His sna just informed me this morning that she can't go along as they won't be getting back till 8 p.m. and she had something on that night.

She has gone with him on every other school tour including one last year when they didn't get back till 9ish.

He is 9. He has anaphylaxis to dairy, nuts, peanuts, eggs. He is contact sensitive (meaning merely touching these things could send him into anaphylaxis).

The rest of the class is 10/11. There will be 2 classes of about 30 kids each and only 2 teachers. They are going to a university where they will then be split into groups and taken away for activities. There is no way the teacher can keep a constant or even watchful eye over him in these circumstances. The sna said the teacher was fine with it (teacher out today). This teacher I like but I honestly don't think he "gets" it. I can visualize ds1 telling him he doesn't feel well and the teacher telling him to go sit down and the next thing is ds1 is dead. This is not insane btw for anyone unfamiliar with anaphylaxis. I know a child who died a couple of years ago just like that.

They don't let parents go on school tours. ds1 will be upset I'm rather sure.

DS1 is also not very reliable. He is "away with the fairies" alot and I don't believe he is responsible enough at this point in time to do what he would need to do if he had an attack.

anyone?

i know no parents are allowed but i think they would make an exception in this case kerry-go in and have a chat

FWIW I wouldn't let him go either unless there was anyway the school would bend the rules and let you go.

It's just not worth the risk or the worry you would be feeling

also what in hell are they doing taking 60 kids out with only 2 teachhers? that is illegal

she said the principal and teacher think it will be fine. I'm not convinced.

I don't even have to go on bus, just follow up in car and stay out of the way.

Is it illegal janitor?

Wow, that's a lot of kids with not so many grown-ups isn't it?

I'd have thought they would absolutely let you go. Surely they'd rather you did?

it is in uk-they have to have certain ratios of adults to kids. parents always get roped in to help. ds1 is going swimming today with school-30 kids in class. two teachers , a ta and 2 parents to walk them there.

An exbf was anaphalyxic to peanuts, so I think your fears are not ungrounded, if you feel that your ds's teacher doesn't appreciate how serious your son's condition is.
I know it'll be a disappointment for him not to go but unless you can be sure he is 100% guaranteed to be properly supervised, I think you would be wise not to let him go, unless you can go on with you. I agree with the others, 2 teachers for 60 kids just doesn't seem to be enough!

with them I mean!

Raise hell. of course if the SNA cant go then you have to be allowed to. throw words around like inclusion and discrimination. that will scare them. Either that or they GUARANTEE your dcs teacher is with them at all times. (BTW I used to be an SNA and unless it is something v important I would never have not gone. esp if contracted for that school day)

i don't think she should raise hell-i think you achieve more with honey than vinegar

Ireland again. Here for that age group they need to have a ratio of one adult to eight children, but most school will do 1:6 on a trip like that. Can someone look after your DS2 for you if you go along? I would tell them they are discriminating against your child if they can't provide the necessary support for him to join in with this trip. It doesn't surprise me though - my cousin's child (in Ireland) hurt her leg in the school playground last term and was on crutches for several weeks - the school wouldn't let her go back until she was off them. I was because a UK school wouldn't get away with that.

Kerry.

Instead of reacting on here, go in and talk to school.
It is important that your DS isn't excluded from school activities because of his health problem. If they can't supply a sna for that day then it is reasonable for you to ask to be allowed to accompany him. Otherwise, maybe school could employ a supply assistant for that day?

Talk to school. Ask about how they think your ds would feel about being excluded? And if they say "we think he'll be fine", then point out that he usually has an sna (assuming he does), and you feel that he would need that assistance on this day too.

Be reasonable, be calm, but be firm.

Kerry, I like clumsymum's post.I have been both sna and a teacher ,If you don't think its safe for him to go, as a mum, I wouldn't send my child.

Saying that I do think the school should be making more of an effort to allow him to join in..

I have a friend who has a son with diabetes. He is often excluded from activities because school (and others )say they cannot guarantee his safety (in England)

principal and teacher both out today.

rosa if that 1:6 is correct then they will have nowhere NEAR the correct adults.

petit - she was non-forthcoming about what it is that's so important. I'm very about it. It's not my business to ask her but still. She's been with ds1 since he started school.

rosa do I have a leg to stand on re: discrimination if they won't let me go?

I will have to ask xdh to come down and mind ds2.

does anyone know who I can call to verify how many adults must be accompanying?

Sorry, KM, by here I meant UK where I live now. I don't know what the guidelines for Ireland are. I am afraid I am constantly amazed by what relatives and friends in Ireland tell me about how school operate there.

just made some phone calls to DOE. Have been told to talk to principal and if I get no where to write to Board of Management.

sna section told me that he should not be let go without supervising adult (i.e. sna or myself)

She ALSO said that sna's are contracted for the day and WHY can't sna attend?

Under social inclusion policy, the school MUST bend. I would just mention the word "inclusion" a few times - the government is big on promoting that atm.

BTW I think it is CRAZY that they are allowing so few adults, particularly with your ds's circs.

mad.

School should bend under inclusion. Sadly from my recent experience of my own child with diabetes I know that it's not necessarily the case (and I have a masters in SEN & inclusion!!).

My child's school have been amazing, but they've done so much voluntarily with no support from County/national levels.

My son is on a school residential tomorrow, his first. No way was he missing the overnight stay that his friends are participating. Thanks to the support of the staff, who agreed voluntarily to get injection training, he can go. I am going out on both days to do his main 'measured' injections as I feel that the staff have already done over and above and I want them to feel confident in his safety. If he needs more, they will phone me and I will advise - or be there like a shot. (It helps that this year's visit is only 20 mins drive away, next years ... oy vay, we'll deal with that when we get there!).

his sna may be contracted over certain hours for that day. They really should let you go, what is their reasoning for not letting you?

