Nightmare lunch box type ban at school

[lunchme]

DS is 7 and attends a special school.

They have a new pupil coming in and the new list of banned foods are things containing -

Peanuts
Cashews
Sesame
Milk
Wheat
Barley
Almond
Pork

They announced this on our class up this afternoon and no further instruction! But they insist on DS having packed lunch and not school dinners since he likes lunches better because he's seen other kids having crisps etc

My DS has an allergy of sesame and his other classmate was peanuts. The other allergies are all from one child

This isn't to slag off a poor child. I just wish they'd give more notice than a Thursday afternoon

This is an out of date approach. AlkergyUK )and the DfE Guidance) no longer recommend "bans" - see:

www.allergyuk.org/living-with-an-allergy/at-school/

Here is the useful bit:

"No nut policy

Many parents and schools try to implement a ‘ban’ certain foods (such as nuts) from school premises. However, we do not recommend a ‘no nut policy’ in schools, as it is not possible to guarantee and enforce a nut free zone, as staff cannot monitor all lunches and snacks brought in from home. A free from environment creates a false sense of security and does not safely prepare children for environments where nuts may be present. The school would need to consider other children with different food allergies and it is not practical to restrict them all. Therefore, the school should have procedures in place to minimise risk of reaction via cross contamination. "

Send your child in with wheat products. Email the school and request they eat in the school dinner hall so not to effect the allergic child

That’s so scary! It’s hard enough managing a nut allergy let alone wheat and milk :(

But it works both ways that child's needs doesn't trump the child who only eats cheese sandwiches. Children who have restricted food issues due to autism can't just be given something else because of another child's issues. It doesn't work like that. If only it was that simple 🤷‍♀️

Nut bans are likely to be phased out, because there is no proof they "work", create false sense of security, and aren't risk aligned (more kids actually suffer anaphylaxis to dairy than nuts).

I’m with the kids. Hate sushi 🤮

Its literally the only thing I could thing of apart from a bag of crisps.

Oh God, I just read the "I know nuts are dangerous but milk is ridiculous" comments.

Sadly, milk is now the number one cause of food allergy deaths in children. Not nuts.

Please educate yourselves. Nut allergy is NO MORE dangerous than an Anaphylactic allergy to anything else. In fact, it's quite a "nice" one to have as it's easy to avoid and people understand it.

My son had Anaphylaxis from dairy touching his skin.
A little boy in Greenford died in school when cheese was thrown at him.
Last week, a little girl called Emerson died in America when she ate the wrong pizza.
2 weeks ago a young British woman died in South Africa when she used a spoon that had touched milk to stir her tea.

I'd happily "swap" my son's dairy allergy for a peanut one. Do you know how incredibly difficult it is to avoid dairy in a nursery/school setting? Or how bloody ubiquitous dairy is?

Also, PPs stating they couldn't possibly go without dairy as their children need yoghurts, their are hundreds of non dairy alternatives (soya, cashew, coconut, almond etc.).

You would be well placed to talk to the school about this because your child has an allergy too so you are sympathetic. I wonder if they feel they have to ban because of the precedent of banning sesame and peanut.

www.allergyuk.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Model-Policy-for-allergy-at-school-v318.01.pdf.pdf

This is the model allergy plan for schools. Perhaps suggest they have another attempt, using it as a basis.

crisps and dust , job sorted 😂

Muslim is my guess!

Also, PPs stating they couldn't possibly go without dairy as their children need yoghurts, their are hundreds of non dairy alternatives (soya, cashew, coconut, almond etc.).

As has been pointed out, because this is an SN school there are likely to be DC there whose eating is very restricted. You cannot just mess around with these DCs safe foods and assume that's going to be fine.

Also, some of the alternatives you're listing here are actually on the banned list too!

Allergy UK actively advises against introducing a 'no nut' policy (or any other allergen ban) www.allergyuk.org/living-with-an-allergy/at-school/

I would be engaging with the school as to why they are going against advice from the leading allergy charity.

If the child can't be trusted not to snatch other people's food, to be honest I'd have thought that putting the child with a laundry list of allergies in a separate room while they eat would be more practical.

I'd be surprised if pork was an allergy as opposed to a religious dietary requirement, and I'd also be very surprised if wheat and barley (gluten) were airborne allergies.

This is a severe speical school. Like my daughter attends she is autistic and has no friends she isn't interested in others. She doesn't communicate with anyone so being isolated would completely suit her she has no interest in others. Obviously not all children are like this. But I'm sure a lot are. And social interaction is not the main concern when u have a child have severe allergies I would say keeping them alive is.

A friend has son with nut allergies
People eating nuts on a plane several rows away sent him into shock.

That list is ridiculous, and I’m speaking as someone with a food allergy and a parent of a child with multiple food allergies.

At my DS last school, no food was banned. Allergy kids could sit at a special table for lunch, which I assume was closely supervised.

They were only allowed to eat their snack in the classroom, not lunch, and that had to be fruit or veg. (My DS friend had a kiwi allergy so that was banned for snack in his specific room, but I don’t think any parent had an issue with that reasonable request)

The school needs to manage this better because if it is relying on every other parent to keep this child safe by not packing anything on that list, then the child is absolutely not safe!

And obviously it’s completely unfair to put such restrictions on the rest of the children

Crisps it is, then!

OP, your Ds will be very happy 🙂

I can understand the ban on any foods the children have an ige allergy to. Is this child ige or non ige?

If it's a safety risk then maybe the child would be safer eating separately.

DD's allergic to meat. She was not impressed by this, especially as coming into contact with it sensitises her so much that she will react to gluten, wheat, gluten free products, eggs, dairy, most grains and pulses, seed oils, sunflower oil, pollen and a huge number of fruits and vegetables for months afterwards. Plus animals and most household cleaning products. Whilst it was being investigated, she could only eat plain rice and fish and her boyfriend quickly got used to having to shower the moment he entered their practically sterile flat, as she'd react to anything he'd been eating.

A friend has son with nut allergies
People eating nuts on a plane several rows away sent him into shock.

@Everyonehasavoice
I am very aware of that, I've been living with a child with allergy to most basic food like wheat/eggs/milk and more.
That is why I questioned if all the listed food can cause anaphylaxis just being in the same room. Nut allergy is known to be airborne. So most English school has no nut policy. But I wondered if all the listed foods are. My dc is anaphylactic to a fruit. But he doesn't react just because he is in the same room with someone eating it. So I asked if all the allergies are airborne.

Wow your poor dd that must be so tough

It sounds ridiculous. My DS was at a special school for children with physical disabilities and severe medical needs and we just had to avoid nuts - although tbh even that wasn't rigorously applied.

Can people please stop with the islamophobia?

Why are you assuming that something on a "this child is so allergic people don't even bring it in to the school" list is a religious preference and not a (serious) allergy? Give your head a wobble.

Bit tetchy
uncalled for
i was siting an example

As a person allergic to wheat and barley, its not as simple as 'just a reaction!' The reaction knocks me off my feet for days, could sleep for England for at 48 hours and triggers off horrendous eczema on my face and body.