To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what guidance his Department issues to schools on the provision of support for children diagnosed with epilepsy; and what assessment he has made of the extent to which such guidance is complied with. (276664)

There are two different sets of guidance on the provision and support to children diagnosed with epilepsy available to schools. “Managing Medicines in schools and early years settings” was produced in 2005 by the then Department for Education and Skills (DfES) and Department of Health. This guidance explains what epilepsy is and provides schools with medical support and advice on what to do should a child experience a seizure.

“Including Me” was produced in the same year in conjunction with key stakeholders to accompany “Managing Medicines”. This was published to help schools, early years settings and health providers to develop policies and procedures to ensure that children with complex health needs can access education and childcare. This includes an example of a child experiencing severe episodes of epilepsy having a need identified for a trained learning support assistant at school.

We do not collect data centrally on how many schools actively use both sets of guidance.