Diabetes shouldn’t stop your child enjoying school, and having the same experiences as any other child. It’s important that schools and parents work together to make sure that children with diabetes are getting the care they need and deserve.
We know that a lot of families and schools need help to understand what diabetes means in a school environment. Here's some useful information to help, including a helpful good practice checklist.
If your child has diabetes
Your child’s school must support students with diabetes in the following ways:
- The school must do a risk assessment of your child and share it with you. This should then be included in your child’s Individual Healthcare Plan (IHP).
- They must have a medical conditions policy which covers how to give medicines and first aid safely, including in cases of staff absence.
These steps will help to make sure your child receives the care they need and is entitled to in school.
Speak to your child’s school and their diabetes team if you have concerns about your child or the policy at the school. They will be able to give you more advice and talk you through the information available.
Remember you can give our confidential helpline a call to talk this through, or hear from others in our online forum group for parents.
If you're a parent and have diabetes
As a parent with diabetes, you may be worried about the risk to your own health when your child is in school.
We've created a sick day rules guide to help you manage your blood sugar levels if you become ill. We also have courses in our Learning Zone to help you, and remember that you can speak to your healthcare team for more advice too.
Medical condition policies across the UK
In the UK, different laws are in place to make sure your child gets exactly the same access to education and experiences as any other child without a medical condition.
The different nations in the UK look after and make decisions about education policies locally. This means that there isn’t one policy, or piece of legislation, that covers all of the UK when it comes to looking after a child with a medical condition, including diabetes.
We have more information on the different policies in different nations on our legal policies page and a quick guide on the parent responsibilities page.
Diabetes care in schools
It doesn’t matter what nation you live in every school has a duty of care to look after your child while they’re at school.
If your child is starting school, moved schools or only recently been diagnosed with diabetes, we have our school’s information pack. We’ve designed this to help your school introduce school policies, learn about diabetes, and make sure they’re giving the best care possible.
Our good practice checklist
All schools should have these basic procedures in place to support students with a long-term medical condition, such as diabetes.
- A medical conditions policy
Medical conditions policies are created by a school’s board of governors and should be review regularly. They cover what actions should be taken by the school to make sure your child diabetes is looked after, and that they are fully included in the day-to-day life of the school.
- An Individual Health Care Plan
Individual Health Care Plans, or IHPs, are called different things depending on the nation you live in. But these plans are used to make sure your child’s diabetes in managed properly during school time. You and your child’s PDSN should be there when your child’s personal plan is created. It should also be updated and reviewed regularly.
- Make sure you work together
Everyone should be working together to make sure your child has the best experience at school. You should feel happy and confident that your communication with your school and diabetes team is constructive and regular.
- Training and support
At least two members of staff at your child’s school should be fully trained to support your child and their diabetes. It’s important that other members of staff have a general awareness training too, this training should be done by your PDSN although you can help with this too.
