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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

School rules and nuts

371 replies

Bagsalot · 25/10/2018 21:16

My daughter is 11 yesterday was her birthday. She took an asda tray bake to school with her. She wasn't allowed to share it as apparently some where on the box it says may contain nuts. This has never been an issue before. Today an email came out stating no nuts or seeds allowed in school including lunchboxes. My daughter's in year 6 has been at the school since nursery age 2, this has never been mentioned. I've asked to see the risk assessment. I feel it's an unreasonable policy but possibly I'm being unreasonable

OP posts:
Aintnothingbutaheartache · 26/10/2018 02:20

Do you read the news?!
‘May contain nuts’ is a potential death sentence!

Aintnothingbutaheartache · 26/10/2018 02:23

My experience of my dc at school has always been
Any nut or potential nut that comes within 3miles of school premises will be shot on sight.
YOU DO NOT ALLOW NUTS NEAR A PRIMARY SCHOOL!!!!

safariboot · 26/10/2018 02:28

OP I'm going to buck the trend and say YANBU. You state the traybake "may contain nuts", which is something just about everything says, besides specialist allergy-free ten times the price of regular food.

It may be reasonable to disallow foods with nuts as a listed ingredient, but it seems like it's going too far to try and ban everything that has the slightest chance of containing the tiniest bit of nut. Unless the school just wants to ban food altogether - better ban the school dinners too.

Aintnothingbutaheartache · 26/10/2018 02:30

No no no no safari you cannot allow any trace of nuts in a school!

GeoffreysCat · 26/10/2018 02:46

I think my son's school has the balance right. If there is a child in the class with a nut allergy then that classroom becomes a nut free classroom and a big sign is put on the door. This means that none of the children in that class can bring in any nut products for lunch or snack. So this year he is in a nut free classroom but last year he had no allergic children in his class so had no restriction on what he could bring into school. All the nut allergic children eat their lunch together in a nut free classroom to avoid them coming into contact with other children's food in the canteen.

Thisreallyisafarce · 26/10/2018 06:12

And if you see it and still can't see why the policy has changed? Are you going to argue the toss about it? Things change in schools. Get a grip.

Fantastiqueangel · 26/10/2018 06:36

My friend has a daughter with dairy and sesame anaphylaxis. School needs to be as safe a place as possible. She's just four. She can't read signs, or manage her EpiPen. She is already restricted outside of school. No soft play, very little eating out for example. One crumb triggers a life threatening reaction. It is a constant worry to my friend while out, and is now a constant worry to her teachers, who have 25 other children to watch. School is only 5 meals a week, so a ban on a product is not really restricting for the pupils. The allergic children are restricted constantly, they don't need additional isolation in school.

bruffin · 26/10/2018 06:41

also have a brother with a severe nut allergy and he only has to smell peanuts to go in to anaphylaxis.
That is not medically possible

Lovelydovey · 26/10/2018 06:55

No nuts is not unreasonable. Banning may contain nuts products is bonkers as nearly nothing will be allowed in. And I say that as the mother of a child with a nut allergy and epi pens. To be honest we swap out anything he brings home from school (and gave the teacher a supply of haribo to do so in class) as for him it isn’t worth the risk and effort to understand whether others have followed the rules.

WhoWants2Know · 26/10/2018 06:58

I'm not sure I'd be very impressed with the school. OP says that a ban on nuts has never been mentioned previously. If there is a child with a nut allergy in the school, I'd expect information to have been sent home and also be posted prominently at entrances. (This is the case in all primary and secondary schools I have worked in with a nut ban in place).

If the school doesn't post information about a ban, but then won't allow a student to share something that "may contain" nuts, it's introducing safeguards at the wrong time, when the product is already in the school.

Thisreallyisafarce · 26/10/2018 07:00

WhoWants2Know

It doesn't have to be either. It. Yes be a simple case of the school reviewing a policy and deciding, overall, they would rather ban nuts than not ban nuts and risk a severe reaction. This isn't that complicated.

