Hospital and Home Tuition Service - Information for Parents/Carers

Who is the service for?

• The Hospital and Home Tuition Service (HHTS) provides education for those pupils who are unable to attend school because of short-term medical needs, and for pregnant teenagers.
• Pupils who are receiving regular (recurring admissions) or long-term treatment in hospital are also entitled to tuition

How will my child qualify for the service?

• Your child must be absent from school for a minimum of fifteen school days (during this time your child's school will remain responsible for their education)
• Medical evidence of your child's inability to attend school must be provided by a consultant (eg. consultant paediatrician, community paediatrician, CAMHS consultant, etc) not just your GP
• If your child is pregnant, a notice of due date must be sent to us.

How will the service find out about my child?

Referrals to our service happen via several routes:

• A member of staff from school can refer your child to HHTS. This may be a Class Teacher, Head of Year, Special Needs Teacher, or the person who has responsibility for children with medical needs.  In a Primary School, the head teacher or class teacher may make the referral.
• Education Welfare Officers refer pupils who have been absent from school for three weeks or more, for medical reasons, to HHTS.
• Hospitals refer school-age patients who will need to be absent from school following hospital treatment.
• CAMHS (The Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service) may refer pupils who have mental health problems which prevent them from attending school.

If you are concerned, however, that a referral has not been made for you child, please contact the named person for children with medical needs at your child's school. 

What happens after my child has been referred to your service?

• You will be invited to a Planning Meeting: this will take place, as soon as possible, after the referral and medical letter have been received. Your child is welcome to attend if he/she feels well enough to do so. This usually takes place at school, but other venues can be used if more appropriate.
• Other services may be invited to attend such as representatives from Education Welfare, Medical Services or CAMHS.
• Possible options for your child's education will be discussed, and a package will be agreed, this may be group tuition at the base, e-learning, or home tuition, or a mixture.
• All details are recorded in The Hospital / Home / Individual Tuition Support Plan, which is signed by all parties.  A copy of this is sent to you by post.
• A tutor will then get in touch with you to finalise details  

Where will tuition take place?

• Depending upon the level of your child’s illness or mobility, it may be at our nearest base, or in your home or at some other suitable venue
• If your child is in the process of reintegrating back into school after illness, tuition may take place in a quiet room at school.
• In some cases, e-learning is offered to a pupil.

What is e-learning?

• We offer two forms of e-learning. One is through registered provider, and the other is through our own site, which we are currently developing.
• With our provider, pupils log on to the website at set times to join in lessons, which are run live by qualified teachers. Pupils are expected to do as many hours on their own, as in live lessons. They can also revisit the lessons, since the teacher's voice is recorded and saved.
• Our own website can provide live lessons or archived lessons. It can also be used to support tutorial sessions.

If tuition takes place in the home, what do I need to do or provide?

• A responsible adult must be present in the home when a tutor calls.
• A suitable room needs to be available, with table, chairs, good lighting
• You will need to sign a register after each session, which the tutor will also sign.

How long will tuition last?

• A review of your child's progress takes place every six weeks. At these reviews we discuss whether or not your child is able to return to school either part-time, with support, or full-time: we also seek the opinion of your child's doctor.

How many hours tuition will my child receive?

• If your child is not attending school at all, he or she will be entitled to a minimum of five hours educational provision per week: in some cases pupils build up to five hours, depending on the nature of their illness. 

How will my child cope with exams and course work?

• Our tutors liaise closely with schools and encourage pupils through their coursework. It is expected that pupils will work between tuition sessions.

Will my child be taught by qualified teachers?

• Qualified teachers cover most of the tuition. In some cases, Teaching Assistants support this work, so that a pupil can receive additional tuition. This is under the guidance of the tutor(s).
• If your child is offered e-learning, qualified teachers teach the classes.

What happens when my child gets better?

• Where possible pupils return to school. This is straightforward where a child has been off for a few weeks only. However, often a part-time return is arranged, so that your child continues to have the support of a tutor, and gradually builds up time in school. Sometimes some pupils return to other forms of mainstream education.
• A final review is held when we know your child is fit enough to return full-time, and to say goodbye to the tutors.