Pump Terms

Glossary letters

  1. 4 terms starting with A
  2. 6 terms starting with B
  3. 9 terms starting with C
  4. 6 terms starting with D
  5. 1 terms starting with E
  6. 2 terms starting with F
  7. 2 terms starting with G
  8. 4 terms starting with H
  9. 6 terms starting with I
  10. No terms starting with J
  11. No terms starting with K
  12. 2 terms starting with L
  13. 3 terms starting with M
  14. 2 terms starting with N
  15. 1 terms starting with O
  16. 6 terms starting with P
  17. No terms starting with Q
  18. 1 terms starting with R
  19. 6 terms starting with S
  20. 7 terms starting with T
  21. 1 terms starting with U
  22. No terms starting with V
  23. No terms starting with W
  24. No terms starting with X
  25. No terms starting with Y
  26. No terms starting with Z

Reference

  1. 01A to Z glossary

Explainers

  1. 02How an insulin pump works
  2. 03Pump or injections?
  3. 04Infusion sets and site rotation
  4. 05Carbohydrate counting
  5. 06Alarms and fail-safes
  6. 07Sick days
  7. 08Exercise
  8. 09School and nursery
  9. 10Travelling with a pump

Related reading

  1. 11Diabetes and the nervous system
  2. 12Official UK guidance

About

  1. 13About
  2. 14How we check facts
  3. 15Contact
  4. 16Privacy

School and nursery in the UK: guidance, plans and pumps

A plain-language outline of what official guidance says about supporting a child with an insulin pump at school or nursery, and what a written care plan usually sets out.

Updated 11 October 20265 min readGeneral information, not medical adviceBy the Pump Terms editors

A child who uses an insulin pump spends much of the week in a school or an early years setting, so it helps to know what official guidance expects of those places. The rules differ between the four UK nations, and between schools and nurseries. It is general information, and the child's own paediatric diabetes team has the final word on any individual arrangement.

What the statutory guidance says in England

In England the main document is the Department for Education guidance "Supporting pupils at school with medical conditions". GOV.UK labels it statutory guidance and explains: "Statutory guidance sets out what schools and local authorities must do to comply with the law. You should follow the guidance unless you have a very good reason not to." It is addressed to governing bodies of maintained schools, academy proprietors and pupil referral unit committees. GOV.UK shows it was last updated on 16 August 2017, and the document itself is dated December 2015.

Its key points include that pupils with medical conditions should be properly supported so that they have full access to education, including school trips and physical education, and that governing bodies must ensure arrangements are in place to support them.

The guidance links to disability law. It notes that children with medical conditions may be considered disabled under the Equality Act 2010, and where that is so, governing bodies must comply with their duties under that Act.

On staffing, any member of school staff may be asked to support pupils with medical conditions, including giving medicines, although they cannot be required to do so. Staff who provide support should have received suitable training. Insulin has a specific mention: schools should normally accept prescribed medicines only in the original dispensed container, but insulin is the stated exception, as long as it is in date, because it will generally arrive inside a pen or a pump.

Nurseries and other early years settings

The same DfE document says that early years settings should continue to apply the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS). The GOV.UK page for the framework does not set out medicines arrangements on the page itself, so no claim is made here about its detailed wording. A parent or carer can ask the setting for its written medicines policy and how it would work with the diabetes team.

What an individual healthcare plan covers for a child on a pump

An individual healthcare plan (IHP) is a written record of the care a child needs at school. The DfE guidance says it should be drawn up in partnership between the school, parents and a relevant healthcare professional such as a school nurse or specialist nurse, with the pupil involved where appropriate. Responsibility for finalising and putting it into practice rests with the school, and it should be reviewed at least annually or sooner if needs change.

Diabetes UK describes what a plan for a child with diabetes should include. Its list covers, among other things:

  • what help the child needs, who gives it and when, including the procedure for injecting or using a pump;
  • when the child tests blood glucose and what action follows each result;
  • signs of low and high glucose, what staff do, and when a parent or ambulance is called;
  • meals and snacks, including help with carbohydrate counting;
  • arrangements before, during and after PE (see also exercise and pumps);
  • where insulin and supplies are kept, who can reach them and how they are checked;
  • emergencies, school trips, exams, and a record of training.

Diabetes UK adds that the list is not exhaustive, that the plan should be reviewed whenever management or the child's independence changes, and that the family, relevant staff and nurse should sign it.

Pump-specific points from Diabetes UK

Diabetes UK explains that a pump gives background insulin continuously and extra insulin at mealtimes or when glucose is high. That extra dose is a bolus, given by pressing a combination of buttons, and some children might need help with it. The child's paediatric diabetes specialist nurse (PDSN) trains school staff to give insulin through the pump and look after it at school.

For hypoglycaemia, the charity says hypos are usually treated with something sugary to eat and drink. On sport, it says the pump needs to be disconnected for contact and water sports, should generally not stay disconnected for more than an hour because it uses rapid-acting insulin, and must be reconnected and glucose checked once the activity ends. See alarms and fail-safes for device alerts. The sources opened gave no advice on a damaged pump, so that is left to the plan and the child's team.

The paediatric diabetes team and the school nurse

The DfE guidance names the school nurse among the professionals who can help draw up a plan, and Diabetes UK lists the PDSN and school nurse as giving input alongside the child, parent or carer and relevant staff. The healthcare professional advises and trains staff, while the school remains responsible for carrying the plan out.

Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland

Education is devolved, so the England guidance does not apply across the whole UK. Each nation publishes its own document.

  • Scotland: the Scottish Government's "Supporting children and young people with healthcare needs in schools" is written for NHS boards, education authorities and schools. It was published on 20 December 2017 and says schools should arrange for staff who provide healthcare to receive appropriate training from a health professional or other accredited source.
  • Wales: the Welsh Government's "Supporting learners with healthcare needs" is guidance for local authorities and schools on helping learners with healthcare needs.
  • Northern Ireland: the Department of Education's "Support for pupils with medication needs" aims to help schools support pupils with medication needs and provide sound protocols for managing them.

Readers there should read the relevant document and ask the school and diabetes team how it applies locally. The glossary explains the terms used here.

Questions people ask

Does every child with diabetes need an individual healthcare plan?

The DfE guidance says plans are often essential where conditions fluctuate or emergency action may be needed, and likely to help in most long-term cases, but not all children will require one. If the school, healthcare professional and parent cannot agree, the headteacher takes the final view.

Can a teacher refuse to help with a pump?

According to the DfE guidance, staff cannot be required to give medicines or support, though any member of staff may be asked. This is why a plan and training record name who is trained and available.

In short

In England, schools must have arrangements to support pupils with medical conditions and are expected to follow the DfE statutory guidance, while early years settings work from the EYFS framework. A written plan, drawn up with the family and the diabetes team and reviewed at least yearly, is the usual way to record who does what for a child on a pump. The other UK nations publish their own guidance, and the child's diabetes team has the final word on pump decisions.