GPs join forces with headache charities to help schools
18 October 2011
Migraine and headache have a significant
impact on the home and school life of one in ten children - yet the
problem often goes unrecognised and is inadequately treated.
Today (18 October 2011), the Royal College of General
Practitioners (RCGP) and Headache UK launch new guidance to help
schools, teachers and parents identify the students affected and
ensure that they receive the appropriate attention and care that
they need.
School Policy Guidelines for Students with Migraine and
Troublesome Headache highlights the impact of the conditions on the
wellbeing and academic performance of individual pupils, and
suggests simple methods for dealing with the problem.
The guidance provides advice on identifying the causes of the
problem, tips on reducing the impact of migraine and headache, and
easy-to-follow treatments. Schools are also provided with a series
of sample policies, letters and documents that they can adapt and
issue to parents and students.
Dr David Kernick, RCGP Clinical Champion for Headache and author
of the policy, said: ”Most students will experience headache at
some point, and for some, the impact on their school work and life
at home can be significant. On average, seven days of school a year
will be lost because of headache and at other times the effects
will make it harder for a student to concentrate on their work.
“Yet for a number of reasons most school-age headache sufferers
do not seek medical help, even when their problem is severe. It is
already common for schools to address the needs of students with
asthma, diabetes, epilepsy and allergies. We hope that the new
guidelines will help foster a better understanding of headaches,
and improve communication between schools, GPs and parents.
“Schools can play a key role in identifying the problem and
encouraging pupils and their parents to seek help from their GP.
Having a simple school policy in place should really help improve
both the school and home life of many pupils.”
Wendy Thomas, Chair of Headache UK and Chief Executive of The
Migraine Trust said “The impact of migraine and headache,
particularly on children, is often underestimated. These conditions
are common among school children and can have a detrimental effect
on school attendance, educational attainment and emotional
wellbeing. For example, population-based studies have shown that
children with migraine miss up to 82 days of school per year. By
helping schools and parents understand the problem, we hope to
encourage them to work together to provide better support for
students affected by migraine and headache.”
School Policy Guidelines for Students with Migraine and Troublesome
Headache 
Further information
RCGP Press office – 020 3188 7574/7575/7576/7569
Out of hours: 020 3188 7659
press@rcgp.org.uk
Headache UK Press Office – 020 7631 6983
Out of hours: 07703 605 784
press@migrainetrust.org
Notes to editors
The Royal College of General Practitioners is a network of over
44,000 family doctors working to improve care for patients. We work
to encourage and maintain the highest standards of general medical
practice and act as the voice of GPs on education, training,
research and clinical standards.
RCGP Clinical Champions are appointed by the College’s Clinical
Innovation and Research Centre (CIRC). The Centre carries out a
range of work to improve clinical standards for the care of
patients through clinical effectiveness, quality improvement and
research initiatives linked to GP education, training and
continuing professional development.
Headache UK is an alliance of six patient and professional
organisations representing the 10 million people living with
migraine and headache in the UK. The alliance aims to gain more
recognition of the public health impact of chronic headache and
seeks an improvement in diagnosis and treatment for sufferers.
Dr David Kernick will be discussing the report at a briefing
session on 18 October 2011 at 1600, Thatcher Room, Portcullis
House, Westminster. For an invitation contact press@migrainetrust.org.