Schools Direct (Tuition Fee only)

Please read the guidance below before completing the Occupational Health Questionnaire for your Initial Teacher Training (ITT) Course.

We are required by the Department for Education (DfE) to determine that all students beginning programmes of ITT have the health and physical capacity to teach and will not put children and young people at risk or harm.

We are committed to ensuring equality of opportunity for students with health conditions and disabilities. We will provide all reasonable support to enable students with any disability or health condition to complete an Initial Teacher Training programme.

Some health conditions or impairments might need further assessment by a health professional so if you make a positive declaration on your Occupational Health (OH) Questionnaire, you may be contacted by the Occupational Health Service to assess this with you.

Your OH Health Check will be undertaken by the Royal Free (RF) Hospital Trust Occupational Health Service.

The RF Occupational Health Service will send you an email invitation to complete your OH Questionnaire via an online system. The email sender will be noreply@opasg2.com.

Please read this email and follow the link provided to complete your Occupational Health Questionnaire. This is also known as your pre-placement OH assessment.

Please complete this as fully as possible and to the best of your knowledge. This includes details of any vaccinations you have received and the medical history that you have available to you or through contacting your GP.

You must complete your Occupational Health Questionnaire as soon as possible, this is to ensure there are no delays in starting your placement.

Upon receiving your completed ITT Health Questionnaire, the Royal Free Hospital Trust Occupational Health Service may arrange an appointment to meet with you.

If you have an appointment but are unable to attend, you must contact the Royal Free Hospital Trust Occupational Health Service directly at least 48 hours in advance of your appointment. 

If you are likely to miss your scheduled OH appointment please contact RF, preferably by telephone call.

Tel: 0207 830 25 09 / 10 / 11

Or if this is not possible please email: rf.occupationalhealth@nhs.net

Please be aware that if you do not attend your appointment or inform RF within 48 Hours, a ‘did not attend’ (D.N.A) will be marked on your Occupational Health Record.

The University are notified of this and are charged.

Frequent D.N.A appointments are recorded by the University and can be escalated which may have implications on your placement.

We strongly advise that you inform your programme leader if you are a new or expectant mother. Appropriate risk assessment of placement settings can then be arranged to ensure that you are not exposed to hazards in the work place that may pose a risk to you or your unborn child.

Our Disability and Dyslexia Service provide guidance and support for prospective and current students. If you have any health condition or learning impairment that you think may need additional support, we strongly recommend that you talk to our team as well as your programme leader.

We have listed examples of impairments or health conditions that might require further assessment below. Please note that we can only consider adjustments for school-based training placements if the health condition or impairment has been assessed by Occupational Health.

  • Functional capabilities
    • Mobility (e.g. walking, using stairs, balance, travel by public transport)
    • Agility (e.g. bending, reaching up, kneeling down)
    • Dexterity (e.g. getting dressed, writing, using tools)
    • Physical exertion (e.g. lifting, carrying, running)
    • Communication (e.g. speech, hearing)
    • Vision (e.g. visual impairment, colour blindness, tunnel vision)
    • Learning (e.g. dyslexia, dyspraxia, dyscalculia, impaired concentration).
  • Health conditions
    • Infection (generally skin or respiratory disorders, e.g. psoriasis, eczema, TB)
    • Neurological disorders (e.g. epilepsy, multiple sclerosis)
    • Allergies (e.g. latex, medicines, foods)
    • Endocrine disease (e.g. diabetes)
    • Sudden loss of consciousness (e.g. a fit or seizure)
    • Chronic fatigue syndrome (or similar condition)
    • Mental health problems (e.g. anxiety, depression, phobias, OCD, nervous breakdown, personality disorder, over-dose or self-harm, drug or alcohol dependency)

An eating disorder (e.g. bulimia, anorexia nervosa, compulsive).

Should you have any queries regarding your ITT Health Check, your first point of contact should be directly with the Occupational Health (OH) Team at the Royal Free Hospital:

Tel: 0207 830 25 09 / 10 / 11

Email: rf.occupationalhealth@nhs.net

Royal Free Hospital
Occupational Health and Wellbeing Centre
Pond Street
London
NW3 2QG