Parents and carers of children who have been diagnosed with cancer often have many questions about school and education. Keeley McEvoy, Lead Assistant Headteacher of the Medical Needs Teaching Service working at Leeds Children’s Hospital, explains more about what to expect from hospital teaching, ongoing education support and transitioning back to school.
How will my child access education following their cancer diagnosis?
After diagnosis, a child often has a block of treatment in hospital. When the medical team agrees it’s appropriate, they’ll liaise with the hospital teachers about the child accessing education as an inpatient. Although the education offer may vary slightly between treatment centres, children will usually access a range of lessons across the week, delivered by teachers and support staff from the hospital school.
This often starts with a conversation between a member of the teaching team and the family to find out as much as possible about the child’s educational needs, as well as about their likes and dislikes - whether they love Minecraft, unicorns, Harry Potter or anything else. They’ll make sure they share this with the teachers who’ll tap into these passions as a starting point for encouraging positive engagement with learning right from the start.
Do hospital teachers communicate with my child’s school?
Yes. From the very beginning, with agreement from parents/carers, the hospital teaching team will communicate with your child’s school regarding education matters. The hospital school usually requests attendance and assessment information, in addition to discussing any learning needs that your child may have. The aim is to find out as much as possible about your child’s academic work and about their individual interests so that the hospital teachers can support them effectively.
Throughout your child’s absence from school, communication between both sets of teachers (hospital and school) continues, ensuring sharing of relevant work, updates on progress and ongoing support for your child. Hospital teachers do their very best to ensure your child keeps up with the same work their friends are doing in school. Be reassured that the hospital teachers will never share sensitive medical information with school and will listen to any concerns you or your child might have about education, working together to break down any barriers to learning.
What are lessons like in hospital?
Each hospital school tends to have their own approach: children may be taught on a one-to-one basis at the bedside, in small groups on the ward or in a classroom space within the hospital. A daily timetable is in place to ensure that no one misses out on their education and liaison with the ward takes place each morning to check who’s well enough for lessons, with ward staff encouraging all to attend whenever possible.
Lessons are carefully planned, interactive and enjoyable. For example, science experiments are modified to make them safe for the bedside, educational games are used as introduction or reinforcement and practical activities are prioritised. For teenagers, lessons will continue their GCSE studies and they can even sit exams in hospital if required. In all cases, infection control is always taken seriously. If your child’s in protective isolation, measures are always taken to ensure safe delivery of lessons, balancing medical need with educational progress.
Our teacher was fantastic. Lessons have been the highlight of my child’s day, keeping her interested and some level of learning continuing despite how poorly she has been at times… even on her darkest days when she was feeling really poorly she still wanted to do some learning.
Feedback from a parent at Leeds Children’s Hospital – March 2024
If my child’s receiving outpatient treatment and can’t attend school, what happens with lessons?
Local authorities and schools have a responsibility to ensure that children and young people receive home teaching if they have a medical need that means they can’t attend school. In some areas, the council organises the home teaching while in other areas it’s the school that makes the referral to the home teaching team. It’s a good idea to ask your hospital teachers about this or encourage your child’s school to get in touch with the local authority to find out the arrangements for your area.
These lessons mostly focus on the core subjects: English, maths and science. An average of five hours of one-to-one home teaching each week is offered, alongside independent work as appropriate. If your child’s well enough to complete work in other subjects, schools can often offer further support. For example, most schools now have considerable resources available online that you may be able to access to supplement the weekly home offer. The home teachers will liaise regularly with school to support progress by requesting further work, updating assessment results or sharing information.
My child has specific learning needs. How will those be supported?
Make sure that you mention any specific learning needs that your child has when you’re talking to the hospital teachers and encourage their usual schoolteacher or special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) to contact the hospital school to share information. Communication is the key to ensuring the correct support for every child.
Most hospital schools also have a SENCo, with specialist teaching available. If your child has an education, health and care plan (EHCP), this includes a range of goals and targets that are reviewed annually. The hospital school teachers are able to refer to these objectives when planning lessons and to actively seek opportunities to include activities that support progress with the EHCP targets. All hospital schools have access to resources, such as coloured overlays and sensory equipment that will support all types of learning needs. Furthermore, the teachers in hospital often have professional links with allied professionals, such as occupational therapists, play team members and speech therapists who can be consulted as needed.
What about when my child returns to school? How will the hospital school help with this transition?
After a long absence, children often feel a mixture of excitement and nervousness when it’s time to return to school. The hospital school will support with this by sharing up-to-date education information, attending meetings prior to the child’s return and working with their clinical nurse specialist (or care team) to make the transition as smooth as possible.
*Benjamin being supported at Leeds Children’s Hospital school
Top tips for a successful return to school
- Plan ahead. Talk to the hospital teachers, school staff and clinicians to help with planning
- Arrange one or two visits before the planned return date. Going in for break time or lunch with a small group of friends works really well for a first session
- Start with a phased return. There’s no rush to be in school full time until your child is ready
- Keep all lines of communication open. Ask for a designated link teacher to support with this
From Contact magazine issue 103 | Summer 2024
