Advice please : medication at school.

Mojisola

The Tymes Trust card - https://www.tymestrust.org/pdfs/trustcardinfo.pdf - has been used by children with ME in schools for years.
https://www.tymestrust.org/aboutus.htm
The Tymes Trustcard carries your photo and is signed by your Head Teacher or college Principal. It is there to protect your needs whist in school or college. The Trustcard was endorsed on its launch by Baroness Ashton, then an Education Minister, and by the Secondary Heads Association. The second generation card for use in schools and colleges was launched in the House of Lords in 2007 by Lord Adonis, then Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Schools, and endorsed by the Association of School and College Leaders. It is recommended by Lord Clement-Jones CBE and the Health Minister Earl Howe.

Those schools don't find that whole classes get disrupted by the child with ME showing their card and doing whatever's necessary - your daughter's old school needs to be much more flexible.

maman

rpc wrote: »

I would. Start with the official complaints procedure, otherwise it can just be brushed under the carpet. You can escalate all the way to GTC/Ofsted but you must start with the school complaints procedure.

I think abolishing the GTC was one of Mr Gove's achievements.

rpc

maman wrote: »

I think abolishing the GTC was one of Mr Gove's achievements.

The same comment probably applies to the new agency that the Rt Hon Delores Umbridge set up.

moomoomama27

Thanks all for your support and advice, I will follow complaints procedure in the hope no other child gas to endure what my DD did!

pollypenny wrote: »

Yes, fresh start is by far the best. Hope it all goes well.

What do they mean by a 'reading session'?

When I asked my DD about the reading session, basically it was a script they were exploring, they all had a character to read out loud, my DDs was a minor character on page 5, they started it at 10.55am so she would have had ample time to get the meds, take them and be back, she even said she'd go 5 mins earlier to be flexible!!

Thankfully she's had a wonderful day at her new college, and today was given a pass to show staff should she need to leave, either for meds or if she gets too overwhelmed! I'm so pleased, it's like a different child has walked through the door today

pollypenny

Ah, I can see where the problem is,,then. Obviously they, including your DD are studying a play, she needs to benefit from the whole reading,,leading to discussion of themes, character etc.

Well, I hope a fresh start works for her.

raven83

I too am Bipolar and I also have a time that I have to take my meds as I find it is the most effective.

I think you really need to put your foot down and TELL them that your daughter HAS to take her medication at a certain time, or it could interfere with her other medication and also have a detrimental effect on her and her health.

Surly they can't begrudge her taking it a certain to stay in good health, or the alternative is she could become ill again and that would lead time off from school altogether. Seems counterproductive to me. Think the schools behaviour is rather disgusting tbh.

Good luck anyway with your daughter, it is a hard illness to live with but when manged well you can still go on to have happy and fulfilling life

meritaten

I hope your daughter is very happy at college! and a happy student does far better than a stressed, unhappy one. She made the right decision I believe.

I really think you should still make an official complaint though - this school is totally out of order. and behind the times. What do they do on all those inset days? isn't this sort of thing something they should be trained to deal with?
and making an issue of a child taking medication is going to be far more disruptive to the whole class, then just letting her slip out quietly for a few minutes!

Yorkie1

I too think you should pursue the complaint if you feel up to it.

The school has a specific duty of care to pupils, and wilful refusal to allow a pupil to take prescribed medication in accordance with specific medical instructions, for no real good reason, is wholly unacceptable.

Good luck to your daughter in her new college.

Indie_Kid

I wish your daughter good luck too. I never had any such issue at 6th form - I normally had to take medication x amount of minutes before eating and just informed the teacher of this and she said it was fine.

today was given a pass to show staff should she need to leave, either for meds or if she gets too overwhelmed!

This is also good. I was told that if I was to attend the local college and got too overwhelmed, (bear in mind I go non-verbal) I need to say something and then leave. But if I want to go toilet, I can just go.

theoretica

Just to add incase she is worried thinking ahead to exams that I was at school with someone who sat her exams in a separate room for health reasons. This did need someone else to invigilate but my school managed, and maybe your daugter would be happy taking medicine in an exam that way. Just one possibility.