Meeting the Mental Health needs of: Children with Chronic Medical Conditions

Children with a condition like cystic fibrosis or cancer are two to three times more likely than their peers to have mental health problems. Missed days, pain, lost friendships and a school that forgets about them can all add to it.

You'll come away with 10 things school can do, and most cost very little. Keep them in lessons over Teams while they're in hospital. Make sure supply staff know what they need to. Adjust how the behaviour policy applies when anger is really anxiety. One primary school sits a toy panda with a backpack in the empty chair, and classmates fill it with notes and work to send home.

Families feel it too. There's advice on siblings who come in tired, on replacing the standard attendance letter with something more personal, and on caring for staff when the news is bad.