Latest news with #BarnackPrimarySchool
BBC News
11 hours ago
- Health
- BBC News
Head teacher 'ran to call 999' after boy collapsed
A headteacher said she "ran straight to the phone" to call 999 after she saw a pupil lying on the floor in school, suffering from an allergic Blythe, from Stamford, Lincolnshire, was administered with an adrenaline auto-injector (AAI) and given CPR after he was sick twice and collapsed at Barnack Primary School in December Amy Jones told an inquest a caretaker called her to a classroom, where she saw the five-year-old on the floor being administered with an AAI, or adrenaline who had asthma and a number of allergies, including to milk and eggs, died due to food-induced anaphylaxis. Ms Jones was giving evidence on Wednesday to the inquest at Peterborough Town said that, at the time, five members of staff at the school, which is between Stamford and Peterborough, had paediatric first-aid training, including how to administer an adrenaline staff members included teaching assistant Sophie Brown, who Ms Jones saw applying the adrenaline pen in the said she made the call on a telephone that was by the door in the classroom at 10:38 GMT. When asked if she was told anything before she made the call, she said: "I don't recall what I was told but I remember very clearly running in, seeing him lying on the floor, and immediately went to call 999." Area coroner Elizabeth Gray said Benedict had been kept off school on 30 November due to being sick twice the night went back to school on 1 December after his mother Helen, who gave evidence on Monday, said he "was fine and didn't appear to be unwell".The inquest previously heard that, while he was outside with other children during the morning break on 1 December, Benedict ate a gingerbread biscuit he had taken with him from Tuesday, the inquest heard in a statement by teaching assistant Chelsea Back that she remembered unwrapping Benedict's biscuit for him and seeing him eat it after he went to sit with another then returned to the classroom where he was offered oat milk but was said to have refused fell ill shortly after that and was later pronounced dead at Peterborough City Hospital. 'Extremely vigilant' On Wednesday, Ms Jones explained that Benedict's oat milk was in a labelled cartoon provided by his parents and kept in a large staff fridge, separate from the children's milk would be taken to the classroom and poured into his own cup, which would then be taken back to the staffroom and put in a was another child in the class who had lactose-free milk, and his milk was kept in the same fridge as Benedict's, the inquest Jones said that in September 2021 the school had been sent documents by his parents containing a list of allergies, symptoms and treatment Benedict should receive, and information on when to call a statement read out to the hearing, Ms Jones said that children were allowed to take in their own snacks from home but staff were "extremely vigilant on what children ate and monitored what they brought in".She also said the school was "heavily reliant" on parents providing information on how allergies should be inquest continues. Listen to highlights from Lincolnshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here.
ITV News
17 hours ago
- Health
- ITV News
Benedict Blythe: 'Kind-souled' five-year-old died after allergic reaction at school
A 'kind-souled' five-year-old boy died after a serious allergic reaction which caused him to collapse at school, an inquest has heard. Benedict Blythe, who was in his first year at Barnack Primary School in Stamford, Lincolnshire, died in hospital on 1 December 2021 after vomiting at school, a jury at Peterborough Town Hall heard. His mother Helen Blythe said during the first day of the inquest into her son's death: 'Benedict was not just a child with allergies, he was a whole universe – curious, funny, kind and loving – and the world should have been safer for him.' The cause of death for Benedict, who was allergic to milk, eggs and some nuts, was recorded as food-induced anaphylaxis, Elizabeth Gray, the area coroner for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, said. Ms Gray told the jury: 'Benedict was five years old at the time of his death. He suffered from asthma and a number of allergies including milk and an egg allergy.' The inquest heard Benedict was kept home from school on 30 November because he was unwell and had vomited the previous night, but went to school as normal on 1 December. The coroner said Benedict ate a biscuit during that school day which he had brought from home and then was offered oat milk by a class teacher, but he refused to drink it. He then vomited so his parents were called to pick him