Medicines in School
The Staff & Governors at St Mark's are committed to the inclusion of all pupils and wish to ensure that pupils with medical needs receive proper care and support at school.
We will not give prescription or non-prescription medicines to a child without their parent’s/carers written consent except in exceptional circumstances where medicine has been prescribed to the child in an emergency situation.
Further, we also recognise that some conditions require regular medicines to be administered for example asthma and diabetes. Asthma is a widespread, serious but a controllable condition and the school welcomes all pupils with asthma. Some children are diabetic and we are able to fully support children suffering from this condition and have staff trained to be able to do so. Some children also suffer from extreme allergies/anaphylaxis which requires an epi-pen and/or antihistamines in school and we have staff trained to support these children.
We ensure that pupils with a medical condition can and do participate fully in all aspects of school life. At the beginning of each school year or when a child joins the school, parents/carers will be asked if their child has any medical conditions on their enrolment form. When a medical condition has been established an agreement will be sent to the parent/carers regarding the guidelines for managing the condition in school.
It is the responsibly of parents/carers to check the expiry dates of medication. Medicines should be removed from school during the summer holidays and returned reviewed as necessary in the autumn term. It is the responsibility of the parent/carer to notify the school of changes in medication or dosage. This should be done in writing and must be handed to the school office.
At St Mark’s we also recognise and promote excellent attendance as it is vital for raising standards and pupil attainment. If your child has a cough or cold, as a school we are more than happy to administer Calpol during the school day if it means that children can be in school during the day rather than absent. If you wish to do this, please bring the medicine in to the Office and complete a form. Copies of this form can be downloaded below. Please do not send your child in to school with medicines including Calpol sachets in their book bag for them to administer themselves. If it is a liquid medicine, please ensure that you provide a spoon or syringe otherwise it cannot be administered. Please also note that an adult must collect any medicines at the end of the school day and these will not be returned to children.
