Home tuition and hospital teaching services guidance

The LA holds responsibility for ensuring that pupils who are unable to attend school because of their health needs are able to access education by commissioning a high quality home tuition service. This includes developing and implementing guidance which secures individual entitlement. The key to successful implementation is partnership between agencies and the LA holding the central role in initiating, developing and sustaining these partnerships. The provision of education to pupils with medical needs through the home tuition service aims to maintain pupil progress. This is essential to the timely reintegration into the school of each pupil in accordance with his or her needs.

In particular, the Local Authority will ensure that:

• this guidance is readily available and widely publicised
• every pupil, who is unable to attend school because of a long-term or recurring medical condition, will have an Individual Learning Plan. Education should begin as soon as the medical condition allows
• pupils absent from school because of their health needs receive education no later than the sixteenth day following referral
• pupils whose diagnosed medical condition indicates prolonged or recurring absence from school have access to education from day one of each absence where possible
• regular reports on pupil progress are provided in writing to the pupil, to parents and to the school
• multi-agency or multi-disciplinary working is promoted, with clear lines of communication, in particular ensuring appropriate liaison with medical professionals, including where appropriate CAMHS staff, relevant staff in the pupil’s school, educational psychologists and any other involved professional parties
• continuity in education is supported, including promoting access to home school activities and events
• an individually tailored reintegration plan which meets with multi-agency approval is in place before the pupil returns to school
• educational support continues to be provided by the home tuition and hospital teaching service in those cases where reintegration is gradual and part-time. Home tuition service staff receive appropriate professional support in order to sustain the quality of teaching and learning
• the home tuition and hospital teaching service is monitored and reviewed to ensure that the needs of pupils are met, that the service is cost-effective and that all relevant statutory requirements and guidance is adhered to
• appropriate information on the home tuition and hospital teaching service is available