Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she are taking to support children with medical conditions in schools.

Section 100 of the Children and Families Act 2014 places a duty on maintained schools, Academies and pupil referral units in England to make arrangements for supporting pupils with medical conditions. The accompanying statutory guidance makes clear to schools what is expected of them in taking reasonable steps to fulfil their legal obligations and to meet the individual needs of pupils with medical conditions.

The department has consulted on revised statutory guidance on Medical conditions at school: statutory guidance, seeking views from schools, parents, health professionals, and other stakeholders on proposals to strengthen how schools meet their duties, including on allergy safety. Our aim is to ensure that every child can access education safely and confidently, regardless of their health needs. The guidance can be accessed at: https://consult.education.gov.uk/medical-conditions-at-school/medical-conditions-at-school-statutory-guidance/.

The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act has introduced new allergy safety duties, requiring all schools in England to have clear, regularly updated policies and arrangements for managing allergy safety.