The EVC Magazine Autumn/Winter 2025 - Magazine - Page 15
Building children’s confidence
MEDICAL AND
DIETARY INFORMATION
Speak to parents and carers of
children who have specific medical
or inclusion needs, and work with
them to plan support. Write down
the agreed plan and make sure
the parents, carers and relevant
staff have a copy.
For each child, gather essential
information via a medical form to
ensure it is up to date.
Include in the info pack a page on
medical protocols which will:
• ask for medication to be handed
in on the morning of the trip;
• ask for medication to be labelled
with the child’s name and
instructions for dosage;
• explain the arrangements for using
and storing medication, medical
plans and treatments; and
• explain how these items will be
carried and stored and identify
which staff members are trained
to use and administer them.
Many children will never have slept away from home before their first
residential, and even those who have may still worry about going away
with their classmates. Build up to a full residential over time – provide
experiences in earlier years to familiarise children with overnight stays,
such as camping in the school grounds and a one-night residential nearby.
Rosie Thomson, Deputy Head and EVC at Eleanor Palmer
Primary School in London, shares some of the ways in which
they help to prepare children and families for residentials:
Talk about things like
homesickness and sleeping
in a strange place and help
children to come up with
some useful strategies.
Identify activities that might
need to be practised at
home, such as making beds
or washing up.
Go over the itinerary in class
and share photos of the venue.
If older students have done
the same trip, invite them
into class to share their
memories and offer advice
(make sure it’s all positive).
Involve the children in
the preparations, such as
choosing menus, planning
routes, making team
T-shirts to wear and
preparing healthy snacks
for the journey.
Tell everyone to bring a
cuddly toy as a mascot
so that no one feels
embarrassed
if they really
need one.
cont. over page...
THE EVC MAGAZINE – AUTUMN/WINTER 2025-26
15