Why are people so anal about why schools do certain things? This is a small deal, in the grand scheme of things.

WhoWants2Know · 26/10/2018 07:11

It's actually kind of a big deal if there is a student with a nut allergy. If there IS a nut ban, then it should have been made very clear to all parents. OP says it wasn't. Sending an email after the fact isn't good enough.

Clutterbugsmum · 26/10/2018 07:12

I wondered what had changed after 8 years. But obviously unreasonable to ask.. What changed n 8 years, well obviously either a new child or a reception child has a severe allergy to nuts.

As your 11 understands the danger perhaps she could explain it to you who as an adult I would expect you to understand and not go into to school demanding to see 'risk assessments for another child.

Here is a simple risk assessment for you.

Child X arrives at a new school
Child X has a LIFE threatening allergy to nuts
School sends out letter to ask parent to avoid nut products.
Child X doesn't DIE.

Is that clear enough of a risk assessment for you.

My ds had a child in his class who had a life threatening allergy to nuts, we had a letter asking us not to put nut products at school and also if they had nut products for breakfast to make sure teeth, face and hands were cleaned before school.

It's common sense, not something to make an issue of demanding to risk assessments.

Clutterbugsmum · 26/10/2018 07:14

By saying had, the child change school she didn't have reaction to nuts.

Thisreallyisafarce · 26/10/2018 07:14

WhoWants2Know

Actually, yes, that's fair enough. I suspect there isn't a student with a nut allergy and this is precautionary.

I still think people have way too much time on their hands and other issues if they think harassing a school "to see the risk assessment because they can" is normal behaviour.

JustDanceAddict · 26/10/2018 07:17

Most schools have a ban on nuts, but ‘may contain nuts’ does not mean it has nuts in it, just covers the backside of the manufacturer as it may have been produced in a factory containing nuts.
When my kids were in primary, sweets it fun size choc were taken in for bdays. Occasionally kids bought in cup cakes but nothing that had to be cut.

Looneytune253 · 26/10/2018 07:18

I think a nut ban is sensible in schools. Especially if there is a child with an allergy. I don’t necessarily think we need to ban everything that says ‘may contain nuts’ though. Perhaps it’s one of your dds direct class mates that has this allergy? If so I can see why they did it. If it’s not then it’s a bit ott but u may never know to be fair

Thisreallyisafarce · 26/10/2018 07:19

This isn't necessarily a ban on "may contain its", so much as a ban on bringing things in to share that may contain nuts.

Pops78 · 26/10/2018 07:24

I was under the impression all schools were nut free these days. Ours certainly is, its so serious just not worth the danger to those allergic! Sorry your daughter missed out though x

SnuggyBuggy · 26/10/2018 07:25

The lack of communication for the nut ban is a bit daft

echt · 26/10/2018 07:34

The consensus in Australian schools is no to nut bans as they are a) impossible to police b) induce a sense of complacency c) isolate the vulnerable.

Instead the education is to not share food; never force food on a person who has an intolerance/ allergy; go straight to a teacher if another students is in difficulties; wash hands before and after eating.

Thisreallyisafarce · 26/10/2018 07:37

echt

Great. This school seems to have done something similar: the product they sent home was meant to be shared.

Sowhatifidosnore · 26/10/2018 07:39

Standard in our school, and as nuts allerfybare more common in kids now rightly so. Actually we aren’t allowed to send in cakes on birthdays anyway!

Mistigri · 26/10/2018 07:54

I'm severely peanut allergic and I think that these bans are stupid.

  • they impose unreasonable limits on other families based on no good evidence
  • they don't improve the safety of highly allergic children because they lead to complacency.

Literally any food item brought in a packed lunch box may be subject to nut contamination if it comes from a house where nuts are eaten. My worst ever peanut reaction was from eating a .... jam sandwich!

Mistigri · 26/10/2018 07:55

Oh and it's perfectly reasonable to ask to read the risk assessment.

If the PP below is correct, Australia has a far better approach.