THE mother of a child with ADHD has slammed a school after it stated it will no longer administer vital medication which helps her son concentrate in class.

Emma Mylam says Iceni Academy, in Shrub End, Colchester, is “preventing” her son from learning after the policy change regarding medication.

Her son, whose name has been withheld, is in Year 5 at the school and requires tablets to help him concentrate after being diagnosed with ADHD.

In September, she received a call saying the school had changed its policy and would now longer be able to give him his medication.

The school explained Ms Mylam was welcome to visit the premises every day to administer the tablets herself, but otherwise her son would have to go without.

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“He needs them to concentrate in class, but now I’m worried he will fall even further behind, having missed so much school because of Covid,” she said.

“The school told me I’m welcome to come and give him the tablets myself, but I asked them how this would be possible since I work – it’s ridiculous.

“They just shrugged it off and said it’s their new policy.”

As a result, Ms Mylam’s son came home from school the next day saying he had struggled.

Taking matters into her own hands, Ms Mylam decided to sneak a tablet in his lunch box leading to a safeguarding call.

“I expected the call to come, but I just simply want to help him,” she added.

“I’m really cross because other schools aren’t doing this, it appears it’s just Iceni Academy schools.

“I’m annoyed because the school is saying the staff need training, but nothing has changed, it’s just their policy.

“They’ve opened the medication cabinet for years, why do they suddenly need training for this?”

A spokesman for Iceni Academy said: “There is no legal requirement for schools to administer medication, however, the Department for Education advise staff should receive suitable training and achieve the necessary level of competency before taking on responsibility for supporting pupils with medical conditions.

“Staff are under no obligation to administer medications and it is our policy not to put them in a vulnerable situation where they have had no training to administer certain medications. We are happy to administer medication for life-threatening conditions, where staff have been appropriately trained.”