Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of requiring schools to meet Asthma Friendly School standards.

Section 100 of the Children and Families Act 2014 places a duty on maintained schools, academies and pupil referral units in England to make arrangements for supporting pupils with medical conditions. The accompanying statutory guidance makes clear to schools what is expected of them in taking reasonable steps to fulfil their legal obligations and to meet the individual needs of pupils with medical conditions. Schools should ensure they are aware of any pupils with medical conditions and have policies and processes in place to ensure these can be well managed.

Governing bodies must ensure that the arrangements they put in place are sufficient to meet their statutory responsibilities and that policies, plans, procedures and systems are properly and effectively implemented.

We have recently consulted on revised statutory guidance on ‘Supporting children and young people with medical conditions at school’, available at: https://consult.education.gov.uk/medical-conditions-at-school/medical-conditions-at-school-statutory-guidance/. This sought views from schools, parents, health professionals and other stakeholders on proposals to strengthen how schools meet their duties. Our aim is to ensure that every child can access education safely and confidently, regardless of their health needs. We are considering the responses to the consultation and will respond in due course.