content-left-bg.png
content-right-bg.png

Supports at school for students with health support needs

WebPartZone1_1
PublishingPageContent

​​Supports at school

Parents and carers of children who need health support at school, such as support for a health procedure or taking medication at school, should talk to their child's school about their child's needs.

Each student with a health condition will need different levels of support or supervision and different reasonable adjustments. Schools work with parents and children to build independence in managing their health needs.

State schools consult with parents about the reasonable adjustments that may need to be made to support health needs and health procedures at school. Students are also consulted as much as possible, depending on their age and ability to participate in these discussions.

Reasonable adjustments are identified based on the student's individual needs and may include adjustments to learning activities, teaching strategies, assessment, communication, use of assistive technology or changes to the learning environment. The student may also need adjustments to support them to engage with peers and to stay healthy and safe. Schools determine the best way to record the individual supports being provided to students at their school.

The department's State Schools Registered Nurses (SSRNs) work with state schools to provide training for school staff across a range of health support areas to ensure that staff are confident and competent when providing support to students. The school is responsible for accessing this training, as required. Training may be provided in a range of ways, including through onsite face-to-face and virtual formats.

More information about the State schools nursing service

WebPartZone1_2
Anaphylaxis

Anaphylaxis is a severe and potentially life threatening allergic reaction.

Not all children and young people with allergies are at risk of anaphylaxis. Anaphylaxis is the most severe allergy and can relate to a wide range of foods, insect bites and stings, medications and other substances.

State schools take significant steps to ensure the safety of students who are at risk of anaphylaxis.

It is important that your child’s school is aware of up-to-date information about your child’s health condition, triggers or allergens and the support required. Provide your school with your child’s Action Plan for Anaphylaxis. This is completed by your child’s health care team and signed by your medical practitioner. It includes information about responses required, equipment and medication.

The school will follow the Supporting students with asthma and/or at risk of anaphylaxis at school procedure and Anaphylaxis guidelines for Queensland state schools (DOCX, 2.6MB).

Schools implement 2 types of plans for when students attending their school are at risk of anaphylaxis:

  • Anaphylaxis risk management plans which apply to the whole school and for school events held offsite.
  • Action plans which are used to respond when a student is experiencing anaphylaxis.

School anaphylaxis risk management plans

Schools develop and implement an anaphylaxis risk management plan (DOCX, 159KB) which takes into account individual student's conditions and apply actions to reduce the risk of exposure to allergens across the whole school.

The anaphylaxis risk management plans set out things schools will do to minimise students' risk of being exposed to triggers or allergens.

Schools cannot make claims that they are an allergen-free or nut-free zone. It is not possible to guarantee that there are no allergens or trace of potential allergens (e.g. food substances or insects) in a school environment; therefore, it's important to have a procedure in place to quickly provide emergency medication to students if required.

Schools can work with a State Schools Registered Nurse (SSRN) to develop anaphylaxis risk management plans for events held offsite or out of school time such as camps and excursions. This can occur in a range of ways, including onsite face-to-face and virtual formats.

All state schools are required to have at least one or more adrenaline auto-injectors (e.g. Epipen®) at their school in an easily accessible location to respond to emergencies.

While state schools have auto-injector (e.g. Epipen®) at their school, if your child is prescribed an auto-injector you must ensure they have one at school, which is stored together with their action plan. Talk to your child's class teacher or school principal about how their auto-injector will be managed at school.

Training for school staff

The department’s SSRNs provide training for school staff to ensure that they are confident and competent when providing support for students with anaphylaxis. The school is responsible for accessing this training, as required. Training may be provided in a range of ways, including onsite face-to-face and virtual formats.

It is important that you:

  • keep the school informed about any changes in your child's health condition and treatments
  • provide the school with relevant medical authorisations and/or Action Plans (e.g. asthma, allergy, anaphylaxis)
  • provide the school with medication that has not expired and is clearly labelled on a pharmacy label with the student's name, relevant instructions and dosage
  • provide health support equipment and consumables as agreed with the school
  • provide alert apparel (e.g. alert bracelet), as required.

Resources available to schools

Schools are able to access a range of resources and support services to assist them to provide health support needs. Please contact your child’s school to discuss your child’s specific needs.

Schools are responsible for accessing resources and support services to assist them to provide health supports.

They may need your consent to access these support services.​

WebPartZone2_1
WebPartZone2_2
WebPartZone2_3
WebPartZone3_1
WebPartZone3_2
WebPartZone3_3
WebPartZone3_4
WebPartZone4_1
WebPartZone5_1
WebPartZone5_2
WebPartZone6_1
WebPartZone6_2
WebPartZone7_1
WebPartZone7_2
WebPartZone8_1
WebPartZone8_2
WebPartZone9_1
Last updated 12 April 2024