The report, published last week by charity Diabetes UK, said that someschools are refusing to give children with diabetes access to snacksduring class, excluding them from school trips and keeping them out oflessons unnecessarily.
A postal survey of all English primary schools found that 59 per cent donot have a policy advising staff how to give medication, while 41 percent lack a policy advising staff how to supervise it. In 70 per cent ofschools where some children have diabetes, parents have to go intoschool to give their child insulin.
The most common barriers to providing support at school were found to beconcerns over legal liability and a lack of training.
An estimated 2,000 children are diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes everyyear in the UK, and the number of children under five with Type 1 hasincreased five-fold over the last 20 years. Another 1,400 children havediabetes Type 2 as a result of being overweight or obese.
Diabetes UK said it had been contacted by one parent of a four-year-oldwho had to give up work after the child's school would not allow thechild inside the gates until the school nurse arrived, and excluded thechild from school each time the nurse was on leave or absent. Anotherfive-year-old was not allowed to attend school sports day and wasfrequently sent away from class to deal with hypoglycaemia attacksalone.
The charity said the statutory requirements for schools on caring forchildren with long-term conditions were much too broad, in contrast toearly years settings and childminders who have to comply with more'robust' legislation.
Douglas Smallwood, the chief executive of Diabetes UK, said, 'TheGovernment needs to ensure that pressure comes from the top down toimplement existing legislation so local authorities, primary care trustsand schools can work together to have effective policies in place tosupport children with diabetes - and actually adhere to them.'
Further information: 'Making all Children Matter' is atwww.diabetes.org.uk
