The briefing, which you can download below, sets out troubling data about falling rates of school attendance across the four nations and serves as a timely reminder that healthcare appointments provide a unique opportunity to discuss school attendance and any barriers to this, as well as opportunities to put the right support in place for children and their families.
While the drivers of school absence can be complex and multifaceted, the briefing sets out four appointment practices aimed at reducing school absences for service planners to consider when offering paediatric appointments:
- Can appointments or clinics be delivered directly in education settings where we’re supporting multiple children?
- Could a virtual consultation work as effectively as in person?
- How can we support clustering of appointments to avoid multiple days off for a child to access healthcare?
- For appointments that take place during the school day, can appointment letters include advice to parents that their child should attend school before and after their visit, and that they can attend the appointment in their school uniform?
RCPCH recognises that, for most children, regular school attendance results in positive physical, mental and socio-emotional outcomes and we welcome this intercollegiate approach to supporting children and young people to attend school in a way that meets their needs.
We continue to explore how the College can further develop our role in this space and will share updates with our members as the academic year progresses.