Accidents and Emergency
School Accident/ Injury Policy
This policy was originally drafted in March 2015 as a response to newly enacted Health & Safety legislation. A separate contract has been devised covering external agencies using the school premises outside of school hours.
Continue Reading Rationale: The formulation of this policy enables our school to effectively; Roles and Responsibilities: The overall responsibility for the day to day management of school supervision /routines rests with the Principal. The class teacher is responsible for classroom supervision and teachers on yard duty are directly responsible for the supervision of pupils at break time. The schools Health and Safety Officer is Mrs.Geraghty. The First Aid Officers are Mrs.Geraghty and Mr. Kinnarney. Fire Drill coordinator is Mr. Kinnarney School Ethos: This policy re-enforces the elements of the school mission statement which advocates providing a safe and secure learning environment for each child and ensuring a duty of care at all times when the school is in operation. Aims/Objectives: Procedures: Safety of pupils and staff is a priority for the Board of Management, and robust measures have been put in place to ensure no children or staffs are put at risk; Minor Accident/Injury The injured party is initially looked after by the teacher on yard duty. If deemed necessary, the child will be taken to the ‘hall’ which is beside the staff room. No medicines are administered but cuts are cleaned with anti septic wipes and bandages/plasters applied if deemed appropriate. The use of plastic gloves is advised at all times. Parents are notified as a matter of protocol. More Serious Accidents/Injuries If considered safe to do so, the injured party is taken to the hall. Parents/guardians are immediately informed, particularly if there is a suspicion of broken bones/head or eye injuries. The child is kept under intense observation until parents /guardians arrive, with the emphasis on making the child as comfortable and as settled as possible. Very Serious Injuries In the event of a very serious injury, parents/guardians are immediately contacted. If the considered opinion of the staff is that immediate professional help is required, an ambulance is called. On rare occasions the staff may agree that taking the child to Accident & Emergency in a private car is a more prudent option particularly in the case of rapid blood loss. Parents are kept informed of developing situations. Minor Cuts and Bruises Method: In all cases of injury it is understood that there is at least one teacher on yard duty. Sprains/Bruises Method: Faints and Shocks Severe Bleeding Burns/Scalds Unconsciousness Stings/Bites The First Aid Policy is based on collective teacher input. The teacher on yard duty is automatically assisted by others in the case of a serious injury. Resources: The first aid box is located in the hall/staff room. All staff are aware of this. The contents of such boxes are replenished when deemed necessary by Mrs. Geraghty and Mr. Kinnarney (liaise with Parents Association) Record Keeping: All accidents/injuries are recorded in the Accident Report Book which is located in the office. Three Accident Report Book covers all children in the school. Teachers are encouraged to keep a separate copy of accident report forms relating to injuries sustained by children in their class. The accident report form lists date and time of accident, witnesses, nature of injuries, a brief description of the circumstance of the accident, procedures followed by staff etc. Very serious injuries will be notified to the schools insurers – Special Incident Report Form. Relevant medical information on all pupils is obtained at time of enrolment. This section asks parents to list allergies and other medical conditions their child may have. Evaluation: The success of this policy is measured from set criteria; Ratification: This revised policy was ratified by the Board of Management in 2016 Continue Reading Children with long term health problems Should it arise that no parent/guardian or family connection can be contacted in the case of accident or serious hurt the Principal, together with an auxillary staff member, would deem it necessary to accompany the child to Hospital.
Categories of Injury/School Procedures
Administration of Medicines
It is recognised that it is desirable for children with long term recurring health problems, such as asthma, epilepsy, diabetes and anaphylaxis to be accommodated within school in order that they can continue their education. If this is done, however, proper and clearly understood arrangements for administration of medicines must be made. Parents should be encouraged to provide maximum support and assistance in helping the school accommodate the pupil. This would include measures such as self-administration (where necessary and only after approval from the Principal) or under parental supervision. Where children are suffering from life threatening conditions, parents/guardians should outline clearly in writing what can, or can’t be done in a particular emergency situation, with particular reference to what may be a risk to the child.
Emergency Procedure in the case of a child being seriously ill or having an accident where parent/guardian/family connection is uncontactable
Procedure for children who are not collected from school
In circumstances where a child/children are not collected from school at the appropriate time and all contact numbers given have failed it is considered necessary that the Principal and another member of staff will stay on the school premises with the child until the child is collected.