Our primary school says if children need medicine at specific times 'pop' in & DIY

[wonkywillow]

Surely this penalises busy working parents, with occupations where they can't just 'pop' in? Or a parent who simply has other pressing commitments..

Can schools actually do this? They seem to be negating their responsibilities towards providing education and support for children with long term medical conditions that require regular medication.

on reading the government guidelines I think this is incorrect.

And you would be wrong. Guidelines are only guidelines. No one can force a teacher or any school worker to administer meds. The exception is for special schools, were there is a full time medical team or schools big enough to have their own nurse. Very few and far between. Some schools will pay to train a TA, that's all that can be expected.

A HT cannot write it into a teacher's contract that she is obliged to medicate.

Yes, cherrycokewinning - of course 5,000 headteachers across the country are entirely wrong about budgets and you are right. Because yo've worked in two schools. Of course.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-42861389

You are trying too hard to make an issue out of something that anyone with some common sense are able to figure out. I can't work out if you really just don't get it, or are being deliberately obtuse.

If a child has a diagnosed long term medical condition that requires medication during the school day, then part of their education plan will include that provision. Usually that will involve specialised training for the teacher/s responsible for administering that medication. It will all be laid out very clearly in a document that has had input from the parents, the child's doctors/specialists, the teacher, the school psychologist if one is involved, and leadership representatives of the school. All discussed in depth at many meetings. Money for this additional training would be allocated from funding designated to support the child's additional needs.

There IS a requirement to provide this for a child with diagnosed medical needs. I had to attend a two day training course over the school holidays with another staff member so that two of us were available to provide this service to a child joining our school (in my class) this year. The course was paid for, our time was not. Two staff members are required in case of one being away. In the unusual case of both being away, the parent is a logical and reasonable human being and has said that they will come in if necessary. Because they know that the staff has their child's wellbeing at heart, but also realises that sometimes shit happens.

There is NO requirement for a school to administer a drug, such as paracetamol, where the parent rocks up at the front desk and says 'Sally has had a fever all night and is looking a bit peaky. If she looks a bit low, just give her a dose of this'. We cannot stop Sally's mother from arriving at lunchtime and giving her a dose, but we have no obligation to administer non prescribed over the counter medication on a parent's say so. And no school is going to allocate funds to hire a professional HCP who can determine if Sally really needs paracetamol or not.

There IS a requirement to provide this for a child with diagnosed medical needs.

Thank you Midnite. This is what I wanted clarified. Other posters seem to be suggesting there is no requirement for schools to provide this.

Other posters seem to be suggesting there is no requirement for schools to provide this.

If no teacher/TA volunteers then the school cannot provide it - surely you understand that? As I have repeatedly said no HT can force staff to medicate.

The thing is, they may have no obligation but they almost certainly do it to accommodate children's needs. I have no doubt teacher's who says above statement are actually doing it for the benefit of children.
The way you twist posters comment and making it sound like teachers/TAs/staff/school are all negligent is very unpleasant. They aren't like that at all.

If no teacher/TA volunteers then the school cannot provide it - surely you understand that? As I have repeatedly said no HT can force staff to medicate.

So you think Midnite is wrong to post this:

There IS a requirement to provide this for a child with diagnosed medical needs.

It's also where the confusion lies. When the parent I mentioned above approached the school about taking their child, I was called into the Principal's office and asked if I was willing to take on the needs of this child. I could have refused and the child would have been assigned to another class. I am not required to provide certain services, I am willing to do so on a case by case basis (I will administer medication if trained, I will not provide personal care such as changing nappies). In this case, an aide was also hired at the same time as the child has the need of a 1-1 and administering medication was a job requirement.

"There IS a requirement to provide this for a child with diagnosed medical needs."

But OP, you are not taking about meds for long term illness, you are talking about something like calpol or occasional antibiotics, aren't you? Why can't you make it clear?

I had this with DS1 20 years ago. It's because the school's insurance doesn't cover them administering medication. I also had to go on school trips with him, until a granny got jealous that I went on all the trips and his teacher said she'd give it to him to keep the peace.

But OP, you are not taking about meds for long term illness, you are talking about something like calpol or occasional antibiotics, aren't you? Why can't you make it clear?

No I am not. I made no assumptions regarding type of medication.

So, you think life saving meds and something like calpol need to be treated the same by school. Right.

Fennie you appear to have mistaken politics for facts. Your article proves nothing.

I haven’t worked in a school either. Never said I did

Cherry, I have known Feenie for quite a while on MN. And I don't think she is the kind who can mistake politics for facts.

That doesn't seem fair. I do pop in to give mine her medicine but only because it's so difficult to get anything down her!

This is ridiculous. What is this, 1950? I don't know any parents who don't work at my child's school, even at my primary school a hundred years ago the eighties this wouldn't have been possible for most parents.

So you think Midnite is wrong to post this:

There IS a requirement to provide this for a child with diagnosed medical needs.

Midnite has clarified, she could have refused. Every teacher could refuse.

So, you think life saving meds and something like calpol need to be treated the same by school. Right.

No, where have I said that?

Statutory guidance is not 'just' guidance - it must be treated as law and must be followed.

Children in need of medication due to a disability must be provided with that medication in school if need be. It is the schools responsibility to ensure this happens and it doesn't matter what is in any staff contracts - someone has to ensure the safe provision of medication to the child. If the school have managed to employ everyone (including management and administration staff) on contracts which explicitly say they don't need to then they have been rather foolish and will have to employ someone else. That would be the schools fault, not the child's

Ha ha, totally agree with zzzzz. We just had regular check up with my ds's consultant. He suggested ds will have 2 appointment soon, one takes whole day and another at least 2+ hours. I have totally given up on my working carrier when I found out my ds had chronic illness which he will have for life.

Whinberry , Op is not talking about those meds.

Today 11:35 irvineoneohone

Cherry, I have known Feenie for quite a while on MN. And I don't think she is the kind who can mistake politics for facts.

A bbc article about a letters headteachers writing a public letter isn’t facts. Its reporting what happened.

I’m asking how those saying the public don’t realise how little money schools have know themselves. None of my teachers would have a clue what the school budgets was and didn’t have the skills to make meaningful decisions based on it anyway.

It’s sorely missing in schools and people should be aware of that.