Medical conditions policy: what to publish on your school website
How you support pupils with medical conditions such as asthma or diabetes, from healthcare plans to medicines and trips.
Check this on my websiteWho it applies to
- Published on
- The school's own website
- School type
- Academies and maintained schools
- School stage
- All stages, from early years to sixth form
- Does not apply to
- No school types are excluded
When it's due
Keep it up to date
There's no fixed date. Update it whenever something changes.
What's needed
Publish the policy for supporting pupils with medical conditions on the policies page on your website, covering roles, individual healthcare plans, managing medicines, staff support, trips and sport, insurance and complaints.
What it must contain
7 parts- Says the procedures for managing medicinesShould: Recommended in official guidance, such as the DfE's. Not a legal requirement in itself.
- Says the roles and responsibilities of everyone involvedShould: Recommended in official guidance, such as the DfE's. Not a legal requirement in itself.
- Names who is responsible for developing individual healthcare plansShould: Recommended in official guidance, such as the DfE's. Not a legal requirement in itself.
- Says how staff are supported to help pupils with medical conditionsShould: Recommended in official guidance, such as the DfE's. Not a legal requirement in itself.
- Says pupils with medical conditions are actively supported to take part in trips, visits and sportShould: Recommended in official guidance, such as the DfE's. Not a legal requirement in itself.
- Says how complaints about support for pupils with medical conditions are made and handledShould: Recommended in official guidance, such as the DfE's. Not a legal requirement in itself.
- Says the insurance arrangements covering staff who support pupils with medical conditionsGood practice: Recommended as good practice. Not required.
What the official sources say
Set out in 1 official source:
Supporting pupils at school with medical conditions (statutory guidance)
Governing bodies should ensure that all schools develop a policy for supporting pupils with medical conditions that is reviewed regularly and is readily accessible to parents and school staff.
Should: Recommended in official guidance, such as the DfE's. Not a legal requirement in itself.§ para 9, Developing the school's policy, page 8
Governing bodies should ensure that the school’s policy sets out how complaints concerning the support provided to pupils with medical conditions may be made and will be handled.
Should: Recommended in official guidance, such as the DfE's. Not a legal requirement in itself.§ para 27, Complaints, page 24
Show 6 more from this source
Governing bodies should ensure that the school’s policy covers the role of individual healthcare plans, and who is responsible for their development, in supporting pupils at school with medical conditions.
Should: Recommended in official guidance, such as the DfE's. Not a legal requirement in itself.§ para 12, Individual healthcare plans, page 9
The governing body should ensure that the school’s policy clearly identifies the roles and responsibilities of all those involved in the arrangements they make to support pupils at school with medical conditions.
Should: Recommended in official guidance, such as the DfE's. Not a legal requirement in itself.§ para 15, Roles and responsibilities, page 12
Governing bodies should ensure that the school’s policy sets out clearly how staff will be supported in carrying out their role to support pupils with medical conditions, and how this will be reviewed. This should specify how training needs are assessed, and how and by whom training will be commissioned and provided.
Should: Recommended in official guidance, such as the DfE's. Not a legal requirement in itself.§ para 17, Staff training and support, page 17
Governing bodies should ensure that their arrangements are clear and unambiguous about the need to support actively pupils with medical conditions to participate in school trips and visits, or in sporting activities, and not prevent them from doing so.
Should: Recommended in official guidance, such as the DfE's. Not a legal requirement in itself.§ para 24, Day trips, residential visits and sporting activities, page 22
It is important that the school policy sets out the details of the school’s insurance arrangements which cover staff providing support to pupils with medical conditions.
Good practice: Recommended as good practice. Not required.§ Further advice box under para 26, Liability and indemnity, page 24
The governing body should ensure that the school’s policy is clear about the procedures to be followed for managing medicines.
Should: Recommended in official guidance, such as the DfE's. Not a legal requirement in itself.§ para 21, Managing medicines on school premises, page 19
Questions schools ask
Do schools have to publish a medical conditions policy?
For academies and maintained schools, it's recommended in official guidance, but isn't a legal requirement in itself.
What does a medical conditions policy need to include?
Says the procedures for managing medicines; Says the roles and responsibilities of everyone involved; Names who is responsible for developing individual healthcare plans; Says how staff are supported to help pupils with medical conditions; Says pupils with medical conditions are actively supported to take part in trips, visits and sport; Says how complaints about support for pupils with medical conditions are made and handled; and 1 more part listed above.
When do we need to update our medical conditions policy?
Keep it up to date. There's no fixed date. Update it whenever something changes.
Where does the requirement for the medical conditions policy come from?
It is set out in Supporting pupils at school with medical conditions (statutory guidance).
Recent changes to the official guidance
The official sources for this requirement don't publish dated change notes. We check them for changes ourselves.
We last checked these sources on 21 September 2026.
Is this on your school's website?
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Official sources last checked 21 September 2026 · register version 1.0.4