Any advice please ? School won't allow child to carry epipen

[ny20005]

Da diagnosed with life threatening peanut allergy - he's also autistic

The consultant says he has to have 2 epipens on him at all times & pirotin but the school won't allow it. They say all meds mud be kept in the school office & signed for.

Ds doesn't even recognise when the reaction is happening & has a fear of the epipen so it's really important that he has it as soon as it's recognised

Any ideas how I can deal with this 😩

I think it's pretty normal to be kept in the office rather than with the child

Can the consultant write to the school?

Would page 10 of this document help?

www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/645476/Adrenaline_auto_injectors_in_schools.pdf

If he's frightened of the epipen how does he carry on his person? That's a big responsibility for him too, particularly if he's disabled.

How old is he OP? When da was in primary, he didn't carry his own EpiPen. There was one locked in the school office, and one in his classroom. If they ever went out and about a member of staff carried it with them. In secondary he carries his own.

He's 12. I've tried talking to the teacher & she says she can keep the piratin in her desk but epipen needs to be in the office

I don't think either is appropriate.
The epi pen needs to in the same room as him, but no on his body.
I don't know what age he is - or, with the autism, what developmental age he is but it should always be an adult's responsibility for a younger child. Schools will generally have it in a bum bag or a drawstring bag in the classroom, which then gets taken into the hall (assembly / PE time) or outside (PE, visits) or library / computer room / other classroom or wherever he goes. Dinner supervisor takes it at lunchtime, teacher (or TA) is responsible during the school day.

this should all be written on the Care Plan, which is drawn up between you, the school, and a HCP.

How old is he and how big is the school?
If he's 5 and it's in an office in the same building, it may be better there where all adults know where it is rather than relying on a 5 yr old who is having a reaction to remember where it is.

If he's 14 and the school office may be a 5 min round trip across the school that's quite different.

If he can not recognise when he needs it and is scared if it, may it be better being with an adult who is with/near him at all times, who would recognise when it's needed, and be able to use it regardless of how scared your son is?

ok x-posted.
Is he in mainstream, or specialist provision ?

There are strong policies on this , and there have been some excellent past threads on it, try searching for key terms? You should know thknow policy a pp has linked and have written communications with the school on their policy on training and access and that it conforms. ‘Signed for’ sounds too restrictive given the ‘must be within 5 minutes and not locked’ requirements. I can see why they say that but they need a different set of standards for life saving time critical medication, it’s not an antibiotics script.

That's great, thanks

He's in mainstream school but office is 5 min trip & meds have to be signed out by someone in the office

Primary or secondary?

I have the same issue with ds primary school and I also work in a school.

Ds has just gone up dosage size, the GP refused at first to prescribe a pair of epipens to leave at school, because “they should always be on him”

The school refused to allow DS to keep his epipens on him or in the classroom due to the “risk” to others, as they do not have a suitable place to store the pens safely in the classroom, and they didn’t want staff to be running around a classroom trying to find them in an emergency.

They are kept in a labelled box, in a high cupboard in the office. It is a small one form entry school and the office is fairly central. The HT said that this location was agreed acceptable by the school nurse (employed by local education authority) in the document that was posted up thread, it only states that epipens should be on the child WHERE possible or in a place that is quickly and easily accessible, which HT says they are.

For a few weeks, I had to drop the epipens into the office every morning then collect them at home time. Both myself and school were unhappy with this arrangement in case the epipens were ever forgotten.

Then I managed to get another pair from (very reluctant) GP. Although schools are able to purchase spare epi pens, they have to pay for them - around £40 each! And in a primary school it’s likely that they will need 2 different sizes.

They are a completely nut free school, they’ve even banned chocolate due to the risk. So the risk of ds having an allergic reaction at school is minimal, unless I guess he has a delayed reaction to something he’s eaten before school, so DH tells me not to worry about it. However, I’m still not comfortable about the epipens not being in closer proximity to him.

My school has a completely different approach.
All first aid meds (inhalers, epipens etc) are kept in labelled zip wallets. The zip wallets live in a well labelled first aid box, on a top shelf in a cupboard in the child’s classroom. The teacher will grab the zip wallets and take them to PE/assembly etc. At lunch time they are handed to lunch time staff and put in a box that is taken to the hall/playground.

Ds has an appointment this week with his consultant, so I’m planning on bringing up this issue with him. I will let you know how I get on.

Oh I see secondary age! (Sorry for the essay)

Is there a school nurse attached to the school?

He's in his last year of primary school & there's no school nurse

The school ask they kids don't bring nuts in but the few times he's reacted, there wasn't any nuts

I know there's a minimal risk in school but it's the added time for someone else to notice his lips are swelling & then to get to the office & back

Contact the anaphylaxis campaign for expert advice

Definitely contact the Anaphylaxis Campaign. Also please start talking to his secondary school sooner rather than later about how they will handle this next year. Secondary is a big jump for kids in terms of managing their allergies - good primaries should help with the transition (DS was allowed after much pressure from us to be responsible for his own Epipen between lessons but at playtime/PE it still stayed with a teacher) but it sounds like yours isn't being helpful and with your DS additional needs you are going to need some support on this.

The epipen should absolutely not be in a locked office. It should be with your DS at all times. You really need to kick up a fuss about this.