A group of charities has warned that thousands of children across England are not receiving adequate healthcare support at school because of a postcode lottery system, which could be preventing them from reaching their full academic potential.
Pressure is being placed on the government by the Health Conditions in Schools Alliance, which campaigns on behalf of over a million children with health conditions including type 1 diabetes, migraine, epilepsy and asthma. The Health Conditions in Schools Alliance is calling for changes to the Children and Families Bill, to enable children to receive the healthcare support they require for a fully beneficial education.
Under the current system, schools are permitted to individually decide the level of support provided to children with health conditions, but evidence gathered by the charities suggests that this approach is ineffective. Despite many schools offering high standards of care, some children are still thought to experience bullying, stigma and ill health that could be avoided if the appropriate resources were in place. In particular, children often experience discrimination and exclusion during school trips and extra-curricular activities, detracting from the educational value of such events.
The charities are calling on the government to include a statutory requirement for schools to provide improved care for children with health conditions. At present, the bill only includes regulations for children with special educational needs (SEN). However, a recent bill committee hearing revealed that the government does not plan to incorporate this change, as it believes that children with health conditions are already protected under the Children Act 1989 and the Equality Act 2010.
Diabetes UK, the British Heart Foundation and the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) are amongst the charities calling for the change. Barbara Young, Chief Executive of Diabetes UK, said: “Every child has a right to education but parents and carers are telling us that their children with Type 1 diabetes are facing difficulties getting the support they need to manage their condition in school, to participate in normal school life and progress academically.
“These difficulties include children not being allowed access to their insulin, which they need to regulate their blood glucose level, or to eat snacks in class if their blood glucose levels drop, and discrimination around school trips and extracurricular activities. Many parents are also having to take time off work to come into school to administer their child’s insulin, which is completely unacceptable.”
A full list of the charities comprising the Health Conditions in Schools Alliance include:
The Anaphylaxis Campaign
Association of Young People with ME
Asthma UK
British Heart Foundation
Cystic Fibrosis Trust
Epilepsy Action
Diabetes UK
Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF)
Migraine Action
Migraine Trust
Sickle Cell and Young Stroke Survivors
The School and Public Health Nurses Association
RNIB (Royal National Institute of Blind People)
Young Epilepsy
