Preparing for the 2025 School Year

Here are some things to start planning for now.

Background preparation

• Download the Back to School Checklist.
• Ask your child’s diabetes treating team for a 2025 School Diabetes Action and Management plan.
• Organise a time to meet with the School Principal or Vice-Principal, 2025 classroom teacher and any other key school staff to discuss the new Action and Management Plan. This meeting will take at least 1 hour, so make sure that the school allocates you sufficient time. To ensure you are confident with what needs to be discussed at this meeting check out Meeting with your child's school information from Diabetes in Schools website.
• Make sure you have your child’s school hypo kits fully stocked, labelled and ready to go. Ensure your child has enough diabetes supplies such as blood glucose monitoring strips and ketone strips (if applicable). 

Professional development for school staff 

It is important that school staff know about type 1 diabetes and how they can best support your child during the school day. The diabetesinschools.com.au program is available to help school staff learn more about type 1 diabetes and how they can best support your child. The website has free online learning modules, together with a range of other resources that can be accessed by families and schools.

School camp preparation

Having type 1 diabetes should not stop your child from taking part in school camp.

Ask the school for their camp dates for 2025. If camp is to be held during Term 1, you need to start planning with your child’s diabetes treating team and the school now!

Meet with the school staff to let them know that extra preparation and training will be required for them to support your child on camp. The school will need to provide you with a copy of the camp location, activity schedule and menu. This information will be used by your child’s Diabetes Treating Team to prepare a School Camp Plan. This is a separate plan to the day-to-day school plan.

Notify your child’s diabetes treating team as soon as possible when you know the school camp date so that they will have enough time to prepare your child’s School Camp Plan. Usually we would suggest 4-6 weeks, but at this busy time of year, the more notice that you can give the treating team the better, as they receive many plan and training requests.

Camp training for staff may be online; however, a practical training session will be required if insulin administration and/or glucagon injections are needed. This needs to be booked in early, so early planning and preparation is vital. Find out more information about school camps here.

Reasonable adjustments 

Reasonable adjustments are steps that the school will put in place so that your child is able to manage their diabetes at school while participating fully in the school day and associated activities. Reasonable adjustments can include things such as being able to check their glucose level whenever and wherever needed and having staff to administer insulin during the school day if required. Read more about reasonable adjustments here.

Communication 

Clear communication channels between home and school are very important. Talk with school staff about how you will communicate with each other. Discuss what will be communicated, how often and by what method.

Taking the time to plan and prepare for your child’s return to school helps towards a smooth transition. Please contact your child’s diabetes treating team or the NDSS helpline on 1800 637 700 if you need further help and advice on how to prepare for your child’s return to school.  

Further resources

• Diabetes in Schools website
• Victorian Department of Education and Training - Diabetes Guidelines
• Victorian Department of Education and Training - Diabetes policy
• Disability Standards for Education 2005