Letter to Parents and Carers: Policy Change re. medication in school
Tue 01 Jul 2025
Dear Parents and Carers,
Policy change regarding administration of medication in school
Every student with a medical condition who attends Outwood Academy Shafton is currently supported to fully access education, educational trips and physical education, enabling them to play a full and active role in Academy life and remain healthy.
We would like to draw your attention to our policy for administering medication and some changes which we will be making to current practice as follows, starting from tomorrow, Wednesday 2 July:
- The Academy will only store and administer medicines which have been prescribed by a clinician and backed up with a letter from the GP or hospital doctor, stating the student’s condition and stating the length of time the medication will need to be taken by them in school.
- Paracetamol will now have to be prescribed and will only be accepted for storage in the medical room if the student has suffered a broken bone and if it is accompanied by a letter from the GP, stating how long it needs to be taken.
- Medicines should only be taken into an Academy when essential e.g. where it would be detrimental to a student’s health if the medicine were not administered during the Academic day.
- Medication should be brought into school by parents and NOT by the students.
- Students should never carry medication on their person. If it is discovered that medication is in their possession, it will be confiscated by a member of staff and contact home will be made.
- It is recognised that it may be necessary at times for a student to take medication to minimise absence. Where this were to happen, it is advised that the parent/carer request that the student does not need to take any medication whilst in the Academy e.g. a dose frequency of three times per day, rather than four times a day.
- Our Health and Wellbeing Officer has created a timetable for children who take regular medication, so they can be brought down to the medical room at a certain time from class. This will be modified on a weekly basis.
- Where medicines must be administered during the day they must be provided in an original container (as dispensed by the pharmacist) and include the prescriber’s instructions for administration.
- Students who need to take medication in the event of a medical emergency, such as medication to prevent the onset of a migraine, there will be a list of students circulated who are on an emergency medication list which will be updated on a weekly basis.
- A consent form enabling a member of Academy staff (First Aider) to administer medication to a child must be completed by a parent/carer in all cases, for each new box of medication brought into school. No medication will be given under any circumstances without this form being completed.
- Parents and carers may of course still bring medication into school and administer it to their child. Medication administered by parents will need to be logged on the Medical Tracker by a member of staff who is a qualified First Aider.
Our Health and Wellbeing Officer, Mrs Livingston, will be calling the parents/carers of students who have non-prescribed medication stored in the medical cupboard and make arrangements for the medication to be collected, preferably by the end of this week. If this is not collected after 5 days from when a call home is made, then the medication will be disposed of at the local pharmacy.
If there is anything you wish to discuss as a result of this communication, please contact Mrs Livingston in the medical room on extension 227.
Yours faithfully,
J Goldthorpe
Mrs Goldthorpe
Business Manager
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