A school in Croxteth Park has received a special award that celebrates schools which provide great care and support to children and young people with Type 1 diabetes.
Emmaus CoE and Catholic Primary School has won Diabetes UK’s Good Diabetes Care in School Awards a new recognition scheme introduced by the charity in September 2015 to raise the profile of schools across the UK that are providing good care and support to children and young people with Type 1 diabetes.
The school was chosen by an assessment panel which included parents and representatives from Diabetes UK. It has been recognised for the support it provides to ensure children with Type 1 at their school are fully included in all school activities and receive the care they deserve. Emmaus Primary School were presented with the special award, which is valid for two years, at an assembly on Friday 8th July.
It is extremely important that children and young people with diabetes receive good care in school to help them keep their blood glucose to target levels. In the short-term, high or low blood glucose levels can make a child extremely unwell, and in the long-term, high blood glucose levels can increase risk of serious complications such as amputation, blindness and stroke later in life. Supporting children to manage their diabetes well is also key to enabling them to get the best from their education and school activities.
The charity says that the Good Diabetes Care in School Award shows that good diabetes care in schools is achievable and presents an opportunity to share best practice amongst schools, helping to ensure that all students with diabetes get the support they need and can therefore achieve their full academic potential.
Recognising that some schools will have concerns about how to support students with diabetes, as part of its Type 1 diabetes: Make the Grade Campaign, Diabetes UK has created free resources to help parents and schools get the right care in place. Along with this the charity has launched a Care in Schools Helpline which provides parents of children and young people with Type 1 diabetes in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland with information and support around the care their child is entitled to receive at school.
Diabetes UK is appealing to school staff, parents and healthcare professionals to nominate schools providing good care for the Good Diabetes Care in School Award. Nominations received after July 2017 will go into the next year’s award cycle which will begin in September 2017.
Head Teacher, Alan Williams said: “We are delighted to win Diabetes UK’s Good Diabetes Care in School Award. We have a number of students in our school who have Type 1 diabetes and we take our responsibility to provide them with the support and care they need to manage their condition safely in school very seriously. We have worked extremely closely with students, parents, and school staff to ensure that the right care is in place, and that children and young people with Type 1 diabetes have the same opportunities as their peers who do not have the condition and are able to fully participate in their education and so reach their full academic potential.”
Stephen Ryan, Head of the North at Diabetes UK said: “Emmaus Primary School have demonstrated that they are meeting best practice in the support they provide for children and young people with Type 1 diabetes, which is why they have become a recipient of our Good Diabetes Care in School Award. We urge all schools, both here in Liverpool and across the country, to follow the school’s example as good care in schools means that children and young people with diabetes stay healthy and get the best from their education. The fact that Emmaus Primary School are doing such a fantastic job of supporting students with Type 1 diabetes shows that good care is achievable in all schools.”
For more information on the Good Diabetes Care in School Award visit:
www.diabetes.org.uk/school-award<http://www.diabetes.org.uk/school-award>
Croxteth Park primary school wins good diabetes care award
