A survey, by UK charity Epilepsy Action, released this week reveals that children with epilepsy are not being fully supported in schools, according to teachers and parents. The survey suggests that children with epilepsy are not reaching their full potential, not performing in line with their classmates and regularly miss school because of their epilepsy.
Of 185 teachers surveyed, most schools said they had at least one pupil with epilepsy in their school. However, of these less than 40 per cent have a written epilepsy policy and over a quarter had not had epilepsy training in the last three years. Almost a third of teachers were not aware that pupils with epilepsy may be entitled to receive extra time in exams. One in six teachers said that either pupils with epilepsy at their school did not have an individual healthcare plan or that they didn’t know if they had one.
Epilepsy Action believes all schools should have these procedures in place for pupils with epilepsy. Not having them means that some pupils with epilepsy are not achieving in line with their classmates (according to 40 per cent of teachers) and are not achieving their full potential (according to a quarter of teachers).
A survey of 214 parents of children with epilepsy revealed that they are also concerned about their child’s education. The survey showed that two thirds don’t think their child’s school is doing everything it can to understand epilepsy and support their child. Parents also don’t feel included in discussions about their child’s education and only half of parents said their child had an individual healthcare plan.
Nicola Lee, a parent from Bournemouth, has had numerous problems with school not fully understanding her son Lewis’s condition. This started in infant school when he was having absence seizures in class. Nicola was asked to collect Lewis from school when he’d had an absence although this wasn’t necessary.
Nicola explains: “Lewis has been a few schools now and we’ve had a lot of problems. He has spent a lot of time in hospital so has missed school for months at a time. We’ve found schools unhelpful in working with hospital tutors which has lead to problems with his education. There have also been issues with his care plan not been followed by the school.
“Lewis had six months away from school because of his epilepsy and we’ve now been told that Lewis should go to special school for severely disabled children. It’s made us feel terrible. He only has epilepsy – no further complications. All we want is for him to get help to catch up with the rest of his class.
“Epilepsy affects everyone differently and it’s so important that schools have the correct procedures in place to support children with epilepsy. I wouldn’t want other families to have the same problems we’ve had and that’s why I’m supporting Epilepsy Action’s campaign.”
Leanne Creighton, education policy and campaigns officer at Epilepsy Action, said: “It is vital that children and young people with epilepsy receive support at school to enable
them to reach their full potential. It’s worrying that schools are not doing everything
they can for pupils with epilepsy. There is no reason why all children with epilepsy should not be able to achieve their full potential, with the right support. There are simple steps and procedures schools can put in place to help children with epilepsy. We hope teachers will take note of these findings and take steps to make sure that children with epilepsy in their schools are being fully supported.”
Epilepsy affects an estimated 63,400 children and young people aged under 18 in the UK.
One in every 220 children will have a diagnosis of epilepsy. On average, there will be one child with epilepsy in every primary school and five in every secondary school. Epilepsy Action is using National Epilepsy Week (20-26 May) to raise awareness of the issues affecting children with epilepsy in schools and to encourage schools to do more to support them.
The charity offers training to schools in how to deal with pupils with epilepsy and has a range of education resources. Epilepsy Action has also produced a checklist of actions parents can take to make sure their child is supported in school.
To download any of these resources, or for more information, visit http://www.epilepsy.org.uk/education
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