Poster Presentation 2025 National Cancer Survivorship Conference

A personalised school re-entry website for students with cancer, their parents and teachers (ready, steady, school): mixed methods pilot study (#67)

Sarah J Ellis 1 2 , Joanna E Fardell 1 2 , Richard J Cohn 1 2 , Mary Burns 3 , Suncica Lah 3 , Glenn Marshall 2 , Alistair Lum 1 2 , Thomas Walwyn 4 , Barbara Donnan 2 , Amanda Carter 5 , Belinda Barton 6 , Emma Prowse 7 , Claire Wakefield 2 8
  1. Behavioural Sciences Unit, Discipline of Paediatrics and Child Health, UNSW, Sydney, NSW, Australia
  2. Kids Cancer Centre, Sydney Children's Hospital, Sydney, NSW, Australia
  3. School of Psychology, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
  4. Tasmanian Paediatric Oncology Service, Royal Hobart Hospital, Hobart, TAS, Australia
  5. Oncology Services, Children's Health Queensland, South Brisbane, QLD, Australia
  6. Children's Hospital Education Research Institute, Children's Hospital at Westmead, Westmead, NSW, Australia
  7. Children’s Cancer and Haematology Service, John Hunter Children’s Hospital, Newcastle, NSW, Australia
  8. Behavioural Sciences Unit, Discipline of Paediatrics and Child Health, UNSW, Sydney, NSW, Australia

Background: Advancements in cancer treatment have resulted in an increase in children surviving cancer. However lengthy treatments may significantly disrupt school attendance, curtail learning prospects, and limit opportunities for young survivors to socialise with peers. Cancer and its treatment can also adversely affect cognitive and physical development, which may negatively impact survivors’ academic achievement and participation in school activities. 

Aims: Ready, Steady, School (RSS) is an individually tailored website for students with cancer, as well as their parents and teachers, that aims to help schools and families facilitate a child’s education from diagnosis to survivorship. The aims of this study were: 1.) to co-design the RSS website content and format; and 2.) pilot-test the RSS website.

Methods: The RSS website content and structure was co-designed with students, parents, teachers, and healthcare professionals (n=14). Parents of survivors of childhood cancer were given access to RSS for 2-weeks and invited to complete pre- and post- questionnaires measuring feasibility, acceptability, and utility of RSS, student self-education advocacy/confidence, and level of unmet school-based information needs. Parents were also offered an optional semi-structured qualitative interview.

Results: Nineteen parents (100% mothers, mean age=40.3 years) of children diagnosed with cancer (mean age at diagnosis=3.5 years, mixed diagnoses), opted-in to the pilot study, with eight completing both pre- and post- questionnaires. All parents (100%) who completed the study reported that the content was ‘easy to understand’, ‘useful’, and were ‘satisfied with the quality of information’. All parents (100%) also agreed that the website improved their knowledge about ‘their child’s education needs’, and ‘strategies to support their child’s education’, and were ‘satisfied with the website overall’.

Conclusions: Children diagnosed with cancer face numerous challenges when returning to school. Preliminary evaluation suggests RSS provides tailored, relevant and reliable information to promote childhood cancer survivors' successful school re-entry and ongoing education engagement.