Please find below answers to common questions relating to children’s health in school. If you have a query not covered here please contact the school office.
Medical Needs
Ill health
Children should not be brought to school if they have a contagious illness or are too unwell to participate in learning.
If you are not sure whether or not to bring your child to school please contact the school office to seek advice.
If your child has suffered from sickness and/or diarrhoea they should be kept home from school for 48 hours to minimise the risk of spreading an infectious illness.
Find out more about reporting an absence.
Medication
If your child needs to take prescribed medicine during the school day you are welcome to come into school and administer this medicine.
If you are not able to come in it may be possible for us to administer certain prescription medicines on your behalf although this is undertaken by office staff on a purely voluntary basis.
We will do our best to ensure your child receives the correct medicine at the appropriate time but we do not accept responsibility for such administration.
All medicines must be brought into school by a parent, carer or their representative, not a child, and a consent form must be completed. The medicine must have the prescription label attached showing the child’s name and the appropriate dose.
We will only accept prescribed medicines that are in date, labelled, provided in the original container as dispensed by a pharmacist and include the instructions (with the exception of insulin, which must be in date but can be in a pen or pump rather than original container) for administration, dosage and storage. The data sheet should be kept with the medicine at all times.
If a child requires medicine to be administered during the school day, including self-administrated medication such as inhaler, a consent form must be completed by a parent/carer and accompany the medicine. All medicine must be handed in at the school office in its original packaging, clearly labelled with the child’s name and dosage requirements. Inhalers will be kept with the class at all times.
Please contact the school office to discuss your child’s medication.
For safety reasons, in general school staff will not administer creams and lotions, including sun protection.
During the summer, we recommend using a long-lasting product that can be applied at home before the start of the school day.
Supporting children with medical conditions
Children with serious medical conditions will need a healthcare plan. The Inclusion Lead or a member of the Admin team will meet with the parent/carer to arrange a time to complete these.
We ensure that children with medical conditions receive appropriate care and support at school. We do all that is reasonable to ensure that we can administer medication and care to enable them to access school life. Our ‘First Aid and Medical Conditions’ policy has been developed in line with Department for Education (DfE) guidance. The policy can be viewed on our school website, or a paper copy can be requested from the school office.
Staff are more than willing to receive additional training to support your child’s needs. At Westover we are fully committed to the inclusion of all our pupils.
Headlice
During your child’s time at school they are likely to get head lice. There is nothing to be embarrassed about or to fear. If we notice them at school we will contact you.
Please treat your child and the rest of your family. Regular checking of your child’s hair for lice and treatment if they are present is the responsibility of parents and carers, not the school.
