AIBU to expect teacher to modify recipies for allergic child?

[alison222]

I have been dealing with this recipe by recipe as they come along.
I sent an e-mail to the teacher asking if they were cooking this week givne they have not had their preparation lesson where they are given the recipe this week due to inset day and asking for an alternative to pancakes for DS who is anaphalactic to eggs.
I get a reply back " yes they are cooking pancakes. Recipe on website" - EGGS in it.
So what would you do in my position?

I have left a message telling him that as an alternative DS will make staffordshire oatcakes, but since they take several hours sitting with the yeast in them, he will make the mix at home and cook them in the 40 min lesson at school.

AIBU to think that it is not my job as a parent to find safe alternatives if he is the teacher and chooses the recipies?

Or you could end up with a teacher like me who believes it's a lot easier to teach children who are not swelling up and turning blue because I couldn't be arsed to put a bit of research into my subject.
Plus how can they evaluate what they've made if they are in ICU? That would screw up your final assessments.

Or you could end up with a teacher like me who believes it's a lot easier to teach children who are not swelling up and turning blue because I couldn't be arsed to put a bit of research into my subject.

Woffling I hope my DS ends up with a teacher like you

seriously tho, surely this could be used by the teacher in a positive way, ie get the children to research an egg free pancake alternative for homework? and then they can make that.

ditto if you are cooking with meat/fish they can come up with a vegetarian alternative, its good for the kids themselves to be able to think a bit and not just blindly follow a recipe.

as i said my ds1 is given a recipe booklet but they are encouraged to think of alternatives etc.

my ds1's recipe book from school is called 'licence to cook' anyway loads of recipes in it, but it states these are basic recipies, use them as a guide, swap and change ingredients, ie make it vegetarian, or to cater for allergies etc.

there are recipies for macaroni cheese. fajitas, cheesey triangles? burgers, lamb pittas, marble tray fruit bake, various soups, bread passed pizza, biscuits, risotto, bolognase, sweet and sour, chilli, toad in the hole etc and also idea to make meals more healthy or with ingredients changed for allergies. there are also some websites they can look on for ideas etc, one of which is a website catering for food allergies.

I get epipen training every year, a terrifying DVD and my school has the photos and details of the children with severe allergies in several places.
If a child in my care suffered harm I could have prevented with a little pre-emptive thought, how could I justify events to anyone, including myself?

My dd2 is severely allergic to eggs and nuts too OP and she used to react to banana so now wont eat them this is our pancake recipe:

1 cup flour
1 cup milk

The End...
It keeps her happy and tastes fine. She is only 4 though..

She is not going to ophelias school

Again, I'm bemused. DD1 goes to Special School. Her school is a nut free, kiwi free, zone, because there are children/staff with those allergies. Every term, a letter goes out reminding parents that they should not send anything with those ingredients sent into school.

How is it possible that a school can do cooking using a known allergen in the same class as the OP's DS?

Yanbu

Pancakes are horrible anyway whereas oatcakes are yummy especially with bacon & tomatoes.

WofflingOn. If I could guarantee all teachers were like you, I wouldn't be so worried. Unfortunately I have had far more experience if teachers like Ophelia, who seemingly CBA to prevent little things like, oh, DEATH, to be blasé about it.

I have DD's PE teacher who refuses to accept that her cardiac issues leave her at risk of cardiac arrest if she isn't allowed to stop and rest when she feels she needs to, despite letters from her cardiologist.

I have a DS on a GF diet due to coeliac, that the school are incapable of preventing cross contamination for. Because cripplingly agonising stomach pains and rectal bleeding aren't actually immediately life threatening.

If all teachers were like WofflingOn, I'd rest easy. Unfortunately IME, far more are like Ophelia.

I'm fairly sure everyone would agree that it had something to do with you if a child in your care died orphelia.

This kind of attitude makes me very anxious about sending DS to school.

