A SCHOOL in Tisbury has scooped a national award for the help and support it’s given to one of its pupils that has epilepsy.

Wardour Primary School won an Epilepsy Action ‘Edward’ award for its work in supporting five-year-old Emily Guthrie.

Emily had to repeat her reception year as her medication affected her ability to learn, and her mum Lizzy nominated the school for all the support they’ve given.

She said: “Emily was the first pupil the school has had with uncontrolled epilepsy and they have handled it spectacularly.

“The school has been continually supportive, inclusive and have bent over backwards to make her school life as full and normal as possible. We are so happy they are being recognised for all their hard work.”

The school used money from its budget to make life easier for Emily, which included having a folding bed in the classroom so she can recover from a seizure and providing walkie talkies for the staff to improve communication.

They also assigned a top year pupil as a ‘buddy’ for Emily to keep an eye on her, and organised assemblies for the whole school so they could learn about epilepsy.

Headteacher Jenny Luzmoor said: “It’s fantastic to see that we are doing the right things for children with epilepsy.

“It’s also good to know that parents feel confident that their children are well supported during the school day.

“We hope to continue to build on our success in supporting children with epilepsy in the future.”

The award was presented to the school by South West Wiltshire MP Andrew Murrison on Friday.