Can a private school access child's NHS medical records? ADHD diagnosis

[Questionsquestions12]

Hello

DD was diagnosed a year ago and we tried some medication but it didn't help much, and over the last 6 months or so we feel symptoms are not really impacting/have gone. In hindsight, many of our concerns and DD's symptoms were from stress of moving house and changing schools.

We haven't disclosed the ADHD diagnosis to new senior school because we don't feel it's relevant anymore. Can the school access medical records (haven't read through the pages and pages of T&Cs but the acceptance form did say that we should declare any health information.

Assuming her current school know about it, I think they would be required to pass that information on.

We had a child diagnosed with something in year 3, and to be fair it didn’t cause her the issues normally associated with that condition by year 6. Her parents wrote to us (the prep school) forbidding us to share the report or the diagnosis wirh her senior school. Our head had to say that we couldn’t do that and we had to share information like that.

so you may find the school find out from her prep, but they won’t from the NHS.

Was she by any chance diagnosed with inattentive adhd? This is more active mind than active body and executive function issues arise and are worse if a child is stressed or under pressure.
I am guessing you are worried about her not getting a place if she has adhd?
Both my children have adhd and this did not stop them getting private school places. I suspect unfort there is a biased to the adhd where a child is disruptive in class - but you need a reference from a school usually for private school places and her existing school will reassure then she is not disruptive in class.
A huge benefit to a diagnosis is child usually gets a rest break in exams which is very helpful for GCSEs.

School CANNOT share medical information without consent.

My daughters school did tell the private schools we applied to for 6th form to ask me for certain assessments so yes they can in their own way.

There were no extra fees to do with additional needs at the private schools my DC attended.

Private school or state school can't not access a child's medical records. They are confidential documents and can only be disclosed to other professionals with parental consent or where there are serious safeguarding concerns (involvement of Local Authority).

Private schools generally have a clause in their Ts and Cs that you must disclose reports to them and if you don't, and then they can't meet your child's needs they can withdraw your child's place. What they can't say is if you don't disclose a report they will withdraw place (because they would run the risk of indirect discrimination claims).

The fact you are posting on Mumsnet suggests to me this is not just a case that you don't think this condition is not relevant anymore, because if that was the case if it ever came out later you would simply say, "not relevant so haven't mentioned". Or you would have told the school and just said, "but it's not relevant.

I suspect you haven't told school, because of concerns your child may not have got place otherwise, and that is not necessarily untrue, because unfortunately, while no school can say "we don't accept children with x condition", many private schools ultimately will discriminate children with SEN (often without actually meeting child etc and establishing if the SEN will in fact impact on their ability to provide education).

In terms of the school, I wouldn't worry. If in the future they find out, it will likely be because something has happened so the ADHD symptoms are at a level where it does matter. The school can't withdraw your child's place, because they have ADHD. Yes they may say they wouldn't have offered, if they had seen report and noted areas of weakness, but in the same way if ultimately if your child starts suffering difficulties and they are a certain type of school they will suggest you leave in any event.

My advice would be keep a very close on eye on this situation. Intelligent neurodiverse girls learn to mask. This is often at the expense of their mental health and they can burn out in teenager years or suffer other mental health conditions. If your child is at a school where you suspect neurodiversity is not supported then the staff are less likely to be aware of subtle presentations and their actions may make things worse. Keep open to the possibility you may have to move your child to a more supportive school (and do this sooner then later if you have concerns).

OP have you not completed a medical
Form for your dd as part of the entry process?

So you think the ADHD behaviours were, in part, triggered by changing schools, yet you don't see that you need to tell another new school about this because the behaviours have, for the time being, reduced.

Your poor DC. Why on earth would you NOT tell them? She could miss out on additional support when she most needs it.

Usually you have to sign a consent form to share medical information.

ASD can be masked, not ADHD

When new pupils come to us, if they are on the SEN register, it does automatically transfer in as them having SEN (K status) on the management system, eg SIMs.

I assume she means it was a misdiagnosis. 18m is a long time for a young child.

Presumably at the point they went on the system consent was given (and can be withdrawn at any point).

This

How on earth can you get an ADHD diagnosis without school input?

Sounds dodgy at best.

You don’t actually need parental consent to add pupils to the SEN; you just need to inform them you are doing so.

*To the SEN register

Schools cannot have access to medical records, but if your dd has ADHD you are doing a disservice to her in her next school if she needs extra assistance.

Yes it can.

Particularly as inattentive ADHD is more busy mind in girls.

Girls are societally expected to behave in certain ways and therefore will work hard to hide their troubles.

Particularly, if intelligent, a girl with ADHD could go through school getting A's and B's that would be A* if they just 'applied themselves more'. The school won't necessarily see it as an issue as As and Bs are okay.

They may sit in their bedrooms daydreaming yet telling parents they are studying.

Etc etc

I know, I lived it.

I also have suspected ASD and the way Ive hidden my ADHD has some similarities but a lot of differences.

No, I wouldn’t think so. But seems probably unwise not to disclose the diagnosis. These days she will be one of many and it might help the boarding staff in their care for her.

No, they cannot access private medical records.

No. You can ask CAMHS to contact the school on your behalf though. They diognosed my son and did for me as the school wouldn't listen to their reports to put help in place. They wouldn't share reports though. I had to send them on myself.

I might be wrong, but it seems like you feel you've done your DD an injustice by 'labelling' her as ADHD, OP.

You seem to think that if you'd answered a few questions differently today, she wouldn't have met the criteria.

Don't feel guilty. You gave the best information you could at the time, in order to help you and DD understand themselves.

Obviously there are some behaviours there, otherwise you wouldn't have gone down that route in the first place, but I understand that you may now feel bad about it.

If I were in your position, i would let the new school know that DD was assessed for ADHD aged 9/10, and was considered borderline. You feel she's overcome some of the challenges she was going through, so you don't feel she's in need to extra support in that area at the moment, but you wanted to let them know in case things change.

How did you get a diagnosis without school being involved?

They have to share safeguarding concerns though, which could well include medical information?

do things like dyslexia, dyscalculia count as medical information?

When you go through any sort of nd assessment in my area they seek consent to share and request info from all involved parties as a multidisciplinary team has to assess the whole person, not just behaviour at home. I'd be very surprised of the old school didn't have involvement filling in questionnaires etc. As for what they pass on schools would be required to seek consent, most schools get you to complete information sharing consent on application. But what they apply for and from whom can vary. Any child with an ehcp it'd be part of the report but it often happens that the ehcp doesn't really get produced