Eczema at Secondary School
This page focuses on advice and resources for parents and carers with a child navigating secondary school . It includes information on how eczema can impact young people at school, and tips for managing eczema and getting support at school.
We also have a list of helpful website links and downloadable or printable sheets with extra information.
Navigating Secondary School
Moving from primary to secondary school, or starting a new school or school year, can affect a child’s eczema. This is a big social change, and children may worry about new people, new routines, and how others might respond to their skin. It’s very common for both children and their parents or carers to feel anxious during this kind of change.
Moving to secondary school often means children have to take more responsibility for managing their eczema. This can feel overwhelming or stressful. Stress, anxiety, and worry can all make eczema more likely to flare up.
Eczema Outreach Support has Wellbeing Resources that can help young people deal with worries and unhelpful thoughts, cope with negative experiences or attention from others, and build confidence and self‑esteem: Wellbeing resources for children and young people – Eczema Outreach Support
As your child becomes more independent in managing their eczema, it’s still important to advocate for them at school to make sure they receive the support they need.
If your child has negative experiences with staff or pupils, you may need to step in, but how you respond will vary. If it involves a teacher (e.g., an insensitive comment about slow writing due to sore hands or not allowing them to leave class to apply creams), be clear and firm with the school about your child’s needs. If it involves other pupils, consider the impact of addressing the children directly, as this may embarrass and draw further attention to your child. It may be better to involve the school and also to ask your child how they’d like you to handle the situation.
Good communication with school staff can help them understand how eczema affects your child and what adjustments might make school life easier. You can do this by:
- Having eczema in mind when choosing a secondary school. Visit potential schools and speak with staff to gauge how supportive they are of pupils with health conditions like eczema. Ask how they would handle a specific bullying scenario and trust your instincts about the school’s overall atmosphere.
- Explaining your child’s experience. Sharing what eczema is like for your child day-‑to-day helps teachers understand their needs. You might talk about:
- tiredness from poor or broken sleep
- itchiness or discomfort that affects their concentration
- irritability linked to pain or tiredness
- difficulty keeping up with homework during flare‑ups
- the emotional impact, such as feeling self-conscious
- Discussing reasonable adjustments that could help your child feel comfortable and fully take part in school life. Don’t be afraid to be firm and assertive in meetings. Using clear language about your child’s safety and wellbeing can prompt the school to take action and pay closer attention to their needs. Some reasonable adjustments might include:
- Flexibility with school uniform if certain fabrics irritate their skin (e.g., wearing softer fabrics, long sleeves).
- Access to a private and hygienic space to apply creams during the day. A toilet, including disabled or staff toilets, are not appropriate.
- Support with home learning when flare‑ups make tasks difficult.
- Understanding around absences for medical appointments.
- Extra time for tasks if their hands are sore.
- A space to keep their creams.
- Request an enhanced transition day so your child can be offered extra support with starting a new school/year. This can make them feel less overwhelmed and help plan how they will manage their eczema at school.
- Arranging a meeting with a key staff member such as the form tutor, pastoral lead, or school nurse. This helps everyone understand the support your child needs and how to provide it. To help with this, you might find it useful to use Eczema Outreach Support’s email template for schools [INSERT LINK TO SCHOOL EMAIL TEMPLATE].
- Be prepared to advocate for your child, as some people may not understand that eczema is far more than “just a rash.” You may need to explain the condition and its impact so your child’s needs are properly recognised and supported.
- Sharing a healthcare plan if you’ve completed one with your child. This gives staff clear information about treatments and routines. You can access Eczema Outreach Support’s Healthcare Plans here: https://eos.org.uk/healthcare-plans/.
- Sharing Eczema Outreach Support’s ‘Supporting Pupils with Eczema Factsheet for Schools’ to help teachers be more aware of eczema and think about how they can best support your child: [INSERT LINK TO SCHOOLS FACTSHEET].
- Completing the ‘Top Tips’ worksheet with your child to help them feel more confident about managing their eczema at school [INSERT LINK TO TOP TIPS SHEET].
It can also be a stressful time for parents and carers. You may feel worried about having less control over your child’s eczema care or uncertain about how they will manage treatment and social situations at school. These feelings are very normal.
The Visible Difference Parenting Toolkit is a free e-book that was developed with parents and has been shown to help families of children with conditions like eczema. It includes coping skills for parents, practical advice, and guidance on a range of situations such as communicating with your child, starting a new school, and dealing with teasing or bullying. Strengthening your own coping skills can help you support your child through these changes. You can access it here: The Visible Difference Parenting Toolkit – The Visible Difference Support Hub (Page 49 focuses on moving to a new school).
As your child takes on more responsibility for their treatment, it may help to complete one of Eczema Outreach Support’s healthcare plans with them: Healthcare Plans – Eczema Outreach Support. These plans were developed with parents, children, and healthcare professionals. They aim to make it easier to remember which treatments to use and when.
You and your child may also choose to share the plan with a trusted teacher or key contact at school so they can make sure your child has the support they need, including a private place to apply their creams.
Children and young people often want to fit in with their friends and peers at school, but this can sometimes clash with what is best for their skin. For example, they may want to wear clothes that irritate their eczema or use makeup, hair dye, perfume, aftershave, or other scented products. This is a difficult balance, but you can help by:
- Supporting your child to make their own choices
- Encouraging them to think about how products or clothing might affect their skin
- Trying alternatives such as hypoallergenic, dermatologist approved, and sensitive‑skin products
- Testing any new product on a small patch of skin first
You can find more helpful tips on the Eczema Care Online website: Preparing for the teen years | ECO
It can be difficult to know how to talk with your child about managing eczema and how it may affect them at school. Every child will vary, but here are some things that can help:
- Keep communication open. This helps your child know they don’t need to hide their eczema or keep worries a secret.
- Give enough time for the conversation so it doesn’t feel rushed. Children often open up more when they don’t feel pressured.
- Choose a time and place where you both feel relaxed. This makes it easier for your child to talk honestly about any difficulties they’re having.
- Discuss eczema in a way that suits your child. Some young people are more comfortable talking when it comes up naturally, while others like knowing there’s a specific time they can raise their worries. Too many ad hoc comments can make eczema feel constantly under the spotlight, which can be overwhelming or intrusive. Children won’t always want to talk, but what matters is that they know the door is open when they do.
- Talk while doing another activity, such as while driving, eating together, or going for a walk. This can make the conversation feel less intense and gives both of you time to think and respond.
- Focus on your child as a whole person. These check‑ins can help them feel supported without feeling defined by their eczema.
There is more guidance on talking to children about visible differences and health conditions on page 32 of the Visible Difference Parenting Toolkit: The Visible Difference Parenting Toolkit – The Visible Difference Support Hub.
