Asked by: Sandy Martin (Labour - Ipswich)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department has taken to raise awareness of schools of their duty to protect and enable pupils with medical conditions.
Answered by Nadhim Zahawi
The government recognises the importance of supporting pupils at school with medical conditions. Section 100 of the Children and Families Act 2014 introduced a duty that requires governing boards to make arrangements to support pupils with medical conditions. Most schools manage these issues well and take their responsibilities towards pupils with such conditions seriously, making sure that the medical needs of their pupils are being met.
The department works with organisations such as the Health Conditions in Schools Alliance to raise awareness of the duty, and recently promoted it through the department’s social media channels.
Governing boards should ensure that schools develop a policy for supporting pupils with medical conditions that is reviewed regularly and is readily accessible to parents and school staff. We keep the guidance under review, including in the context of school awareness, and the role it plays in securing accessibility of school policies.
This guidance is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/supporting-pupils-at-school-with-medical-conditions--3.
Asked by: Sandy Martin (Labour - Ipswich)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if her Department will issue guidance to schools on reasonable adjustments to school timetables for children with Type 1 diabetes.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
School governing boards should ensure that all schools develop a policy for supporting pupils with medical conditions that is reviewed regularly and is readily accessible to parents and school staff. The department does not hold information on individual diabetes episodes within schools, nor on the extent to which governing boards are making arrangements within their school policies for the support of pupils with medical conditions to give specific consideration to the needs of pupils with Type 1 Diabetes.
Statutory guidance on supporting pupils at school with medical conditions includes information for schools on developing school policies. We have also provided a collection of links to useful resources to help schools support their pupils with medical conditions. This includes links to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation / East of England Children and Young People Diabetes Network; and to Diabetes UK website, which includes a sample medical conditions policy.
Ofsted’s Common Inspection Framework requires inspectors, in making judgements upon schools, to pay particular attention to the outcomes of a range of groups of pupils, including those with medical needs. Ofsted included guidance to inspectors on this matter in their March 2017 school inspection update, reminding inspectors that they should consider how schools are meeting the needs of pupils with medical conditions. The content of inspection frameworks and training of inspectors are matters for Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector.
Governing boards must make reasonable adjustments to ensure that disabled children and young people are not at a substantial disadvantage compared with their peers. This duty is anticipatory: adjustments must be planned and put in place in advance, to prevent that disadvantage.
Asked by: Sandy Martin (Labour - Ipswich)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans her Department has to instruct OFSTED to update its (a) inspection regime and (b) inspector training to include checks for the effective implementation of policies regarding pupils with 1 diabetes.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
School governing boards should ensure that all schools develop a policy for supporting pupils with medical conditions that is reviewed regularly and is readily accessible to parents and school staff. The department does not hold information on individual diabetes episodes within schools, nor on the extent to which governing boards are making arrangements within their school policies for the support of pupils with medical conditions to give specific consideration to the needs of pupils with Type 1 Diabetes.
Statutory guidance on supporting pupils at school with medical conditions includes information for schools on developing school policies. We have also provided a collection of links to useful resources to help schools support their pupils with medical conditions. This includes links to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation / East of England Children and Young People Diabetes Network; and to Diabetes UK website, which includes a sample medical conditions policy.
Ofsted’s Common Inspection Framework requires inspectors, in making judgements upon schools, to pay particular attention to the outcomes of a range of groups of pupils, including those with medical needs. Ofsted included guidance to inspectors on this matter in their March 2017 school inspection update, reminding inspectors that they should consider how schools are meeting the needs of pupils with medical conditions. The content of inspection frameworks and training of inspectors are matters for Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector.
Governing boards must make reasonable adjustments to ensure that disabled children and young people are not at a substantial disadvantage compared with their peers. This duty is anticipatory: adjustments must be planned and put in place in advance, to prevent that disadvantage.
Asked by: Sandy Martin (Labour - Ipswich)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what guidance her Department has issued to schools and governing bodies on developing policies to support pupils with Type 1 Diabetes.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
School governing boards should ensure that all schools develop a policy for supporting pupils with medical conditions that is reviewed regularly and is readily accessible to parents and school staff. The department does not hold information on individual diabetes episodes within schools, nor on the extent to which governing boards are making arrangements within their school policies for the support of pupils with medical conditions to give specific consideration to the needs of pupils with Type 1 Diabetes.
