Policy on Requests for Letters to Schools
Purpose of this Policy
Manor House Surgery aims to provide appropriate medical information to support patients whilst ensuring that schools fulfil their own responsibilities for assessing and managing educational accommodations.
Practice Position
The practice will not routinely provide letters to schools requesting or authorising:
- Additional toilet breaks or toilet passes.
- Amendments to school uniform requirements.
- Exemption from swimming lessons.
- Exemption from Physical Education (PE) activities.
- Special examination arrangements.
- Other educational or behavioural adjustments that are the responsibility of the school to assess and determine.
Reason for this Policy
Schools have their own processes and appropriately trained staff to assess a pupil's needs and determine reasonable adjustments within the educational setting. Decisions regarding attendance at PE, swimming, uniform requirements, toilet access, and other school-based accommodations should be made by the school following their own assessment of the child's circumstances.
General Practitioners are unable to determine the operational requirements, risk assessments, or educational needs within a school environment and are therefore not best placed to prescribe or authorise specific educational adjustments.
Requests from Parents
The practice will not provide letters to schools on behalf of parents to make direct recommendations for educational arrangements, accommodations or exclusions.
Requests from Schools
The practice would generally expect requests for medical information to be made directly by the school, along with the appropriate parental consent, so that relevant clinical information can be shared accurately and securely with the appropriate member of school staff (this is usually a trained SENCO).
This approach ensures that schools have the information necessary to undertake their own assessment and determine any reasonable adjustments required to support the child within the educational setting.
Information the Practice May Provide
Whilst the practice does not provide letters requesting specific school accommodations, we are able to provide factual clinical information where appropriate.
Where a child has a confirmed medical diagnosis, and we have received the appropriate consent from a parent or person with parental responsibility, the practice may:
- Confirm a diagnosed medical condition.
- Provide relevant information from the child's medical record relating to that condition.
- Confirm prescribed medication where relevant.
- Share relevant clinical information directly with the school to support their assessment of the child's needs.
Requests to provide factual information regarding symptoms, or clinical opinions regarding the effects or functional impact of a medical condition are subject to GP discretion and may incur a fee in accordance with the practice's private services schedule.
The information provided will be factual and based on the child's medical records. The practice will not make recommendations regarding educational arrangements, attendance at specific activities, uniform requirements, toilet access arrangements, swimming participation, or Physical Education participation, as these decisions remain the responsibility of the school
Exceptions
In exceptional circumstances, where a specific medical report is required and falls outside NHS contractual obligations, the practice may agree to provide a private medical report. Such reports will be subject to GP discretion and may incur a fee in accordance with the practice's private services schedule.
Related Guidance
This policy is consistent with NHS guidance that schools are responsible for determining educational support arrangements and reasonable adjustments for pupils, whilst GPs provide medical information rather than educational recommendations.