59. Tuition with students with life threatening illness

Date adopted: September 2009

Review date September 2016

See EOTAS policy control document (held by Tracy Hanks) for status, notes and actions pertaining to this policy

Aims

The Hospital and Home Tuition service aims to provide:

  • continuity of education for pupils with potentially life-threatening illness;
  • normality and structure at a time of physical and emotional stress;
  • an alternative focus at a time when life is dominated by illness and treatment;
  • reassurance and support for both the pupils and the family whilst the pupils are undergoing treatment;
  • practical and emotional support for both staff and parents in the mainstream school;
  • practical and emotional support for the team of tutors working with these pupils;
  • practical and emotional support for siblings;
  • co-ordination of information between hospital, mainstream school and the home tuition service.

Staff Arrangements

The service is co-ordinated by the Hospital and Home Education Service Manager, who is part of a multi-disciplinary, oncology team. The team meets weekly, ensuring that accurate and up-to-date information is effectively shared and pupils’ needs identified.

Our policy is to employ a small team of Tutors, with specific skills, to work with these pupils. The Tutors are able to quickly establish positive relationships with the pupil, the family, the school and other professionals involved with the pupil’s care. They will have an understanding of the disease and treatment involved, enabling them to plan an appropriate programme of study. The team is made up of experienced teachers who can provide for the complete age range of pupils and a wide range of pupils’ abilities, up to GCSE level. Post 16 support is available through liaison with Sixth Forms and Colleges.

Following diagnosis, the Tutor is recruited by the H&HES Manager. Tuition continues throughout treatment until the pupil is either fully reintegrated into mainstream school or throughout terminal care. If a pupil is in remission for a while and then suffers a relapse, we aim for continuity of care by asking the same Tutor to resume Home Tuition.

Close working relationships are established between the hospital teacher, the specialist paediatric nurse and the tutors. This ensures that everyone has the support, both practical and emotional, of other team members.

Liaison with Schools and Other Agencies

As soon after diagnosis as appropriate, the H&HES Manager and specialist nurse visit the mainstream school. They discuss the pupil’s illness, the treatment and its effects, and educational support provided by the hospital and Home Tuition service. Both staff and pupils are involved in this. The Home Tutor, in addition to liaising with school, maintains close links with the hospital teacher and specialist nurse. Systems are in place to provide Tutors with up to date information on the pupil’s medical condition. Effective liaison is recognised as essential in order to provide a suitable education programme.

Support for school age siblings is provided where appropriate. A sibling support “Rainbow Group” is available for siblings between the ages of 5 and 14. The group meet every holiday for a day of fun activities. It is an opportunity for the siblings to be amongst other children who are experiencing the same difficult circumstances as they do. Professionals from health, education and social services all work together on this scheme which was initially started in 2001 and has proved to be very popular both with the siblings and their parents.

Curriculum

The curriculum depends on the learning needs of individual pupils and takes into account the medical condition of the child. The planned programme is flexible in order to respond to the changing needs of the pupil at different states of the illness. The main focus is on the core curriculum subjects of English, Maths, Science and ICT. However, a wider range of curriculum subjects is available as appropriate. The pupil is encouraged to maintain close links with peers in the mainstream school.

A relevant and appropriate curriculum is provided for the pupil in terminal care. Permanent evidence of work and achievement is of particular significance to the pupil and the family.

Re-integration

In some instances pupils are able to attend school for a significant amount of time whilst undergoing treatment. Other pupils are encouraged to return to school as soon as possible. Successful reintegration is achieved through careful planning and preparation. It is important for school to know how much the pupil knows about his illness and how much information the family want the other pupils to have.

The hospital teacher visits the school to talk to staff and pupils prior to reintegration. The school is prepared for changes in the pupil’s appearance and issues relating to the Hickman line are discussed.

Bereavement

A recognised part of the home tutor’s role is to continue to support the family in the early stages of bereavement, if appropriate. Tutors affect a sensitive and gradual withdrawal from the family.

Support for schools is offered by the hospital liaison teacher and the specialist nurse.

Moderation and Review

It is the role of the hospital teacher to monitor the work of the home tutors. Through regular meetings, the teacher ensures the following requirements are met:

  • evidence of appropriate planning and evaluation of IEP;
  • planned programme of re-integration for pupil returning to school;
  • relevant curriculum for the pupil in terminal care;
  • practical and emotional support for the tutor at all times;

Inset and Professional Development

Opportunities for professional development, which relate directly to the needs of the team, can be offered. The hospital teacher monitors course materials and identifies those relevant to the needs of the service.

MB 96

MB/LK reviewed 08