If your child has a pituitary condition then you also need to be aware of how you can make the school and teachers aware of your child’s additional needs.
Communicate regularly with the school officials and your child’s teachers to ensure that they are aware of the needs and individual health plan of their pupil.
Extra Support
There may be additional support available such as support workers available in classrooms or occasions such as exams or school trips. If full time study isn’t appropriate for you/your child, there may be the opportunity to attend part-time instead. It is important to get a note from your doctor if you are not feeling well, especially if it means that you can’t hand work in on time. Your tutor may be able to email or record lessons/lectures for you or give you extra time to complete coursework.
Organising a meeting
When planning the meeting, make sure that all relevant people will be present. This includes:
- Both parents or caregivers if possible
- Your child if you feel they are old enough
- School members of staff, including the headteacher, relevant class teachers or other members of staff who would provide care in an emergency situation.
- After school club staff that will be around outside of school hours.
- If your child is moving from primary to secondary school, it might be useful to have a member of staff who has supported them before present at the meeting as well.
Before the meeting, it’s worth speaking to your endocrinologist or endocrine nurse about the care that the school should be providing. Start writing down basic information about your child’s condition by filling out our individual care guide for schools before handing it over to relevant members of staff. The care guide includes details about your child’s condition, medication and what to do in an emergency.
School Care Guide
The Pituitary Foundation’s ‘School Care Guide’ is helpful for teaching staff at your school or college to understand your specific needs, if you are ill and what they need to be aware of and do. It includes sections which you can complete detailing the child’s condition, medication, what to do in an emergency and any additional information necessary for the school.