First Aid
At Chipping Sodbury School we have a full time First Aider, Mrs Smith, as well as several trained staff with First Aid qualifications who help care for any ill students and administer first aid when required. During induction students are shown where the First Aid room is (next to the entrance to the Inclusion Base) and what to do if they ever need help. Please bear in mind that our staff are first aid trained but are not medically qualified and cannot diagnose/treat minor ailments, coughs/colds etc.
Students can attend First Aid at break and lunch time only to avoid unnecessary disruption to learning. If they need urgent medical care during lesson time a teacher will send them to the First Aid room accompanied with another student, or request help if necessary.
If your child is not feeling very well but you think they could make it through the day please do send them in. If they become too poorly later in the day we will assess them in First Aid and call home for them to be collected. Please do not send your child into school if they have vomited or had severe diarrhoea within the last 48 hours. Do seek support from your GP is there is a pattern of illness.
Contacting home
Should a student be taken ill or be involved in an accident at school, parents will be informed immediately and advised on the appropriate course of action. If a student is thought to be too ill to remain in school, we will ask you to collect them. For this reason it is important that we are kept up to date with emergency contact details. If your details have changed then please contact reception.
Students should not call or message parents/carers asking to be collected from school if they feel ill. They must instead report to First Aid and our qualified First Aid staff will assess their presentation and symptoms and decide if a student needs to go home. Parents/carers will be contacted if necessary, and we are then able to authorise any absence as illness (coded ‘I’). We cannot risk a student trying to leave site without this strict safeguarding procedure being followed. Thank you for your support.
If a parent/carer is worried about their child’s health throughout the day please contact reception as normal.
Administering medicine
Students are allowed to carry their own inhalers and other devices wherever possible and safe to do so. Students are permitted to carry one dose of pain relief (ibuprofen or paracetamol). Students should not carry more than one dose of medicine in their school bags, as this is a safeguarding risk to themselves and others. Excess medicine will be confiscated if found in a student’s possession.
Medicine can be stored and locked away in the First Aid room, for use when needed, provided a parent/carer has completed a medicine consent form – copies can be collected from reception. For headaches/colds/sore throats/period pains First Aid can only help if we have medicine in school. If your child is unwell, please give them a dose before school.
Further information regarding how we care for students with medical conditions can be found here.
Food and drink reminders
Please ensure students have breakfast and have money on their lunch account or bring food into school. On occasions students finish their lunch at breaktime and run out of energy for their afternoon lessons!
Free porridge is available for every student in the canteen every morning before school. Students who have Free School Meals can also help themselves to a snack such as a breakfast bar at break time - please go to Student Support to see what is on offer.
Staying hydrated is important to keep healthy so please also ensure your child brings a water bottle to school daily. There are water fountains where they can refill their bottle during break and lunch time.
Further support
For more information and links to a range of support services please go to our 'Help and Advice' section here.