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1.
Medical
needs in schools:
There is a
need for a change in legislation in Wales to introduce a statutory
duty of care for children with medical needs in schools. There is
an opportunity to include this within the newly proposed Additional
Learning Needs (ALN) Framework.
The Welsh
Government’s proposed ALN Framework documentation states that
children with medical needs will not be covered by the ALN Bill
(see page 30 of the draft ALN Code of Practice).
We ask the
Committee to consider the inclusion of medical needs in the
Additional Learning Needs Framework.
The current
guidance framework for the management of medical conditions in a
school setting differ in Wales and England. In England, the
Children and Families Act 2014 came into force on 1 September 2014.
Section 100 contains a statutory duty to support pupils with
medical conditions, meaning that in practice schools
must make additional arrangements for supporting
pupils at schools with medical conditions.
The legislation does not apply to schools in Wales. The rights of
children and young people with medical needs in Wales during the
school day are not protected in law to the same level as children
in England. The current system in Wales puts children with medical
conditions in Wales at an academic disadvantage in comparison to
their peers in England and does not protect them whilst they are at
school. We regularly receive enquiries from families of children
whose attendance, attainment and overall educational experiences
are compromised because of their condition and the lack of
guaranteed support from the current framework. It is vital that
children are kept safe and healthy whilst they are learning to
enable them to achieve their full potential.
As the UK’s leading epilepsy organisation, Epilepsy Action
exists to improve the lives of everyone affected by the condition.
An
estimated 32,000 people in Wales have epilepsy. Of these people,
approximately 2,762 are of school age (Source:
Epilepsy prevalence, incidence and other statistics, Joint Epilepsy
Council of the United Kingdom and Ireland, 2011 / Office of
National Statistics, United Kingdom; estimated resident population
by region; Mid-2010 Population
Estimates)For some
children, epilepsy can have an effect on how easy or difficult it
is for them to learn. There could be many possible reasons for
this, including:
• The condition
itself
• The cause of the
epilepsy
• The effects of
seizures
• Side-effects from
epilepsy medicines
• Absences from
school
A 2014 study of school
children with active epilepsy in West Sussex showed
that:
• Over half of the
children found it more difficult to learn than other
children
• Over half of the
children had problems with their memory
• Just under half of
the children had problems with the speed with which they processed
information
• Just under half of
the children were not achieving as much as they could at school.
The greatest difficulties were in mathematics and understanding
their work
• Sixty five per cent
(65/100) parents reported that their child had difficulties with
attention and concentration
(Source: The
identification of educational problems in childhood epilepsy, Young
Epilepsy / Esme Fairburn Foundation, 2014)
The effects of
seizures
Epileptic seizures can
disrupt normal brain activity, and this can affect memory. The
confusion that can occur after seizures may also cause memory
loss.
Some children have a lot
of epileptic activity in their brain, but don’t appear to be
having any seizures. This can happen both when the child is
sleeping and when awake. If this happens very frequently, it can
also affect their memory and how they learn.
Depending on the type of
seizures a child has, they may feel very tired or confused after a
seizure. They may also have interrupted sleep which will make them
tired. Feeling tired or confused can affect how well a child can
learn.
Side-effects from epilepsy
medicines
Some children may have
side-effects that affect their learning. These could include
drowsiness, dizziness, memory problems, problems concentrating and
mood swings.
Absences from
school
Some children miss parts
of their education because they need time off school to go to
appointments with the nurses and specialists who manage their
conditions. They may also be absent as a result of seizures,
recovery after a seizure or injuries from a
seizure.
Epilepsy and
behaviour
For some children,
epilepsy can have an effect on their behaviour. There could be many
possible reasons for this, including:
• The condition
itself
• The cause of the
epilepsy
• The effects of
seizures
•
Side-effects from epilepsy medicines
We are sure that you will see from the above information how
important it is that children with medical
conditions are properly cared for and considered in the school
setting.
We ask the Committee to consider the current situation and
ask
whether there is a need to bring the rights, support
and protection
provided to children and young people living with
epilepsy
in Wales in line with those in England?
There is currently a unique and rare legislative opportunity to do
this
during this Government’s legislative programme.
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