Teaching standards ‘improve’ for sick children
Pupils with special medical needs are benefiting from improved standards in schools, according to an Ofsted report published today.
Ofsted’s inspectors found that that the quality of learning and teaching was good at the 12 local education authorities in the study, and they claimed that Government guidance introduced in 2001 has helped improve parts of the service offered.
But with a third of LEAs failing to offer “satisfactory” provision, Ofsted has noted that more work is needed to ensure that pupils who are physically ill, injured or have mental health difficulties can access mainstream education.
There were particular problems with the transition from home or hospital tuition to school learning, and some children were spending too long out of school.
Chief inspector of schools David Bell, said he was encouraged by the report: “The report underlines the importance of the LEA role in helping pupils with medical needs progress with their studies wherever possible. I hope that the report, based on a small sample of LEAs, will help all LEAs put in place the necessary policies and procedures in order to achieve further improvement in this area.”
Recommendations arising from the study, which was conducted between September 2002 and March this year, include:
– stronger links between different parts of the local authority service and between schools and the service;
– better monitoring of provision;
– better training for staff;
– ensuring that all schools have a designated member of staff responsible for pupils who cannot attend school through illness;
– and making sure referrals to other services are prompt.
In general the findings were positive with three-quarters of lessons being of a good quality, and children being reported to be well behaved and to have a positive attitude towards their work.
But critics point out that some children still have problems attending schools because of their medical conditions.
Many schools have a strict policy of not allowing teachers to administer medication to children, and some teaching unions agree.
That can cause problems for children, particularly of primary-school age, with conditions such as diabetes where regular medication may be necessary.
In such cases parents are often required to come into school to assist their children, but this is not always possible and can lead to children missing out.
