Residential School Trips. Help.

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DD is going for a week in June with school. She is on a wheat/gluten free diet (not coeliac but unpleasently intolerant). Don't want to be a mental paranoid mother but really need to make sure they don't feed her the wrong things while making sure she will eat something during the week. She only eats GF crackers/bread and biscuits and chicken.
Do i suggest to school i send her with a bag full of her own biscuits or make her go cold turkey and hope she might eat something else? Have asked the teacher in charge in passing about this. he was a bit vague so will have to ask again but don't want to nag.
She is also a highly strung PITA and phobic about all sorts of nonsense including spiders, swimming pools and vegetables.
It will be good for her to branch out and go on this trip but...... but...... but......
How do you cope with this?

How old is she?

I taught on a summer school and we had many kids who required particular diets/special circumstances. We appreciate as much information as possible - written down so can be referred to and easy ways of getting in touch.

I met loads of kids that sound similar to your dd and foudn that they did branch out and really enjoy themsleves!

Getting her to take stuff sounds like a good idea - she can always eat other ok foods too. What are they doing? Are they nearish by?

my sympathy - my DD is coeliac and i dread the day she has to go away.

she is Y4 and will go in Y5 and Y6....but I have been dreading the day since she was diagnosed in reception

BIL is a headmaster and has tried to reassure me that these places are well clued up dealing with allergies etc, but i would try to ring/write to the catering manager wherever they are going to make fully sure they understand requirements.

do not leave it to teachers who may not fully understand the seriousness of the matter

I agree call catering pepole but don't under estimate how much teachers will take it seriously.

mumble - don't worry I was not slagging off teachers, I am one! Just meant sometimes some teachers take an "intolerance" less seriously than they do someone they know is diabetic or anaphalactic etc. And there is no point them making vague reassurances while still in school that all will be well, if they have not bothered to notify the catering bods and find out what THEY want the child to provide for themselves (some places will ask for child to provide own GF bread/cereal/pasta for example, others are able to provide it)

when it is my DDs turn I will def ring/write myself to eliminate the possibility of crossed wires!

she is 10. yr 6. trip is to cornwall so not close by but closer than china or mars.
DD1 did the same trip a couple of years ago and had a ball but DD2 is so very different i can't help but worry.
i have had to fill in a medical form and I know they wil deal with this stuff all the time. she is also fairly sensible when she wants to be so i'm sure it will be fine but I still worry.

I can relate to your dilemma. My dd is going to Wales with the school for 5 days in March. Slight difference is that she has asthma, environmental allergies and is anaphylactic to horses. The lead teacher has been very good and visited the centre and took photo's to show me the site to put my mind at rest. The best thing I think is to educate our children to take notice of how they are feeling, appreciate the effects things have on their health and to make their own choices for the good of their health. I am guilty of protecting my dd over the years of the serious nature of her reactions. She is 11yrs old now I know I need to prepare her for independent life. It's very difficult to let go and hand over responsibility.

when we had the first school trip (nut allergy) I rang the centre they were staying at. The chef had been informed but rang me back as he was pleased to be able to chat about choices.

Some teachers I would trust to deal with this well but one who a bit vague perhaps not.

Can you supply her with some digestive enzymes to give both of you an extra bit of reassurance?

My son is also intolerant to wheat and gluten so I sympathise. He has been on two residential trips since diagnosis. One week in Spain- I discussed it with the group leader who rang the hotel to see what could be done. The hotel said he would need to provide his own breakfast food and that most of the packed lunch would be unsuitable but that dinner would be fine as it was a help yourself buffet. His teachers were great about it, and I sent a large box of food with him that the staff shared out to save using up all his baggage allowance. They also printed out a card for him, that explained his dietary needs in Spanish so that he could manage buying stuff when he was out and about without a teacher.
The second trip was an outwards bounds centre in the UK and they were clueless. School didn't seem to be getting too clear an answer from them so I rang directly and spoke to the chef who assured me they were fine and that all they needed was for me to send some sort of bread substitute.I even offered to send a couple of home made meals that could just be re-heated, but was told it wasn't necessary. For some reason I wasn't convinced and sent half my son's case filled with dry things he could eat like biscuits, crackers fruit, cereals and chocolate. It was just as well I did. Breakfasts were only cereal or toast, lunch was sandwiches cake etc or soups he couldn't have. All he was given for lunch was a baked potatoe, and baked beans which were a brand he couldn't eat.Dinner one night was a pizza!! If he hadn't had his own supply of food he would have been starving. How they expected him to do outwards bounds in February on so little food astounded me !!

make it clear to school how it is for your child if she eats wheat/gluten - coeliac is easier in some ways cos it has a name and they know it's bad if they have wheat/gluten, but no teacher would give gluten if it was going to be unpleasant or painful. Also, be clear about what she can or can't eat. Schools can err on the side of over cautious rather than under - the first two times I took children with nut allergies their only complaint was that pudding was very boring because I was trying so hard to make sure the food was safe that I forgot it had to be interesting too! Sounds trivial but if your diet is restricted anyway I really get why that was a pain. Also, make it clear to the school if you are happy for your child to make the decision on what she can or can't eat - our allegic children had been dealing with it for far longer than us and were very responsible eleven year olds. The centre she is going to should be happy to help - and I was not offended (but tough luck to me if I had been - your job to look after your child not the teacher!)when the parents concerned rang as well as us talking to the centre and the parents - it's your child, you need to feel safe that your child is going to have a good time. But by all means suggest taking her own gluten free biscuits - the centre might offer them but not ones she likes and whilst I would take a "get on with it it's part of going away" approach to most things, she's restricted already. Might help the staff too - it is a bit nerve wracking dealing with allergies and intolerances because at the end of the day you feel like stand in parents for the week and want to look after the children and make them as happy as you can - but more importantly deliver them back healthy and happy! Sorry - long post!

DS1 (coeliac) has been on two residential trips with school and is about to do his third in year 6 to Northumberland. In the past I have found out in detail what is on the menu and last year spoke to the chef of the hotel they were staying in and provided gluten-free alternatives or in the case of main meals, suggested alternative meals they could give him that he would eat. My son probably ate better than some of the others on the grounds that the food he was provided with I knew he'd like!

This year school prepare most of the meals themselves so I've liased with them over gluten free brands etc. I'm providing bread and will send some snacks etc and am confident he will eat well and safely.

He's due to go skiing with school next month though in France - not so confident about that one... discussions still to be held!