To think this is NOT good enough?! I am furious!!

[Peanutsaga]

NC’d So dd (8) has a nut allergy and has an epipen that she brings to school. Long story short, a girl in her class brought in a cereal type bar into school with her lunch but it had peanuts and other nuts in it as well as chocolate chips (you know the ones!)
Dd informed me that she saw said girl with the bar and then avoided her for the rest of the day and she could even smell the peanuts. I called into the school to let them know that this had happened but in short I was told, that the school had informed the parents of the no nut policy and sent it out via letter and newsletter, and that there wasn’t much else they can do as they cannot police the lunch boxes every morning. Is that it? I feel really let down and nervous about dd at school now!!

YABU to view school as a safe zone. DS has thankfully grown out of his dairy allergy but it was easier to view no where as safe, he knew at age 3 he couldn’t have dairy and asked if things contained it. People lied because they don’t believe in dairy allergies. Your DD should be praised for taking good precautions to ensure her own health.

I’m finding some of the comments on here hard to read. I have a child with a severe peanut allergy. At 8 years old she would sometimes remember, but sometimes she would be distracted or having fun and it was the last thing on her mind. An 8 year old is not reliable! They need adult supervision for all sorts of reasons, especially situations which could be life threatening. The school have a duty of care to her and should be minimising risk as much as possible. That means reducing as much as possible the allergen in her environment.

And when my daughter had anaphylactic shock in high school because they had been using peanut butter in a class activity and she had a reaction from traces left in the classroom, I absolutely expected it to be deep cleaned.

Also, the suggestion that all allergic children should be denied state education is absurd - few parents are even capable of educating a child through to A level, never mind the obvious fact that we all need to work to survive.

As many have said you need to think about what else the school could do that would be reasonable. I would maybe ask them if they could send out a reminder email to parents explaining how important it is. I would also maybe ask if each class teacher could speak to their class about it, explaining the issue. Then I would continue to talk to my dd about the risks and how to manage them.

What do schools do when people have anaphylaxic reactions to milk? Apples? (You can have an equally severe allergic reaction to any of these things as people can with nuts) how many foods could potentially be on the banned list at 1 school? Nuts, dairy, apples, fish.

I have a lot of experience with allergies, epipens and children who have anaphylactic reactions. But I worry sometimes that nuts get a different status of action to other allergens. An anaphylactic reactions is an anaphylactic reaction regardless of what the allergen is but I've never seen signs up in school saying all dairy is banned.

I think it's really important to teach the child good practice re poss wet wiping a table before eating at it, not sharing food. Encouraging children to wash hands after eating.

Warmwood, the OP said that the girl saw the nut product but didn't say anything as she didn't want to cause a scene. Also, the school have taken all reasonable precautions so nuts aren't present by asking people not to send nuts in. If they see it they'l remove it, but it's not possible to see and be aware of every snack in everyones lunch.

How much if the food sent into school may contain traces of nuts? It’s pretty impossible to police for that.

@Warmworm I don’t know what else you want the school to do. Do you never leave the house when you are in charge of your child? The train/bus/counter/door could have peanut traces.
I think it is ridiculous to ban nuts but that could be my own experience where in a school where they were anaphylactic allergies to dairy, dog fur etc but not a nut allergy they banned nuts. Another school fed my dairy allergic DS, a biscuit from a ziploc bag so they couldn’t/didn’t check the label. He knew to ask and they said it’d be fine.

Sorry *Warmworm

It astounds me that there are people suggesting the school send out a message, teachers talk to their classes etc. This is so irritating, teachers are constantly reminding pupils, every newsletter sent out states on it no nut products to be send in. Do the people suggesting this really believe schools aren't communicating the message? The biggest issue here is some parents not bothering to read any correspondence, claiming they were never told

"The biggest issue here is some parents not bothering to read any correspondence, claiming they were never told"

No, the biggest issue is nut allergic kids' parents thinking their kids are more special than children with other equally serious allergies. All kids with allergies need to learn to navigate a dangerous world and the idea of being able to provide a safe space is unrealistic and unsafe. How many bloody times do we need to say on this kind of thread that the leading body on allergy does not recommend nut bans in schools?!!!

