Part of our Safeguarding and Child Health: Essentials for Every Setting series
Why This Matters: Inclusive Support for All Learners
Imagine this: A pupil with asthma forgets their inhaler on sports day — would your school know how to support pupils with health conditions safely? Another has diabetes and needs insulin before lunch. A third is recovering from a seizure. Would your team know what to do?
Schools have a legal and ethical duty to support pupils with health conditions and medication needs—ensuring safety, dignity, and access to learning.
Legal Duties and Government Guidance: Supporting Pupils with Health Conditions
The Department for Education’s Supporting Pupils with Medical Conditions (2015) guidance outlines your obligations. Key responsibilities include:
- Ensuring policies are in place and followed
- Providing staff training for medical needs
- Collaborating with parents and healthcare professionals
- Keeping Individual Healthcare Plans (IHPs) up to date
- Ensuring pupils are not excluded from activities because of their condition
Relevant law:
Managing Asthma in School
Asthma affects over 1.1 million children in the UK. Schools should know how to:
- Recognise symptoms and triggers
- Support pupils to use their reliever inhaler correctly
- Respond to asthma attacks quickly and calmly
- Use emergency school inhalers and spacers (permitted since 2014)
Learn more with our Asthma for Schools & Carers training course.
Asthma for Schools & Carers
This Asthma Training Course offers practical support for anyone who cares for children with asthma. It’s ideal for those who work in schools, as well as parents, guardians, youth workers and childminders. It offers comprehensive guidance on how to monitor and manage a child’s asthma while they’re at school.
Supporting Pupils with Diabetes
Children with Type 1 diabetes in particular may need help at school with monitoring, food planning, insulin administration, and recognising fluctuations. Staff should understand:
- Early signs of hypoglycaemia and hyperglycaemia
- When and how to support glucose testing
- How different insulin delivery methods work
- How PE, exams, stress, and school trips can affect blood glucose
- The importance of following the pupil’s IHP
Explore our Diabetes Training for Schools & Carers.
Diabetes Training for Schools & Carers
This Diabetes Training Course is for anyone who cares for children with diabetes. It’s ideal for those who work in schools, as well as parents, guardians, youth workers and childminders. It explains how to monitor, treat and care for children with diabetes in all aspects of their school life.
Understanding Epilepsy in the School Context
Epilepsy presents in many different ways, and not all seizures involve convulsions. School staff must be able to:
- Recognise different seizure types
- Know what to do (and not do) during a seizure
- Understand post-seizure recovery
- Communicate clearly with medical teams and families
Take our Epilepsy Training for Schools & Carers to build your confidence.
Epilepsy Training for Schools & Carers
This Epilepsy Training for Schools & Carers Course has been written for anyone who cares for children with epilepsy. It’s ideal for those who work in schools, as well as parents, guardians, youth wo#rkers and childminders. It explains the different types of epilepsy and what to do if a child is having a seizure.
Medication Awareness and Safety
Whether pupils self-medicate or require help, your team should be confident in:
- Storing medication securely
- Clear written consent and administration records
- Understanding expiry dates and labelling
- Supporting pupils who self-medicate
- Having emergency medication easily accessible
- Documenting any medication errors and following safeguarding and clinical escalation processes
Our Medication Awareness Training for Schools covers everything from policies to practice.
Medication Awareness Training for Schools
This Medication Awareness Training for schools course is specifically targeted at adults working in the education sector. It provides an overview of how to care for a child with medical needs; the legal responsibilities involved; and how to deliver, store, and dispose of medication and effectively manage dosing by various health and safety rules.
Creating Confidence in Supporting Pupils with Health Conditions
Supporting pupils with medical needs is not just about compliance. It’s about creating an environment where children feel safe, included, and supported to thrive.
Key practices:
- Regular staff training and refreshers
- Ongoing communication with parents and healthcare professionals
- Strong record-keeping and consistent practice
- Regular review of the school’s medical conditions policy
- Involving pupils in decisions about their care where appropriate
Final Thoughts
Every child deserves to feel safe and supported at school — including those with health conditions that require day-to-day support. That means ensuring your whole team is prepared—whether responding to a seizure, managing asthma in PE, or supporting a diabetic pupil during exams.
This blog is part of our Safeguarding and Child Health: Essentials for Every Setting series.
- Blog 1: Would Your Staff Know What to Do? Why Safeguarding Training Can’t Wait
- Blog 2: Recognising Child Abuse: Safeguarding Essentials for Every Setting
- Blog 3: Designated Safeguarding Lead: Leading a Culture of Safety
- Blog 4: School Trip Safeguarding: Keeping Children Safe with Policies & Best Practice
