In view of the fact that mistakes can be made in giving children medicine and this may have serious consequences, parents should be aware of the following procedures followed in school.
- Under no circumstances should children bring any form of non-prescription medicine to school (those bought over the counter at the chemist such as Calpol, anti-histamines, cough sweets, lipsyl). If these are brought into school staff will take them from the child for safe keeping and return them to an adult at the end of the school day.
- If medicine needs to be administered in the school day we follow clear procedures and guidelines as indicated in the school Administration of Medicines Policy (listed below). Parents must complete a form providing a range of details and instructions. Without a full completion of this form the school will not administer medicine.
- All medicines are stored in the school medical area and are administered only by authorised members of the school staff. If a child arrives with medicine without prior discussions by parents, we are sorry but we cannot allow the medicine to be taken and will not be responsible for any ill effects that this may have.
Children should only be at school if they are well enough to attend. We often get requests for children to be allowed to stay in at lunchtimes and break times because they are feeling under the weather. We are unable to accommodate this unless it is accompanied by a doctor’s letter stating that this is necessary.
Children are not allowed to leave the school during normal hours unless collected by a parent or other responsible adult. A letter/telephone call giving authority for another adult to collect your child is required. Please collect all children from the main school office. It is helpful to the school if we receive advance notice of any medical appointments.
Asthma
If your child suffers from asthma please ensure that you complete the Asthma information form which will be provided by school. If our school records show that a child has Asthma and uses an inhaler they will not be allowed to leave school premises without it. Please help us by keeping our records updated. For children who are Asthmatic they must have an inhaler in the school at all times which will be kept in a designated medical box in their classroom. All inhalers must be clearly labelled with your child’s name and the correct dosage indicated.
Allergies
If your child suffers from allergies and is at risk of severe allergic reactions please contact school. Medication such as Epi-pens are stored in school centrally and staff also have training in their administration. We also need to ensure that all staff are aware of your child’s medical needs and this will be added to our medical awareness file.