Abstract
In the UK, while pupils with some chronic illnesses, such as asthma, diabetes, and eczema have traditionally been educated in mainstream schools, in recent years a growing number of pupils with long term and sometimes complex health needs have also been included in mainstream. A recent research study into the support needs of this group of pupils suggested that teachers' understanding and awareness of the child's condition plays a major part in whether they provide this group of pupils with appropriate support. Furthermore, the study indicated that health professionals were an important source of information for schools but that there was a need for improvements in communication between health professionals and teachers. In response to these findings, and supported by the research team health and education professionals in one of the research areas are currently developing plans for improving communication about pupils in mainstream school who have a chronic illness or physical disability. In this presentation, we report on progress to date, including the contribution of parents and young people to the process of decision making.
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