Statutory guidance on supporting pupils at school with medical conditions includes information for schools on developing school policies. We have also provided a collection of links to useful resources to help schools support their pupils with medical conditions. This includes links to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation / East of England Children and Young People Diabetes Network; and to Diabetes UK website, which includes a sample medical conditions policy.
Ofsted’s Common Inspection Framework requires inspectors, in making judgements upon schools, to pay particular attention to the outcomes of a range of groups of pupils, including those with medical needs. Ofsted included guidance to inspectors on this matter in their March 2017 school inspection update, reminding inspectors that they should consider how schools are meeting the needs of pupils with medical conditions. The content of inspection frameworks and training of inspectors are matters for Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector.
Governing boards must make reasonable adjustments to ensure that disabled children and young people are not at a substantial disadvantage compared with their peers. This duty is anticipatory: adjustments must be planned and put in place in advance, to prevent that disadvantage.
Asked by: Sandy Martin (Labour - Ipswich)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many pupils at maintained schools with Type 1 Diabetes have (a) entered a coma and (b) suffered a serious medical episode at school in the last 12 months.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
School governing boards should ensure that all schools develop a policy for supporting pupils with medical conditions that is reviewed regularly and is readily accessible to parents and school staff. The department does not hold information on individual diabetes episodes within schools, nor on the extent to which governing boards are making arrangements within their school policies for the support of pupils with medical conditions to give specific consideration to the needs of pupils with Type 1 Diabetes.
Statutory guidance on supporting pupils at school with medical conditions includes information for schools on developing school policies. We have also provided a collection of links to useful resources to help schools support their pupils with medical conditions. This includes links to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation / East of England Children and Young People Diabetes Network; and to Diabetes UK website, which includes a sample medical conditions policy.
Ofsted’s Common Inspection Framework requires inspectors, in making judgements upon schools, to pay particular attention to the outcomes of a range of groups of pupils, including those with medical needs. Ofsted included guidance to inspectors on this matter in their March 2017 school inspection update, reminding inspectors that they should consider how schools are meeting the needs of pupils with medical conditions. The content of inspection frameworks and training of inspectors are matters for Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector.
Governing boards must make reasonable adjustments to ensure that disabled children and young people are not at a substantial disadvantage compared with their peers. This duty is anticipatory: adjustments must be planned and put in place in advance, to prevent that disadvantage.
Asked by: Sandy Martin (Labour - Ipswich)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what information her Department holds on whether school governing bodies are making arrangements within their school policies for the support of pupils with medical conditions to give specific consideration to the needs of pupils with Type 1 Diabetes.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
School governing boards should ensure that all schools develop a policy for supporting pupils with medical conditions that is reviewed regularly and is readily accessible to parents and school staff. The department does not hold information on individual diabetes episodes within schools, nor on the extent to which governing boards are making arrangements within their school policies for the support of pupils with medical conditions to give specific consideration to the needs of pupils with Type 1 Diabetes.
Statutory guidance on supporting pupils at school with medical conditions includes information for schools on developing school policies. We have also provided a collection of links to useful resources to help schools support their pupils with medical conditions. This includes links to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation / East of England Children and Young People Diabetes Network; and to Diabetes UK website, which includes a sample medical conditions policy.
Ofsted’s Common Inspection Framework requires inspectors, in making judgements upon schools, to pay particular attention to the outcomes of a range of groups of pupils, including those with medical needs. Ofsted included guidance to inspectors on this matter in their March 2017 school inspection update, reminding inspectors that they should consider how schools are meeting the needs of pupils with medical conditions. The content of inspection frameworks and training of inspectors are matters for Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector.
Governing boards must make reasonable adjustments to ensure that disabled children and young people are not at a substantial disadvantage compared with their peers. This duty is anticipatory: adjustments must be planned and put in place in advance, to prevent that disadvantage.
Asked by: Sandy Martin (Labour - Ipswich)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that all schools have a policy for the care of pupils with Type 1 diabetes.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
We know how important it is that children with medical conditions such as Type 1 diabetes are supported to enjoy a full education. That is why we introduced the duty to require governing bodies to make arrangements to support pupils with medical conditions and have provided statutory guidance outlining schools’ responsibilities in this area.
All governing boards should ensure that their school develops a policy for supporting pupils with medical conditions which is reviewed regularly and is readily accessible to parents and school staff.
We continue to work with organisations such as the Health Conditions in Schools Alliance to help raise further awareness of the duty on schools, and have recently promoted the duty through the department’s social media channels.