up, but he vomited a second time and was taken outside for fresh air where he 'collapsed'. An adrenaline auto-injector (AAI) was administered by a first aid-trained teaching assistant but Benedict was 'not responding' before CPR was attempted. Emergency services were called but the schoolboy died later that day at Peterborough City Hospital. Benedict's mother, who gave evidence to the inquest, told the jury that vomiting was 'always' the first symptom of his allergic reactions, but 'how it played out after that varied'. She said the school was given a management plan with 'things we knew as a family and as his parents' about his allergic reactions. In a witness statement read to the inquest, Mrs Blythe said Benedict was 'well-aware' of his allergic reactions, adding: 'I believe he had an allergic reaction and this is what caused his death.' She added that Benedict 'woke up as normal and in good health' that morning with no temperature or cough. She described feeling 'terrified' when she learnt that Benedict had become unwell. The inquest heard that Benedict was 'not necessarily adventurous' with food but had become 'increasingly anxious' about asking whether things contained milk because of previous allergic reactions. Dr Emilia Wawrzkowicz, a consultant paediatrician, said the initial post-mortem examination report recorded Benedict's cause of death as asthma but she felt 'very strongly' that it was due to anaphylaxis. She told the court: 'The original post-mortem report had concluded on the balance of probabilities that the cause of death was asthma. I whole-heartedly disagreed with this. I was shocked to have seen this.' She said one of the reasons she believed this was because there was 'never any suggestion of airway compromise'. A video was shown to the jury of Benedict opening his advent calendar before school with his younger sister on the day he died. Mrs Blythe told the inquest the chocolate he ate from the advent calendar was dairy-free. She also read a pen portrait to the inquest, saying: 'Quick-minded and kind-souled, Benedict's love of 'playing numbers' was one hint to why he joined Mensa when he was four. 'His superpower was his kind heart, and it's that kindness that is so missing from our lives. 'The first return to a new school year after his death, children said 'I wish Benedict was here – he'd stop me feeling nervous'. 'Aside from the joy Benedict had in his life, he had to develop his own quiet kind of bravery. 'He lived with allergies and chronic asthma, and sometimes that meant missing out — on parties, on snacks other children could eat, on ice creams from the ice cream van – but he never let it define him. 'The day Benedict died, our world broke but what's even more unbearable is the knowledge that we weren't alone. 'Benedict was not just a child with allergies, he was a whole universe – curious, funny, kind and loving – and the world should have been safer for him.' The Benedict Blythe Foundation was set up in his memory and, along with The Allergy Team and the Independent Schools' Bursars Association (ISBA), launched the schools allergy code last year to protect children with allergies and set out how schools can keep pupils safe. The inquest, which is expected to last two weeks, continues.
ITV News
17 hours ago
- Health
- ITV News
Benedict Blythe: Teaching assistant 'thought boy's fatal allergy was a stomach bug'
A teaching assistant thought a five-year-old boy who was having a fatal allergic reaction had a stomach bug when he vomited at school, an inquest has heard. A jury at Peterborough Town Hall heard that Benedict Blythe was kept home from school because of illness the day before he vomited twice and collapsed at Barnack Primary School, in Stamford, Lincolnshire, where he was a reception class pupil, on 1 December 2021. The schoolboy, who joined Mensa when he was aged four, was allergic to milk, eggs and some nuts and had asthma, the inquest was told. He died in hospital that day and his cause of death was later found to be food-induced anaphylaxis, the inquest heard. He had been kept off school the day before he died because he was feeling unwell overnight and vomited, but woke up 'in good health' on the day of his death and was excited to open his advent calendar which had been filled with dairy-free chocolate by his parents, the court heard. Sophie Brown, who was a teaching assistant at the school, said from her memory Benedict was 'sick quite often' and she asked him questions after he vomited the first time that day to check if it was an allergic reaction. She told the inquest: 'When I said 'are you feeling OK?' he said 'good'. He said 'no' to his mouth being tingling, there was nothing on his body that showed