With up to 8% of children in schools living with allergies and 20% of food allergy reactions happening in schools, it is more important than ever to ensure that schools are prepared to manage allergies in schools properly and to respond appropriately in an emergency.  Furthermore, research shows that 30% of children living with allergies report being bullied so it is equally important for these children to feel fully included and respected.

Misconceptions Around Allergy

Unfortunately, too often we hear misinformation about allergies.  Allergy is different from intolerance and coeliac disease.  An intolerance, whilst serious, is a response centered in the digestive system and will never be fatal; coeliac disease is an immune response and again whilst serious does not have the immediate possibility of being fatal. 

Allergy though, does and sadly deaths in school have occurred. Allergy is an immune system response where the body reacts to a substance that is normally harmless in a way that causes symptoms that can involve the airway, breathing and circulatory systems of the body. This is known as anaphylaxis.  Not all allergic reactions are anaphylactic and there isn’t a sliding scale of allergy; in the same way that a person is diabetic; they can’t be a little bit allergic or a little bit diabetic.  The allergic reaction will vary in severity depending on several factors that include, the health of the person at the time of the contact, the type of contact that is experienced and the quantity of the allergen the person has been exposed to.

With allergy, a little bit can hurt.  This is particularly important to remember when considering cross contamination.  This is where a substance appears where it wouldn’t normally be expected to be; for example, a trace of peanut butter left on a knife when a cheese sandwich is made.  The trace could be sufficient to cause a reaction to someone with a peanut allergy. 

Anaphylaxis UK

Anaphylaxis UK are the only UK-wide charity operating solely for the growing numbers of people at risk of serious allergic reactions and anaphylaxis.  They receive many calls to their helpline where parents are struggling with the impact the allergy is causing on the emotional wellbeing of their child or themselves.  Living with a daily fear of becoming seriously unwell is debilitating. 

Often, children are excluded from events simply because of their allergy or even worse, a lack of understanding from others about the potential to cause a reaction puts students with an allergy into dangerous situations.

Keeping children with Anaphylaxis safe

Fortunately, with the right information, training and support it is possible to ensure that students in your school and care are kept healthy, safe and included.  The following top tips will help you with this:

  • Talk to the student, parent/carer to find out about the allergy.  Use individual risk assessments to guide your conversation and shape your thinking about the year ahead.  Students living with allergies have to grow up faster than their peers and they will know much about their allergy from a young age, because they have to know how to keep themselves safe.
  • Undertake specialist allergy and anaphylaxis training from a reputable organisation.  Don’t rely on videos on YouTube as you need to be certain that the information you are viewing is medically accurate.  Anaphylaxis UK provide specialist support for those living with allergy and work with a range of medical experts in allergy ensuring that the information provided is accurate and up to date.  Undertaking Anaphylaxis UK’s AllergyWise® for Schools course you can be confident that you are receiving up to date, medically accurate information direct from the experts.
  • Educate the school about allergy. To ensure that everyone understands that an allergy can be life threatening and isn’t a joke.  As so many media outlets still poke fun at allergies, your support is needed to create a generation of children and young people who will know that this is false information.  Students are great advocates for each other, ensuring that they have the correct information about allergy will help them to look out for their peers.
  • Listen to students when they say they are experiencing unkindness or bullying.  Ensure that swift action is undertaken to ensure that any unkindness or bullying is nipped in the bud and is unable to continue.  Physical bullying has the potential to be fatal.
  • Talk to the school leadership about the school’s approach to supporting students with allergies.  If there is not a whole school approach; get in touch with Anaphylaxis UK who can help your school to develop the policies and systems needed in order to keen students with allergies safe

Anaphylaxis Support

Tracey Dunn, Education and AllergyWise® Training Manager at Anaphylaxis UK, is a qualified teacher, and has recently retired from headship.  She works with schools in person and virtually to support with individual circumstances and whole school management approaches. 

She ensures that the range of resources for schools, offered by Anaphylaxis UK are compliant with legislation and meet the requirements of the RSE curriculum which details what students should be learning about allergy.  These resources include: a DfE approved model policy, awareness assemblies and risk assessments.  They are all free to download from the Best Practice Resource section in the Anaphylaxis UK’s Safer Schools Programme.

Get in touch with Tracey Dunn on allergywise@anaphylaxis.org.uk or through the Anaphylaxis UK helpline: 01252 542029.

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