Guess what all, i have just had an e-mail from DS's teacher with an alternative recipe in response to my second e-mail. He obviously has not heard my message re the oatcakes, but hey. He replied - if a little late. I am dubious about the recipe though as I have had glue in my frying pan with a similar one.
But at least he has taken the time to e-mail me at 8.30 in the evening!

alison that's great news

Maybe he or somebody he knows has been on mumsnet this evening

This is mad! Whoever said your son needs to take responsibilty for his allergy is also mad!
I'm a languages teacher, and all my lessons are differentiated so that all children can make progress and succeed, regardless of any SEN etc. So if I were a food tech teacher I would ensure my lessons were built around the pupils. Bloody hell, why should your poor son be exposed to anything he's allergic to?!

I wonder if the Food Tech teacher has attempted this recipe?

I would be concerned that he could mark your DS down if they don't turn out well. Which would be unfair on your DS.

My DD's Catering teacher, on the other hand, has no problem about letting DD adapt the recipes so that they are free of all DS3's allergens, so that when she brings it home, we can all eat it!

There's only a few that she (and I more to the point) have been unable to come up with an alternative, and that is for anything with cheese in, as DS3 is allergic to soy (and nuts) as well as dairy, and all the cheese replacements are soy based.

But 99% of the time, her Catering teacher lets her adapt the recipe to be free from.

DD got extra marks on her last piece, because she adapted the recipe to be dairy, nut, soy, GF, and the teacher couldn't taste the difference!

My ds is allergic to egg whites and his classmate to eggs fully. Whenever there is a recipe with eggs, they go to the food lab first and make their stuff before the rest of the class as his classmate swells even being in the same room. They've often made an alternative when eggs can't be substituted.

Coming in a little late but just to say as a primary teacher I see it as my job to safeguard children, including avoiding things they are allergic to. Cooking in primary has meant I have taken ingredients in usually paid for by me because I am a mug! and I have had to avoid recipes or take in substitutions after checking with parents. I know primary is different but I do think it is the teacher's responsibility to acknowledge your son's allergy and provide you and him with a different recipe. I imagine they do the same recipes each year so no extra work after year 1. Good luck to your DS today with his cooking.

Well, DS made the Staffordshire oatcakes and ate them all except one with the lemon and sugar he took. A good early lunch!!!
I asked if the teacher said anything. DS said he ignored him, but the Assistant is lovely and was interested.

I don't think you've posted the recipe for your staffordshire oatcakes...they sound good. My DH has to seriously restrict sodium so if they're raised with yeast rather than baking powder I'd really like to try them.

the recipe is here

I got the school to take DS1's allergy (it's a pollen allergy, so they assumed I was being precious about hayfever) seriously by sending in a photo of his elephant-man wee self mid-reaction :(

Life threatening allergies are not a joke, but so many idiots are insisting that their child's possible mild intolerance is an allergy that those of us with serious issues are being ignored.

When I was teaching, I had a dairy/ wheat/ soy/ egg allergic child, we made pancakes with rice flour, rice milk and oil, they were yum! Nothing like proper pancakes, but they were tasty.

The teacher will want the OPs son to make pancakes because he will want to assess the skills that he is using, mixing ingredients at home will not allow the teacher to do so.

In the past I have had classes with pupils who have food allegies they will make the same thing as the other pupils i.e cakes, pancakes, stir fry etc. the ingredients are interchangable and you can use what you like.

I prefer the pupils to make the changes to the recipies themselves as it teaches them not only to be responsible for their allegies but also the range of ingredients that they can put in a product. nb if a parent has problems sourcing recipies I will help them.

H&S is much more of an issue but I have provide full kits of equipment from my store room and away from the main stores of equipment.

More of an issue with some parents is that pupils with allergies work in a separate area (normally my area) to those using the foods that they are allergic to. (which has caused issues with parents complaining that I have "punished" their child due to allergies).

Agree with all the poster who recommend vegan recipes. I make the fluffiest nicest pancakes without eggs. this website has some good recipes

OP I have loads of cookery books and eggs free recipes (even a recipe for vegan choux pastry) I'd be happy to scan them / copy out anything you may need.

It a huge risk to cook in the same kitchen as 30 other people cooking with an ingredient that could kill you, one stirring spoon in the wrong bowl and it could be fatal.

I would provide the cooking lessons at home.

Yanbu.
My ds is in y7 and has had about 7 Food Tech lessons and only one had egg (fairy cakes). I don't think that there is a curriculum as such based on the fact that the stuff he had made is more like primary school- flapjacks, sandwiches and pizza.