School service at GRAACC Hospital
Educational, emotional and social support for children and young people with cancer who are unable to attend school while they are undergoing treatment for their illness
Current Project
Over recent years, an average of 400 student-patients have been assisted by the GRAACC Hospital’s school service each month and around 9,000 classes are taught annually. In addition, during the time that GRAACC is caring for them, the children’s schools receive updated information on their performance, progress and emotional state.
Over the last 20 years, this service at the GRAACC Hospital has been helping to overcome an unfavourable scenario for children and young people, where previously around 50% of youngsters who underwent cancer treatment dropped out of school. Today, this percentage is less than 3%.
The service is provided by education professionals specialised in hospital-based school services, and is tailored to each individual student. The classes respect the specific needs of the students as a result of their cancer treatment, and include educational content that is prepared in collaboration with the school in which the student is enrolled.
On top of this, this ‘mobile school’ also helps reintegrate the student-patient back into school at the end of treatment, informing teachers of the student’s specific needs, as well as alternative ways to teach them in the classroom.