01293 525449
01293 525449  

Medical Matters

We take our medical and first aid provision very seriously and we have staff and procedures in place to ensure that we can support children with a wide variety of medical needs. We also have first aid provision available at all times, including when children are on an off-site visit. We have more than the recommended number of First Aiders, who have attended a recognised First Aid Course  and attend refresher courses every 3 years.

It is really important that parents/carers inform us of their of their child’s medical needs; if your child develops an ongoing medical condition that may affect their school day, or there are any changes to a pre-existing condition we already know about, please contact the school office urgently. Where it is necessary for medication to be held in school i.e. an asthma inhaler or auto-injector, parents must pass it to the school office who will make sure it is stored safely, and available should your child need it. Children must not keep any medication in their bag.

Children often complain of minor injuries or ailments and in the majority of cases, we can deal with this in school without needing to telephone you. In some cases, we will need to either telephone you to let you know of the injury or advise you that further medical treatment may be needed. It is therefore very important that we have a list of adults who parents would like us to use as emergency contacts, legally at least two, ideally up to four people.  In the case of an accident or illness, we use the list of contacts in order of the priority indicated  and it is helpful if the emergency contacts are someone who can reach the school reasonably quickly and who is regularly available.  


Illness



It can sometimes be difficult to determine whether a child is well enough to come to school. We follow NHS and the UK Health Security Agency advice regarding whether children can attend school with certain illnesses. Typically, mild colds or tiredness, should not prevent a child from attending school. Unless your child has had sickness or diarrhoea – in which case they need to have 48 hours off school to avoid the spread of nasty bugs – or one of the contagious illnesses listed on the poster below (please click on the image to enlarge), please make every effort to bring your child into school every day. 

If your child is too ill to attend school, please

  • report your child as absent via the Arbor App or Parent Portal

OR

  • ring us on 01293 525449 and choose option 1, before the start of the school day.

If your child is absent and booked into Breakfast Club or Cygnet Crew, please remember to email [email protected] to let them know that your child will not be at the club.  

Please do NOT email the office to say that your child will be absent.

Medication


Members of staff are only permitted to administer short term medicines in school if parents sign a consent form at the school office.  If possible, short term courses of antibiotics or medicines should be given before children arrive, on their return home and before bedtime.  

If a child is on maintenance drugs i.e. those which must be taken every day to stabilise a chronic condition, guidance does allow staff to administer these on completion of a disclaimer form which is available from the school office or can be printed from the link HERE. Parents will need to provide prescribed medicines in their original container with a personalised prescription label and this will be kept securely in school.  It is the parent’s responsibility to inform the school about any changes in administration of maintenance drugs and to ensure that any drugs provided are in date.

Please note that ALL medication must be given in to the school office; children are not allowed to keep any medication in their school bags. Children are also not allowed to administer any medication themselves,  including cough sweets. 

Asthma


Any child with asthma should have their inhaler in school, which must be clearly labelled with the child’s name and kept in the class First Aid bag so that it can be taken with the child for activities outside of the classroom. Parents must fill in a specific asthma form to let us know of any treatment or preventative measures which need to be taken for your child; these can be collected from the office or downloaded HERE. Parents are asked to provide a second inhaler to be kept in the office as an emergency backup, and to ensure that inhalers are in date.  The school does have inhalers that can be used in an emergency, but only if parents have completed a disclaimer in advance.


Allergies


Any allergies, especially serious ones, need to be reported to us and we may ask parents to complete an allergy form so we are able to administer the correct treatment if your child comes into contact with any substance they are allergic to. Parents of any child who suffers from anaphylaxis will be given a more in-depth form and their auto-injector will be kept in a first aid bum bag, which they will wear at all times while they are in school so that it is always available. A second auto-injector will be kept in the school office. Again, it is the parent’s responsibility to ensure that these are in date. 

If your child is allergic to plasters, it is very important that you inform us of this and provide alternative coverings as we may need to use them.

The Diner is able to accommodate dietary allergies and intolerances; please speak to the school office to arrange to speak directly with our catering team. 

The Diner and school are compliant with Natasha’s Law on food-allergy labelling and we take our responsibility towards safeguarding children with allergies very seriously.

First Aid


Despite our best efforts to keep all of our children safe, accidents do happen and any child who is hurt will receive first aid treatment from a qualified first aider. This may be as simple as providing some reassurance or applying a plaster. Each class has a first aid bag, which accompanies the class everywhere and contains basic first aid supplies as well as the class’s asthma inhalers. 

We take head injuries very seriously. Any child who has a significant bump to their head is given a red band to wear around their wrist so that everyone who comes into contact with them is aware and can watch them more closely. If there is a noticeable bump to your child’s head or face, we will always telephone you to let you know before pick up. A telephone call does not mean your child needs to be picked up immediately; if we think your child needs to be collected we will discuss this with you and make the decision together.

On rare occasions children may suffer more serious injuries or medical events. We will always telephone home if we are concerned and think that a child needs to visit the doctors or hospital. If we are not able to make contact with you, we will phone for an ambulance or take them there ourselves and await your arrival.

All first aid is recorded on our Arbor systems. If a child has received first aid during the school day, their parents / carers will receive an email at around 3pm informing them of the incident and the first aid provided. 

If your child has suffered a broken bone and is wearing a cast then usually we can approve their return to school. However, anyone who is wearing a plaster or is recovering from surgery which means they are not as mobile as usual will need a risk assessment in place to ensure their safety and the safety of everyone else in the building. This is particularly important if there is a fire and we need to evacuate. Please either telephone or come the Office so that we can make a decision together about a risk assessment. It is very unusual for us to say that a child is not able to come to school but when we do, we will explain to you our reasons why.

Covid-19


We follow NHS England Guidance on Covid-19:

  • Pupils with a positive COVID-19 test result cannot come to school and should avoid contact with other people for 3 days after the positive test, which is when they are most infectious. They can return to school after day 3, if they no longer have a high temperature and they are well enough to attend
  • If adults have a positive Covid test result, please do not enter the school building and try to avoid entering the school site, for 5 days after the positive result. If you need to enter the site to drop off or collect your child, please observe social distancing at all times and wear a mask if possible.

 Last updated Feb 2025

Swimming


Swimming is an important part of the school curriculum and all children are required to participate. If children are deemed to be well enough to be in school on their swimming day, then they are expected to go swimming unless they have a doctor’s note.

School Nurse


The school nurse can be contacted directly on 01293 600300 extn 1725/1723.  Pupils may also be referred to the school nurse by school staff. 


Head Lice


Head lice and nits are a recurring problem for all schools, and they are very difficult to eradicate.  Parents of any child found to have head lice will be asked to treat them that evening.  Once treated, children can be returned to school the following day.  If, at home, parents find that they need to treat their children, they are asked to inform the school so that we can try to restrict the spread.  Parents of other pupils in the relevant class will be advised to be particularly vigilant.