That’s what annoys me about the nut ban policy. It’s the only allergy that matters.

Kiwi, celery, citrus, dairy etc all freely available in lunchboxes and inside classrooms.

Where’s the outrage that every day thousands of children are put at risk because they haven’t got the super special nut allergy.

It sends a dangerous message to impressionable minds that their allergy isn’t as serious.

Education is the only way.

I have been in a class where oranges where freely given at lunch. The school were not free and so you would think they would have thought about all allergies. 9 and 10 years happy sharing in a room with someone with a citrus allergy. But see a sealed pack of nuts and omg anyone would think you have crack.

ffswhatnext And this is the message that grates me, all other children should just put up, yet nut children need to feel "safe"

Never mind those children who are surrounded by there allergens. Now personally I stick by the specialist advise, its the safest way to ensure children can manage there allergies.

Ds school manages his allergies really well and DS takes responsibility for his allergies.

My children have both be given their allergens. Both on their very first days of school.

DS - Given Milk at milk time.
DD - Teachers asked her if she was having dinners. She said yes. They didn't bother to check if she had a packed lunch in her bag and sent her to the dinner hall for school dinners. They could report what she'd actually consumed.

That is why school is never ever a safe place. Because overall people are morons

I work in a school which is nut free. Any food brought into school containing nuts would be confiscated as soon as it was discovered. The parents who don’t bother and send in food containing nuts are selfish. The school should take a hardline with them.

And again do you check the ingredients of every single food product that comes into the school!

The parents who don’t bother and send in food containing nuts are selfish.

Why do you say that? Have you no concept of someone accidentally grabbing the wrong box of sandwiches and accidentally putting the peanut butter ones into the lunchbox? Or sticking the wrong granola bar in because it's a dark morning and the dark blue packaging looked the same as the dark purple in artificial light?

It must be terrifying to have a child with serious allergies, I understand that. But why so quick to assume people are acting maliciously when it could equally be a genuine mistake?

ddraig you can question my qualifications if you want. I don’t really care.

I problem is that far to many people don’t understand how serious nut allergies are. Nut
allergies kill. It’s not like getting an irritating rash.

The problem not I problem.

My DS school has a no nut policy and it is strictly enforced. And yes lunch packs are checked and I know this because my friend is welfare. There are 4 kids with severe nut allergies.
It’s not hard to remember and school send out a text every few weeks reminding parents. Yes a few bars have slipped through with nuts in I am sure by accident and they have been taken out of lunch boxes and an alternative given. School have a stash
However we did have a group of 3 parents have a right go at the beginning and went to the governors and everything about their child’s right to eat nuts. They soon found other parents shunning them and piped down
My brother was once on a flight when a bloke kicked off that he was asked not to eat his lack of peanuts he brought on board. He again piped down when my brother who is a big thick set bloke asked him does his right to fly and eat nuts trump someone’s right fly without dying.

@Barbarella1 only but allergies kill?

So my allergies can't kill me? Any allergy can kill. So go and educate yourself.

I problem is that far to many people don’t understand how serious nut allergies are. Nut allergies kill. It’s not like getting an irritating rash.

Far more people don't understand how serious allergies to other things are, even those who have experience with nut allergies.

ddraig your post doesn’t make sense.

There’s a lot of allergies that can kill, I have one myself ( not nuts) plus an autoimmune disease. However this thread is about nut allergies.

As for educating myself, before going to university to study law I was a HCP. No doubt you’ll insinuate I’m lying again.

I absolutely am taking eve y thing you say with a clump of salt.

However this thread is about nut allergies.

It isn't really about nut allergies, it's about someone bringing in a "banned" item. Since schools only ban nuts and not other allergens you can't complain about someone bringing in a "banned" item that contains, say, dairy so there would never be a thread about someone bringing in a yoghurt.

ddraig your post doesn’t make sense.

It makes perfect sense.

Newlife I’m glad your school is sensible.

My sons consultant has told him not to eat any nuts although it’s only peanuts that are life threatening. He’s advised to remove himself from the room if he sees anyone eating nuts. But what would he know, he’s only a world renowned medical expert in this field. Best you take advice from the experts on MN.