime).

Generally, parents should allow at least 24 hours after the start of a course of antibiotics before sending their child back to school and children should only return to school if they are well enough to do so. 

Under no circumstances should children bring any other form of medication to school, e.g. cough sweets etc. 

Calpol/Piriton

The school keeps Calpol and Piriton in school for emergency use.

Where a child has a temperature or seems under the weather, Calpol suspension may be administered if a parent has given their written consent for emergency use – although the school will always attempt to contact a parent first.  A record of Calpol administered will be kept, including the reason for giving it.

The school also keeps Piriton in school for emergency use, but this would only be given if parents can be contacted and give their permission, as we do not have general consent in place for antihistamine medication.  A record of Piriton administered will be kept.

Asthma inhalers/adrenaline auto injectors

Children who have specific medical needs and will have an individual medical plan drawn up for them in liaison with parents and medical professionals as required.

Inhalers and adrenaline auto injectors (e.g. Epipens) are kept with the child in their classroom.  It is the responsibility of the parents to inform the school if their child is asthmatic or has an epi-pen and to ensure the required inhaler/epi-pen is in school and in date. We send medication home home at the end of each term and it is to come back into school on the first day via the office.  Children who require asthma inhalers or epi-pens are not allowed to be in school without their medication.

Children becoming unwell

If children become unwell during the school day, it is important that we are able to get in touch with a parent or other emeregency contact so that they can be collected and taken home.  Please ensure that we have at least two emergency numbers for your child.

First Aid

Accidents do occasionally happen in schools.  Many of our staff are first aid trained and will assess and treat minor injuries as appropriate.  An accident record form will be completed by the appropriate member of staff and parents will be informed of any incidents and injuries at the end of the school day, or sooner if appropriate - e.g. head bumps or where further medical treatment is considered advisable.

Policies

Our policies on First Aid and Supporting children with medical needs in school can be downloaded from our Policies page.