Some health conditions may result in recurrent or emergency hospital admissions. Not only can these admissions be worrying for the child and young person and their family, they also cause disruption to school.

Over time frequent interuptions to education can lead to social isolation and students not making the same progress as their peers. This is why it's very important school, families and hospitals work together to minimise disruption. 

Here are some practical ways to support

Keep in touch

Keep in contact with the student or their family by email, text or phone to find out how you can support them. It's not just academic work that might cause concern. School is a big part of a child and young person's life outside of home. Messages via cards or email/text will let them know they are still part of the school community. 

Send work

Send work promptly by email or post to the hospital school. Many students become very anxious about falling behind with school work. Try to avoid using siblings as a go-between, they will have their own needs during this stressful time. 

Be pro-active

Consider ways of keeping the young person part of the class/group. This may be through messaging or using a virtual classroom for some lessons. Contact the hospital school staff and ask about using Teams, google classrooms or other tools to support continuity. 

Contact hospital school teachers

Contact hospital teaching staff as soon as possible to provide relevant information on a student's curriculum and pastoral needs. Most hospitals have a teaching service and exams centre. 

All schools have a duty to ensure they support continuity of education for students with medical or mental health needs who may be at risk of missing out on their full entitlement to education.

Returning to school after a period of absence

Meet with the student and family 

Meet with the student and a family member before they start back to discuss their concerns and agree a plan for their first day. This can help alleviate anxiety.

This is a chance to arrange peer support and to plan any reasonable adjustments that may be needed. Use the meeting to update or complete an Individual Healthcare Plan. This is the main tool for keeping staff informed of the student's specific needs. 

Request support from medical or hospital school staff 

In consultation with the family, it may be possible to request a member of the medical or hospital school/tuition unit to come in and talk to staff. This can be very helpful where a student's medical or mental health condition requires considerable planning or arrangements for a smooth transition back to school.

Liaise with the school nurse

Where possible liaise with the school nurse to ensure all relevant medical information is updated. Medication may have changed or additional or different medical staff may be involved. Make sure you have the most up to date information.

Inform staff 

Inform staff who need to know of the effects of the medical condition on the student, and who should be contacted if the student falls ill while at school or on a school outing.

Discuss a plan for catching up

Discuss a realistic plan for missed work. It's not always practical or possible for a student to complete all the work they've missed. A stay in hospital can also result in a period of rest at home. In some cases this may involve prioritising areas of the curriculum for catch up. For those students in exam years this discussion is really important. Any plan should be monitored and evaluated after a set period. 

Monitor for changes

Look out for any changes in quality of work and overall behaviour. Consult with parent / carer and student early on if there are any concerns.