There are, at present, a few legal test cases going through about children in our situation, who have medical needs but who are at risk of exclusion solely due to those needs. We'll watch and wait (and agitate!!).

Honey is better than vinegar though.

Kerrymum, your ds will presumably be going to Secondary school next year or the year after. how is he going to manage if he doesn't start to take some responsibility for his health now? Or is that too harsh? Sorry if it is - but the leap between primary and secondary is HUGE - and I do think you need to start preparing for it now.

at my cousins school they wont let her ds1 go any school trips unless she goes with him, he is diabetic.
also at my sons schools the parents are always going on school trips to help out. my ds1 used to love it if i went with them, i dont so much any more as we now have ds2 and i work. but dont see what the fuss is about and you should be able to go. surley they have a health and safety / risk assessment made on your ds?

He's got two more years of primary after this one. He does take some responsibility for his own health but not enough for me to be comfortable in untried circumstances and new environment 1.5 hours away. School is a closed environment and even at secondary school teachers or nurse will be trained on how to administer his medications.

I talked to secretary to make appointment and she said what happens is that the kids are divided into groups and then go off with trainers\supervisors for the day. It's an activity day at a university or somesuch. Therefore the teacher wouldn't have anything to do and could stay with ds1's group. Teacher knows how to give injection and I can review. I'd still rather accompany and hopefully will be allowed to as what happens if teacher is called to something else for another child? You can't predict what can happen.

My worry is that principal will say it's sufficient for teacher to be with his group but I don't agree. Teacher can be called away. He is also rather lax about things at times but I can't say that.

I'm sure the ratio in England is 1:6 - and school trips can't take place unless they have that ratio. Is ther a similar law in Ireland - or has someone else said this and I've missed it?

Our primary is usually GASPING for parents to go on school trips!

okay.

Talked to head this morning. this is the story. They are taken to activity center where class is split into smaller groups who then go on with instructors to do activities. Principal is hiring someone to watch out for rest of class and ds1's teacher is going to stay with his group with his medications at all times.

What do you think?

DD1 - the one who has been there before - says the teachers have no role once there, it is the centre staff who you listen to and obey. She has done that centre, and three in Kinsale area. And you are with the centre staff in all of them. So the teacher's role would be to 'be there' and know what to do - that is your judgement I suppose! Can you ring UL and ask about backup there, they will have qualified first aiders. My dd2 was at school on crutches, there is always somebody at school on crutches it seems - I have never heard of not going to school on crutches, maybe we are different in Cork? It is different from England, it is Ireland!

stleger - PLEASE tell me more about setup. What exactly do they do with them? Are they UL students doing this or adults?

thanks!

Stleger - the crutches thing was at a Gaelscoil so maybe different rules, or just an awkward head?

Bloody stupid head. Dd will be pumped for info. She was there 3 years ago.

OK, her recollection is the actual people in the water with them were students - but they would be students of PE and the like as that is where PE is studied. But there were sopervising staff there at the same time. She feels that the outdoor centres she has been at where the people in the water are qualified are better, but UL was fine for a day out. I think ds did a climbing wall there - he is less watersporty. I know it is hard to 'let go', and I know your ds has the added severe allergy issues. Does he have a medical kit, does the teacher understand the actions he would need to take and how vital it is?

thanks stleger. teacher would have all meds with him and know how to administer. my only fear is that teacher may think it's okay to leave him with supervisor for a couple of minutes and then THAT'S when something happens. I just need to decide if I trust teacher enough. I trust sna but I don't know....

do they have a choice of activities?

DD1 is at school so can't ask at the minute. (I could text her, but she has a religion exam, one topic is 'how do you envisage God?). I think the usual system at these places is they split into groups and rotate through the activities. I think they did canoe/kayak thing, climbing wall indoors (that may have been weather related, dd2 is abseiling today) and I am sure ds did water polo in Limerick. Would there be problems with skin contact on whatever climbing walls are made of or anything?

I'm not sure if I'm missing something here...
if he is allergic to dairy eggs and nuts... is it only lunch time your worried about that he will come in contact with these things...

KM, when our boys go on school trips, they are always looking for parents to volunteer so surely it would be OK for you to go in the sna's place?
Weird about the crutches thing Rosa! There are always kids on crutches in our school and I don't think Gaelscoils are subject to different rules except that a lot of them are in horrible temporary buildings so maybe not as safe as a purpose-built school?

he is contact sensitive mumrum so say someone was eating peanuts and then touched him he could go into shock.

Or he sat down on something or touched it.

We're also still unsure about bee stings.

9Congratulations Chipmonkey!) Have they told you that you can't go? Is there a parent'ss rep on the Board of Management who can intervene to get you 'permission'?

My DS is also allergic to dairy eggs and peanuts... he has an epi pen.

Do the school not have a peanut free policy?

What do you think your son would need to do in the case of a reaction? are you expecting him to administer the epi pen himself? I'm sure he could tell the staff convincingly that he was feeling ill in the event of him coming into contact with something.... No?

mum. he has epis. sna usually always has and knows how to administer as does teacher. ds1 does not self-adminsiter. Class has peanut-free policy though not stringently enforced

The teacher will have all his meds with him at the event. I need to speak to teacher to enforce how important this is.

DS1 is off in the clouds a lot of times. Lately I saw him scratching his fingers and looked to see bad eczema outbreak which he made absolutely no mention of to me.