Slough Borough Council

My child is required to take medication at school. What assistance can the school provide?

There is no legal requirement for teachers to administer medication, however they are required to ensure the health and safety of all pupils in their care which may therefore extend to administering medication.

 Where members of staff have agreed to administer medicines, only one member of staff should be responsible for this to avoid the risk of double dosing.

 If pupils need to take their own medicines it is essential that these are accompanied by written permission and instructions from the parent/guardian and/or GP, specifying the:

• medication involved
• circumstances under which it should be administered
• frequency and levels of dosage

Parents/guardians should hand over medicines to the appropriate member of staff so that they may be stored safely. The medicine should be clearly labelled with the child's name and dosage instructions, and the medicine should only be given to the named child. The administration of drugs should be routinely entered into the drug record book.

If parents/guardians consider that their child is capable and responsible, then a child should look after their own medication or inhaler. Otherwise it should be kept safely and the child should have immediate access to it.

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