ShouldDepartment for Education (DfE) statutory guidance

Medical conditions policy

A policy for supporting pupils with medical conditions such as asthma or diabetes, covering roles, individual healthcare plans, medicines, staff training, trips and sport, and complaints. Governing bodies should make sure it is readily accessible to parents.

Check this on my website

Who 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 is it due?

Renewal
No fixed date

The official sources set no renewal date. Keep it accurate whenever it changes.

What's needed

Publish the policy for supporting pupils with medical conditions on the policies page, dated and reviewed within the last 12 months (guidance says schools should).

What it must contain

7 parts
  • Says the procedures for managing medicinesShould
  • Says the roles and responsibilities of everyone involvedShould
  • Names who is responsible for developing individual healthcare plansShould
  • Says how staff are supported to help pupils with medical conditionsShould
  • Says pupils with medical conditions are actively supported to take part in trips, visits and sportShould
  • Says how complaints about support for pupils with medical conditions are made and handledShould
  • Says the insurance arrangements covering staff who support pupils with medical conditionsGood practice

What the official sources say

Set out in 1 official source:

Supporting pupils at school with medical conditions (statutory guidance)

Version 20190523

  • 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§ 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§ 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§ 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§ 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§ 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§ 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§ 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§ para 21, Managing medicines on school premises, page 19

Questions schools ask

Does every school have to publish the medical conditions policy?

The official sources we check set no requirement for academies. The official sources we check set no requirement for maintained schools.

When does the medical conditions policy need to be published?

Renewal: No fixed date. The official sources set no renewal date. Keep it accurate whenever it changes.

What must the medical conditions policy 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.

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).

Changes to the official sources

The sources for this item do not publish dated change notes. Their current versions are listed above.

We last checked these sources on 21 September 2026.

Is this on your school's website?

We check your site the way an inspector or a parent would find it: page by page, against the official wording of each requirement. If it's there, you get the page and the words we found. If it isn't, you get every place we looked.

Check this one requirement free, or scan your whole site against every requirement.

Any format works: .co.uk, .sch.uk, .org.uk or .com.

We email the result here. Privacy notice

Free: check up to 3 requirements a year, results by email. Paid: every requirement checked, re-checked after you fix it, and monitored all year.

Or scan your whole site free →

Official sources last checked 21 September 2026 · register version 1.0.4