One of the school’s missions is to monitor the health of students throughout their schooling. To do this, compulsory medical visits and screening visits are organized at key times by maternal and child protection (PMI) and school medicine. But sometimes some vision, speech or back problems remain difficult to detect. Based on this observation, National Education, in collaboration with Health Insurance, has put in place specific screenings of these disorders within pilot schools. Zoom on this unprecedented operation.
Monitoring the health of students at school
One of the school’s missions is to ensure monitoring student health throughout their schooling. To do this, compulsory medical visits and screening visits are organized at key times by maternal and child protection (PMI) and school medicine:
- A first compulsory health check-up between 3 and 4 years old carried out at school by the PMI.
- A compulsory medical examination between 5 and 6 years old by school medicine, focused on the child’s development and learning.
- A nursing screening visit takes place during the child’s twelfth year.
- Appropriate care and monitoring of the child throughout their schooling in the event of health problems.
But sometimes some vision, language or back problems remain difficult to detect. However, these disorders can disrupt the child’s daily life, cause academic difficulties or even impact their future professional life. Hence the importance of identifying them as early as possible to best support the child in his learning.
Specific screenings for vision, language and back problems
Based on this observation, National Education, in collaboration with Health Insurance, has put in place specific screenings for vision, language and back problems in pilot schools of around fifty departments.
This is how the vision screening is offered to children aged 2 and a half to 4 years old and enrolled in very small section and small nursery section. The objective is to identify strabismus, amblyopia, myopia or hyperopia.
The language disorder screening and communication concerns children aged 36 to 42 months and educated in very small and small nursery sections.
To know! By language disorders we mean articulation disorders, speech or language delay, stuttering or dysphasia.
As for the screening for back problems (scoliosis), it is offered to students aged 9 to 10 years old and enrolled in CM1 class.
To know! Scoliosis refers to a growth disorder causing progressive and permanent deformation of the child’s spine. Not painful, it may not be noticed by the child’s loved ones. Only screening by health professionals can detect it.
Note that these various screenings, carried out by independent health professionals, aim to complete the child’s mandatory examinations as well as maternal and child protection (PMI) actions.
Free and non-obligatory prevention actions
An information meeting on these prevention actions is organized in advance by the school. If parents wish their child to benefit from one of these screenings, they must sign parental authorization and complete an information sheet.
Fully supportedthese different screenings are carried out within the child’s establishment and during school time. Confidential, the child’s screening results are then given directly to the parents in a sealed envelope.
Next step? Generalize these screenings across the country in the coming years so that all school children can benefit from them!
Déborah L., Doctor in Pharmacy
Sources
– Vision, language and back problems: everything you need to know about school screenings.ww.ameli.fr. Accessed October 9, 2024.
– Monitoring student health. www.education.gouv.fr. Accessed October 9, 2024.
