Ensuring Your Child's Safety and Inclusion at School with Food Allergies
We understand how challenging it can be when your child is excluded due to their food allergy. No child should feel left out or unsafe because of their dietary needs.
Here are some steps you can take to ensure your child is included and protected at their school:
Full Risk Assessment
⚠️ The school should complete this collaboratively with you and key staff to cover all aspects of school life, including trips and classroom activities.
Allergy Action & Individual Health Care Plan
🚨 This is a document with your child’s photo, allergens, and emergency plan, to be shared with all staff. ‘Individual Healthcare Plans’ should provide medical and parental consent for schools to administer medicines in the event of an allergic reaction.
Allergy and Anaphylaxis First-Aid Training
🏥 Staff must recognise symptoms and act swiftly in medical emergencies, taking all unwell complaints from allergic children seriously.
Safe Cooking Activities
👩🏻🍳 Ensure any cooking activities completely exclude your child’s allergens.
No Food Packaging
📦 No food packaging should be used when junk modelling to limit allergen exposure.
Kitchen Staff Meetings
👩🏽🍳 Discuss allergens, meals, and menus with kitchen staff and make sure the school has a strict no-food-sharing policy.
Alternative Rewards
🧸 Teachers should use non-food rewards such as stickers, books, and toys in class.
Birthday Treats List
🥳 Give your school a list of safe sweets/treats to keep celebrations inclusive and safe.
Termly Progress Meetings
👨🏻💻 Regularly meet with key staff to review and update the school’s allergy management procedures.
Allergy Awareness
👩🏼🏫 Teachers should also educate children about allergies.
➕What would you add to this list?
💜Thank you to our Ambassador Billie, @butterfieldgreenhouse for her incredible dedication to helping keep children with food allergies safe in schools.