Medicine, First Aid and Allergy Awareness

Medicine in School:

If your child needs medicine, prescribed by a doctor, to be adminsitered in school, please complete a 'medicine in school' form at the school office or complete the form attached and either hand in or email to us in advance.

Allergy Awareness:

Here at St James, the safety and wellbeing of every child in our school is our highest priority and falls within our Safeguarding Policies and Procedures. We are writing to inform you about Benedict's Law, new statutory guidance introduced to strengthen our existing allergy management and anaphylaxis preparedness in schools across England. The legislation is named in memory of Benedict Blythe, a young child who tragically died following an anaphylactic reaction at their school in 2021.

The change in law aims to ensure that all schools have robust procedures in place to protect children with allergies. Further information can be found here: https://benedictblythe.com/benedicts-law/

What is Anaphylaxis and What Benedict's Law Means for Schools:

Anaphylaxis is a severe and potentially life-threatening allergic reaction that can occur rapidly after exposure to an allergen. Common triggers include:

Certain foods such as nuts, milk, eggs, sesame, fish and shellfish
Insect stings
Certain medications

Symptoms can include breathing difficulties, swelling of the lips, tongue or throat, dizziness, collapse and loss of consciousness. Immediate treatment with adrenaline is essential. Across school we have several children with these allergies.

What we are doing as a school:

In line with our Allergy and Anaphylaxis Safety Policy we will continue to:

Maintain individual healthcare plans for pupils with severe allergies and share important allergy information with relevant staff.
Ensure staff receive regular training in recognising and responding to allergic reactions.
Keep emergency medication readily accessible.
Assess risks associated with classroom activities, visits and events.
Promote a culture of vigilance and inclusion while supporting pupils with medical needs.

A key part of this is our approach to foods brought into school and provided to children. A reminder that we are a nut aware school, and this is explained below. We are also introducing a change that food is no longer able to be brought in from home on children’s birthdays. Instead, children are able to wear their own clothes to celebrate their special day!

What This Means for You as Parents and Carers

We ask all parents and carers to support us by:

Informing the school immediately of any allergy diagnosis or changes to your child's medical needs and providing up-to-date medication, including prescribed adrenaline auto-injectors where required.
Ensuring healthcare plans are reviewed annually and updated whenever circumstances change.
Checking food items sent into school, particularly for celebrations, packed lunches and school events, and being mindful of known allergens. A reminder that we are a nut-aware school. This means the follow:

Parents and carers are asked to:

Not send any nuts or nut-containing products into school. These will not be able to be eaten in any area of school.
Carefully check ingredient labels before sending food into school.

Encouraging children not to share food with others.

Working Together

While the school will take all reasonable precautions to manage allergy risks, effective allergy management depends upon a strong partnership between school, parents, healthcare professionals and pupils. By working together, we can help ensure that every child is safe, supported and able to participate fully in school life.

If you have any questions regarding our allergy procedures or wish to discuss your child's medical needs, please contact the school office.

The following items should not be brought into school or be provided for school trips:

Packs of nuts
Peanut butter or Nutella sandwiches
Any fruit and cereal bars that contain nuts
Chocolate bars or sweets that contain nuts
Sesame seed rolls (children allergic to nuts may also have a severe reaction to sesame)
Cakes made with nuts
Any home cooked meals for packed lunches that are made from nuts

We have a policy to avoid using nuts in any of the food served on our school site. However, we cannot guarantee freedom from nut traces. Our catering system records a child’s known allergens and dietary requirements and prevents children from ordering food items that contain any of the allergens recorded for that child.

What types of food are nuts?

Almonds
Cashew nuts
Hazelnut
Pistachio
Walnuts
Brazil nuts
Nut oils
Peanuts