Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to ensure that schools are offering adequate help and support for children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis.

It is important that children with medical conditions, such as juvenile idiopathic arthritis, are supported to receive a full education. Under Section 100 of the Children and Families Act 2014, governing boards are required to make arrangements to support pupils with medical conditions and to have regard to statutory guidance.

The guidance is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/supporting-pupils-at-school-with-medical-conditions--3, and covers a range of areas including the preparation and implementation of school policies for supporting pupils with medical conditions, the use of individual healthcare plans, staff training, medicines administration, roles and responsibilities, consulting with parents and collaborative working with healthcare professionals. It was developed with a range of stakeholders including the Health Conditions in Schools Alliance (HSA), school leaders, academy organisations, unions, young people and their parents, and Department of Health and Social Care officials and is based on good practice in schools.

We continue to work with organisations such as the HSA to help raise further awareness of the duty on schools.