Photograph of brain wave patterns on an EEG of a pediatric patient

Seizure types & triggers

Guide for schools

School staff should be aware of the different epilepsy seizure types and triggers, so they can identify them, make adjustments and plan accordingly.

Seizure types

With epilepsy, there are two main types of seizure:

Generalised onset seizures, which occur when the whole brain is affected by abnormal electrical activity. The young person becomes unconscious, though sometimes only briefly.

Find out more about generalised onset seizures

Focal onset seizures, which occur when one area of the brain is affected by abnormal electrical activity. The symptoms and level of consciousness depend on the area of the brain involved.

Find out more about focal onset seizures

Seizures can be difficult to spot, with absence seizures – a type of generalised onset seizure – often mistaken for daydreaming, and focal onset seizures taken for difficult or unusual behaviour. Other seizures may be put down to clumsiness or falls.

Where appropriate, staff should be trained to know exactly what to do if a young person has a seizure.

Check out:

Managing seizures

Help manage seizures in children and young people with useful templates and infographics for accurate seizure record-keeping.

Find out more

Brain scans a screen in a hospital setting

Epileptic seizures

Understand epileptic seizures, with information and resources on seizure types, triggers, causes, and management.

More information

Seizure triggers

Commonly reported seizure triggers include:

Overtiredness
Dehydration
Fluctuating blood glucose levels
Illness or fever
Stress and anxiety
Overexcitement
Changes in medication or missed doses
Hormonal changes during puberty for both boys and girls, including menstruation
Photosensitivity (flashing or flickering lights), which affects about 3% of young people with epilepsy
Alcohol or recreational drugs

You should take these possible seizure triggers into account when planning activities.

If a young person with epilepsy is more likely to have seizures when they’re tired, you could arrange for them to start school later on some days, particularly if they’ve had seizures overnight.

Regular sleep patterns are important, so bear this in mind when planning residential trips.

Encouraging young people to live as normal life as possible, eat healthy snacks during break times will keep blood sugar levels balanced. Also, as stress is a significant trigger for seizures, teaching stress management and relaxation skills could be beneficial.

A woman sits on a sofa looking out of the window in a thoughtful, sombre pose.

Seizure triggers

Find information on common seizure triggers in children and young people.

Learn more

Risk assessment and safety precautions

It’s important to risk-assess activities, put in place safety precautions and make reasonable adjustments to ensure all children and young people in schools have full access to the curriculum.

Find out more about supporting pupils with medical conditions

Find out about UK education laws and guidance relating to medical conditions