Moving to UK in Sept with a child with allergies/need advice

[christie1]

We are moving back to UK in sept. and dd will be going to school in London. Does anyone know if the schools in london have policies on peanuts and nuts? It's probably the same as here (canada)but can anyone share their experiences with UK schools and allergies (doesn't ahve to be just london schools). Thanks.

[williamsmummy]

hello,
I think I can help a little.
I would suggest that you get a copy of the 'medicines in schools' book from the DEFS website. This states ( along with other rules etc) that the school has a duty of care , ( with parents) and has to provide each child with a protocal to support them in school.
You will ( should be ) asked to provide medical evidance from your doctor , a medical 'treatment plan' from your allergy doc will be ok, your GP can also provide this.

You can also contact the school community nurses, who train all state teachers in the area. Ask them when and how many staff at the school were epi pen trained.

Its also worth contacting the nurses , and asking if they could possibly attended a meeting with the head teacher to go over the protocal planning, before your child starts school.
A medical professional does have a good impact on the teachers attitude to the severity and management of the allergy.

Teachers and other school staff volunter for epi pen training, which IMO is good, I have never had problems with my son in this area.


The UK does not have anaphylaxis as a disabilty,( like the USA 504) and it is very difficult to get a school aide, for one child for allergy reasons.
Allergy simply comes under 'duty of care' once a child has been accepted into the school.

Some schools promote a banning of whole nuts, but this is not widespread, and is not at times helpful when dealing with multiple allergies.

Schools here do not organise a whole nut free zone thingy, and personally any teacher that tells me this is not really understanding of the whole concept of true nut avoidance.

Lots of school catering companies avoid any from of nuts /traces. ( certainly my local school catering company does) so school meals may not be out of the question if the allergy is simply nuts.
But catering for other common food allergies, can be tricky. And a packed lunch is an easier option.

For better support go on to the anaphylaxis campaign website and go on to' allergy in schools', this is a basic site provides info for parents , students , teachers on allergy from pre-school up.


please feel free to e-mail any more questions, and I hope what I have posted helps.
[email protected]

good luck with the move !
sarah

[LIZS]

We're in Surrey and the school has a nut-free policy. One child in dd's class is allergic to nuts and egg amomngst other things and his family supply a tuck box of treats so that when there is a birthday celebration in class he can have a suitable alternative. The staff are also made aware of any children with such allergies and can react quickly if needs be. Speak to the potential schools direct and ask about their policy and training

[christie1]

thank you both. most helpful and I will check out the resources. It seems a little better than canada in many ways, stricter so that eases my mind.

[Earlybird]

DD's school has banned anyone bringing nuts to school in packed lunches. Can't even bring a peanut butter sandwich. Also, on cake day, everyone is asked to bring nut-free items. We bin everything that we suspect might have nuts in (actually it's not binned, but sent to the teacher's lounge for staff snacks).