The answer is, by all accounts, unclear. Teachers are still unsure of their responsibility for children with medical needs, despite joint guidelines issued by the Department for Education and Employment (now known as the Department of Education and Skills) and the Department of Health.

The National Union of Teachers is vociferous in its argument that a teacher’s role is solely to educate – a job that it says already involves strenuous hours. To ask teachers to undergo medical tuition on top of their teacher training and the hours they work in the classroom is unacceptable, says the union.

Many agree. Pat Jackson, professional officer for school and public health for the Community Practitioners’ and Health Visitors’ Association, told Health Media, “The situation regarding children with medical needs is a bit hit or miss. Teachers unions rightly say it is not the responsibility of the professionals they represent.”

But she adds, “There are some teachers and non-teaching staff who choose to take on the responsibility, but they all need to know when to dial 999 and call emergency back-up services.”

According to the Department of Education and Skills, local education authorities, schools and governing bodies are responsible for the health and safety of pupils in their care. A spokesperson for the department told Health Media that a head teacher or governing body has a duty to act as an “in loco parent” when the child is at school. This may mean “making special arrangements for particular pupils”.

Authorities and schools need to formulate their own policies, taking into account their statutory responsibilities and local needs and resources. The government advises schools to prepare written health and safety management policies, ensure that staff are aware of such policies, implement appropriate safety measures and make sure staff are properly trained.

But the National Asthma Campaign says schools need to do more. It believes one of the main problems for asthmatic children is a lack of support and wants new legislation to make it compulsory for all schools to implement asthma policies.

But is it all down to the teachers? Broadcaster Nicholas Owen, whose son had asthma as a child, says he understands the difficulties faced, not only by parents, but also by health professionals and teachers.

“Even with caring doctors, nurses and teachers a child with asthma needs an incredible amount of support from their parents,” he says. “I know from my own personal experience that looking after a child with asthma is stressful. It is such an unpredictable condition that you can never let your guard down.”

Given that the UK has the highest rate of severe wheeze in the world for children aged between 13 and 14 and that asthma is the UK’s most common long-term childhood illness, one thing is clear. The teacher’s nightmare is becoming reality. And trained or not, they are going to have to know exactly how to react.

Further information:
National Asthma Campaign
www.asthma.org.uk 

© Health Media Ltd 2002