Physical Difficulty & Medical Service

Education Leeds and the East Silc John Jamieson School operate a city-wide support service for mainstream schools to help them include pupils who have a physical difficulty or a long-term medical condition.

The Physical Difficulty and Medical Service aims to provide:

• advice to teachers and schools on physical difficulties and medical issues
  affecting pupils; and



• the co-ordination of services to schools who have children and young people with a physical difficulty or a long-term medical need.

The Physical Difficulty and Medical Service sees working in partnership with health and other professionals as key to providing a quality service to pupils, families and schools. It works closely with officers in Education Leeds on accessibility planning, the planning of care facilities and the supply to schools of mobility equipment recommended by health professionals for use by individual pupils.

The Physical Difficulty and Medical Service offer the following services:

• a helpline as the first point of contact for schools with enquiries about all issues relating to the inclusion of children with physical difficulties or long-term medical needs
  (phone: 003 293 0236);



• a curriculum outreach service designed to support school staff in developing teaching and learning strategies for pupils with physical difficulties and associated learning difficulties;



• advice on the acquisition of equipment for children and young people, designed to provide access to schools and the curriculum;



• training for school staff on methods of safe and appropriate movement of children and young people with physical difficulties;



• assessment of pupils with physical difficulties and learning difficulties who might require information technology (IT)aids for their learning or communication; and



• advice to schools on the acquisition of IT equipment.