Oak Lodge School’s Story

“The team work seamlessly to ensure the wellbeing of everyone involved, including both the child having the seizure, and the other children who may have to witness it.”

This month’s Star Award has been awarded to Oak Lodge School in Balham to recognise the incredible care they deliver to their students with epilepsy. The school offers support for students who are D/deaf and/or have SLCN (speech, language and communication needs). They also have a number of students with epilepsy, some who’ve had their first ever seizure at the school, as well as other pupils who’ve been diagnosed with non-epileptic seizures. The school was nominated by their medical lead Ramona, who shared more with us about the school:

“We have an incredible team at Oak Lodge School, who are amazing at dealing with seizures on-site. The team work seamlessly to ensure the wellbeing of everyone involved, including both the child having the seizure, and the other children who may have to witness it.

“I wanted to nominate the school to recognise the work and effort that staff put into supporting our students. It’s not an easy job to do and they are an incredible team!

“We have had 4 students in the last 3 years, with no history of epilepsy, have their first seizure on-site and be subsequently diagnosed with having epilepsy. Others have been diagnosed with non-epileptic seizures. A child’s first seizure can be very scary to see, especially if there is no known history, which is why the team work so hard to ensure the safety and well-being of the students in such situations.

“Epilepsy Action’s online resources, particularly the videos about seizure types and symptoms, have been valuable in helping staff members better understand epilepsy. It’s also how I found out about the Star Award!

“The team has an action plan to deal with seizures. One staff member will time the seizure, whilst another ushers the other students away to protect the child’s dignity. Another staff member will fetch the medical lead or first aider, someone will call 999 and another will fetch the child’s paperwork to attend hospital.

“Our students have communications needs, whether they are D/deaf, BSL user, or use another form of communication. This can make situations like having a seizure for the first time, especially confusing for the child involved. Our staff continue to support the students, even in hospital, by helping to modify the language to help the child understand what is going on and also explain their experience to medical professionals.

“The calm, systematic way in which support staff respond is a testament to their professionalism and compassion for all students and I am so proud to be part of the team at Oak Lodge.”

When finding out about their award, staff at Oak Lodge School expressed their gratitude, saying “Thank you so much, it is an honour! It’s lovely to have the efforts of the staff acknowledged and appreciated.”

A big thank you from all of us at Epilepsy Action to all the staff for taking the time to learn about epilepsy to ensure the pupils’ safety and wellbeing. We know this will make a huge difference to their education and also give their families peace of mind knowing they are looked after.