Paracetamol at secondary school

[LemonChiffon]

Do you think it's ok for students at secondary school to have a pack of paracetamol in their bags, and take some if needed? My daughter has been taking some into school to manage period pain. She's very sensible and good at taking pills. But do you think this is allowed? They sometimes search their bags apparently. I tried to look through the schools policies but I couldn't find anything specifically about this. I could ask them of course!

DS is in Y7 and when recently ill I put 1 kids ‘melting’ Calpol tablet (cut the blister pack, but you could still see the branding on the foil) in his blazer pocket. I wouldn’t put a whole packet, would probably cause a bit of trouble/fuss with that.

not a whole pack, but dc with chronic pain has a couple of tablets in the pencil case to use if needed.

I used to send dd2 with two tablets rather than a packet because if she had taken some before school she wouldn't be ready for more than one dose before she was home again. Dd1 was known to have everything and the garden sink in her bag so would have had more than 2 tablets. School rules had changed between the two and technically dd2 shouldn't have had the 2 tablets but I wasn't going to let her be in pain.

DS’s school wouldn’t allow this, however they do still have a full time nurse who will provide pain relief, as needed.

I wouldn't take a packet, just cut out a sensible dosage for the day and put in the pouch you keep the feminine hygiene stuff.
I can imagine the school saying no and advising her to go to the nurse instead for it to be administered if you do question it. They probably want to monitor any medication taken, avoid overdose or another child picking it up. But for the sake of a paracetamol, I would just risk cutting out a couple to make her life easier.

Thanks everyone! Great to know lots of others do the same. I think we'll do as suggested and send her in with just two at a time, in their blister pack, in her period kit. We can plead ignorance if anyone has a problem with that!

Yes I think they should be allowed depending on the individual child. My daughter is 18, an adult, is very aware of the risks of paracetamol in overdose and knows the daily safe limit. I trust her to take her own in her bag to school, however the policy says she should hand it on. They currently do not have a school nurse

Mine always carried 2 paracetamol or ibuprofen in their period kit (a pencil case with what they needed) to take if they needed them, they were under strict instructions that they were for their personal use only and were topped up when they had used them

I used to cut 2 from the blister pack and put them in DS glasses case. No one ever found them.

Id just send one dose but still in blister packet so obvious is paracetamol (cut the packet so only two tablets available). That way if anyone got hold of it it wouldn't be likely to cause any harm.
Don't send in a package of 16!

My DDs school allow this from y9. You have to fill in a form to say what medication they need to carry on themselves. In y7-8 you have to leave medication with the office, filling in a form to say what dose and when and then if the need it they go to the office to get some.

My younger DD does keep some calpol melts in her emergency period kit in her bag. Just need to keep an eye on packets wearing out when running in their bag.

Why don’t you pop an email to pastoral/tutor and ask. The school will have a medication policy and it would likely be something you would have been sent when enrolling.

Wouldn’t tell them but would only let her take one dose in her bag at a time.

I’ve given my teen DS paracetamol to take at school when he was recovering from an OP.

Our secondary school doesn’t normally police children’s school bags. They supposedly banned phones too, but no-one checks. It’s only if students are caught using the phones without permission that they get sanctions. 🤷🏻‍♀️

DD takes ibuprofen, more effective for the period cramps or sinus headaches she d need pain relief for, but I don't give her access to paracetamol

Check their policy which should be in their welcome booklet or website. Ours you have to hand in all medication and sign an agreement, I think this maybe standard for many schools. Yours maybe sensible but if they fall out and are found by a not so sensible / vulnerable student ..

My daughters school recently sent an email saying all medication had to be held in the office.

Rules or no, my I’d be allowing my daughter to carry paracetamol if she was on her period. Doesn’t have to be a whole packet. 2 tablets would be enough, tucked into her pencil case or in a little emergency kit with towels/tampons, wipes, underwear and chocolate! Any school that would object to that are disgraceful, probably run by a man who doesn’t get how miserable and sore periods can be. And yes I would allow a boy to carry them too, if he needed them for headache etc.
If the office had to sign in, hold, and sign out paracetamol for every teenage girl in the school, of which all but the very youngest will be having periods, this would be unworkable, a fact they would soon realise.

A girl at my school took an accidental overdose of paracetamol. Even secondary school children can lack judgement and full understanding. Don’t send her in with a whole packet. Just give her a couple to keep in her bag that she can take if needed.

Mine can get paracetamol from the san anytime she needs them so no need to have her own supply. Matron usually assesses what’s the problem first and has parental permission to dispense as needed and it’s noted down in the medical register.

Our school really wouldn't be chuffed about this. Our oldest dd has a pack of buscopan in her bag for cramps. Though she did once take a strip of calpol melts with her for potential headaches during exams.

Of course. I’ve had three children complete secondary school and they had a single dose- with them for period pain- at all times.

I got told off by scary reception lady for sending DS in with two Calpol melts. He'd gone to the sick room with a headache and wanted to take them but she would not let him. She said she would give him some paracetamol tablets instead. I wished her good luck with that.

She called back 30 minutes later asking me to collect him as he'd still got the headache and had also chucked up trying to swallow her tablets. Yes, that's why he had the calpol melts ... he's autistic and can't swallow tablets. But what do I know.

Secondary teacher here…

Our students are not supposed to carry their own painkillers. We do have a team of staff who deal with first aiders/medical issues - students have paracetamol stored centrally, first aiders phone for verbal permission and then give the paracetamol. It’s done that way because we don’t know what they’ve already had before school, and students do forget (accidentally or deliberately).

I’m nervous of them carrying their own because of a few scenarios…

Student self administers too soon after a morning dose.
Student has something go wrong and in a moment of irrational anxiety/anger/poor judgement, decides to take all the painkillers they have in their bag.
Student goes around lots of friends asking for painkillers, and manages to gather enough of a stock to do themselves harm from well intentioned friends.

Questions would be asked! Safer for them not to carry, but I can see why they do in a school where a system doesn’t exist.

Officially no, they won't. We had to sign something at the start of the year to say if reception could give them paracetamol.

However my girls always had ibroprofen with them. Period pains and migraines for the younger one, meant having pain killers to hand was better.

We found ibroprofen better as a pain killer, however it was also that ibroprofen is generally much less dangerous than paracetamol if someone takes too much.

We did impress on both of them that they didn't give it to anyone else too.

Just checked the attendance letter sent out earlier in the term. It says to consider pain relief or lozenges for minor ailments to avoid absence but doesn’t explicitly say they can take it at school. Anyhow, both of mine always have a couple of paracetamol on them for period pain and persistent headaches that the doctor has said to keep taking.