Information asked when starting school

[SurreyDad]

Just a quickie - why would a school need to know the details of a child's GP? And when might a school actually use that information?

SurreyDad school nurses work for the NHS not for the school and as employees of the NHS have access to the data relating to the children in their care.

I'm a teacher and you don't make me weep because I don't know (or want to know) who my pupils GPs are it isn't relevant to my role as a teacher.

That knowledge may become relevant to me in my role of SENCO and Designated Child Protection person but honestly most teachers don't have any interest in the name of your child's doctor and wouldn't have access to that information.

He makes me weep not because i am even vaguely interested in who his child's GP is, and indeed will never use that info ( ill student, down to matron), but becuase someone who is so antagonistic about a very simple, reasonable and justified request is clearly going to be a total nightmare to deal with the whole time one is unfortunate enough to teach his child.

mrz - i'm surprised you say you wouldn't have access to that information - i can log onto our school database and get the home details of any student in my school, along with their GP details. The parents can also login from home, see all their child's details, including academic progress, effort, sanctions. A really useful 2 way tool.

Our staff don't have automatic access to pupil's personal information other than academic levels.

Unless a child has a medical condition that warrants a join care plan there is no need for teachers to know GP names as a matter of routine. When I take children for out of school visits and residentials I have medical information and GP names provided by parents with me but would only look at it if the need arose.

You are muddling the points mrz, I don't think there is a teacher in the country who spends their valuable frees going through the database to check up on which GP little Fred has.
However the information is there in case one needs to access it, and in emergency that might be quite quickly and not have time for someone to authorise my access e.g I am at school at 6.30pm doing an afterschool activity, child becomes ill/hurt, the person who authorises me access to the database has gone home so i have to send Fred to the hospital all by himself, without any supporting information because I cannot access it - that would be madness.

No I'm not muddling the points Loshad.
You said you were surprised that I don't have access to a child's personal information and I replied.
My next point was to the OP - he may feel better knowing that his child's information isn't going to automatically available to all staff.
I would assume that children attending out of hours activities would provide the organiser the same sort of information supplied for outings?

no need - it's all on the system, saves loads of unecessary paperwork and chasing for forms

Do you work in the state system, Loshad?

I didn't say I couldn't access the information in an emergency Loshad just that I wouldn't automatically do so... as I also said I'm SENCO and Designated Child Protection person so I have access to much more sensitive information than the GPs name

to ellenjane - yes

I've never heard of a matron in a state primary school, 'tis all.

mrz - you state further up that the only access your staff have routinely is that for academic levels. I have not worked in a school where that is the case, and i consider that it would be a highly inefficient system.

Do you routinely look at other information Loshad?

I think you are confusing "routinely" with unable... staff can access information if there is cause to do so but other than updating academic information staff rarely access a child's files.

Sorry I used the word automatic rather than routinely in my first post ... (as I'm sure you have realised) What I mean is that staff would not be accessing personal information regarding children unless there was a reason (accident /illness) not that they are unable to access basic details if there is a reason to do so.

fair enough then, the same as everyone else, but not what you said at first.

It's exactly what I said Loshad. Staff don't have automatic access to pupil's personal information ... you chose to interpret that as unable to access.

no it's not mrz - no automatic access does not mean what you have chosen to think it means. Your staff clearly do have automatic access, but routinely do not need to access that information. If they did not have automatic access then they would need to have access granted - the point i was making above.

I think I know what I meant Loshad...
They don't need to have access granted but they do need to log into a secure area which they would only visit if there was a specific need ie an emergency.

Its not as if the GP will give the school any confdential information that they hold on the child.

SurreyDad - So, what do you know about the NHS Database and what it can do and why it failed? The "secret database" - what's that? Any links you can post here for more information would be great - would love to have a good read.

The NHS database isnt foolproof, especially if your child is called something like Sarah Smith,

Is it this? en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ContactPoint

actually, where I work it is necessary for schools ( usually SENCO) to know the name of the child's GP to access speech and language therapy and occupational therapy services. Children not registered with a GP in our borough (and therefore presumably not resident here) cannot access SLT / OT.