A new report published today (Thurs 12 Feb) by school leaders’ union NAHT Cymru, reveals serious concern over the amount of medical intervention schools in Wales are being forced to carry out in the classroom – often without proper training – due to lack of funding for qualified medical practitioners.

NAHT Cymru surveyed members in Wales at the end of January 2026 on medical interventions. The survey was open for a week and received a very strong level of concern from members, with some 339 responses.

• The vast majority (92%) of respondents confirmed that staff in their schools are being required to provide medical interventions for pupils.
• Only a third (33%) of respondents said that the training staff receive to carry out those required medical interventions was sufficient. Over half (55%) said staff do not receive sufficient training, with 12% saying staff receive no training.

At the same time the level of the medical interventions that staff are being asked to provide is becoming increasingly complex.

While the most common interventions provided by staff were mobility and personal care, such as toileting support (83%), and routine medication administrations (80%), the range of interventions being carried out by school staff also includes emergency medication administration, respiratory and cardiac monitoring, catheter and stoma care, tube feeding, the use of hoists, and mental health intervention.

Staff report high levels of anxiety around accountability, safeguarding responsibilities, and the risk of making mistakes with potentially serious consequences.

Medical needs are also having a significant operational impact on schools. Staff are regularly removed from classrooms to provide care — often requiring two adults — reducing teaching and learning time, placing strain on staffing ratios, increasing workload, and contributing to rising stress, sickness absence and burnout.

NAHT Cymru is warning that the current situation is unsustainable and unfair — both for school staff and for pupils with medical needs.

Laura Doel, National Secretary for NAHT Cymru, said: “The long-standing under-funding and insufficient capacity across the system, which has left schools with little or no access to the medical expertise pupils need during the school day, means schools are increasingly being left with no practical alternative but to step in to meet pupils’ needs when appropriate medical support is not available, despite education staff not being trained, resourced or funded to deliver medical care.

“Staff step in because they care deeply about their pupils and want to keep them safe and included, but we are extremely concerned that there is a real risk it is only a matter of time before something goes very wrong. School staff are educators, not medical professionals, and they are being placed under immense pressure to provide care they are not trained, paid or insured to deliver.

“We are particularly concerned that insufficient medical provision is leading to a two-tier experience for pupils, with some of the most vulnerable children relying on school staff rather than qualified clinicians for essential care. This risks compromising pupils’ safety, dignity, and the quality of support they receive during the school day.

“This is not about blaming health services or local authorities, who are themselves operating under severe resource constraints. It is about recognising that the system is under-funded and under-resourced, and that without greater investment and availability of medical professionals, schools and pupils are being put in an impossible position.”

NAHT Cymru is calling on Welsh Government to recognise that many of the medical demands currently placed on schools are unreasonable, and to act urgently by ensuring that health services are properly funded and resourced to meet their legal responsibilities to pupils. This includes fully funded medical support for pupils who need it and clearer guidance for school leaders on the limits of schools’ responsibilities, and what is — and is not — appropriate medical intervention for education staff to deliver.

MEDICAL INTERVENTIONS IN SCHOOLS IN WALES REPORT