any hives.' Ms Brown, who was trained in first aid and was aware of the boy's allergies, said Benedict changed his clothes before he vomited a second time 10 minutes later. Speaking about the minutes between Benedict vomiting the first and second time, she told the jury: 'He was happy, he was giggling, he made a few comments about the book we were reading.' Ms Brown told the inquest: 'He was off the day before so I assumed it was a bug.' She told the inquest she did not know at the time why he had been kept home from school the previous day. The court heard milk for the pupils was kept in two separate fridges – one for dairy milk and one for dairy-free milk – in a staff room at the school, and that Benedict had his own bottle at the school to drink from. Ms Brown said she does not recall who gave Benedict his oat milk that morning, which he refused to drink, but said it was not her. The teaching assistant told the jury she cannot remember whether Benedict had asked for his inhaler after he had vomited. The inquest previously heard, from Benedict's mother Helen Blythe, that vomiting was 'always' the first symptom of his allergic reactions and the school was provided with a management plan with his usual symptoms. The court heard that after Benedict collapsed, his adrenaline auto-injector (AAI) was administered twice but he became unresponsive and was transported to Peterborough City Hospital, where he later died. The inquest will resume on Wednesday morning.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Teaching assistant thought boy's fatal allergic reaction was sickness bug
A teaching assistant thought a five-year-old boy who was having a fatal allergic reaction had a stomach bug when he vomited at school, an inquest has heard. A jury at Peterborough town hall heard Benedict Blythe was kept home from school because of illness the day before he vomited twice and collapsed at Barnack Primary School, in Stamford, Lincolnshire, where he was a reception pupil, on Dec 1 2021. The schoolboy, who joined Mensa when he was aged four, had asthma and was allergic to milk, eggs and some nuts, the inquest was told. He died in hospital that day and his cause of death was later found to be food-induced anaphylaxis, the inquest heard. He had been kept off school the day before he died because he was feeling unwell overnight and vomited, but woke up 'in good health' on the day of his death, the court heard. Sophie Brown, who was a teaching assistant at the school, said from her memory Benedict was 'sick quite often', and she asked him questions after he vomited the first time that day to check if it was an allergic reaction. She told the inquest: 'When I said 'are you feeling OK?' he said 'good'. He said 'no' to his mouth being tingling, there was nothing on his body that showed any hives.' Ms Brown, who was trained in first aid and was aware of the boy's allergies, said Benedict changed his clothes before he vomited a second time, 10 minutes later. Speaking about the minutes between Benedict vomiting the first and second time, she told the jury: 'He was happy, he was giggling, he made a few comments about the book we were reading.' Ms Brown told the inquest: 'He was off the day before so I assumed it was a bug.' She told the inquest she did not know at the time why he had been kept home from school the previous day. The court heard milk for the pupils was kept in two separate fridges – one for dairy milk and one for dairy-free milk – in a staff room at the school, and that Benedict had his own bottle at the school to drink from. Ms Brown said she does not recall who gave Benedict his oat milk that morning, which he refused to drink, but said it was not her. The teaching assistant told the jury she could not remember whether Benedict had asked for his inhaler after he had vomited. Helen Blythe, Benedict's mother, previously told the inquest vomiting was 'always' the first symptom of his allergic reactions, and that the school was provided with a management plan with his usual symptoms. The court heard that after Benedict collapsed, his adrenaline auto-injector was administered twice, but he became unresponsive and was transported to Peterborough City Hospital, where he later died. The inquest continues. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Telegraph
a day ago
- Health
- Telegraph
Teaching assistant thought boy's fatal allergic reaction was sickness bug
A teaching assistant thought a five-year-old boy who was having a fatal allergic reaction had a stomach bug when he vomited at school, an inquest has heard. A jury at Peterborough town hall heard Benedict Blythe was kept home from school because of illness the day before he vomited twice and collapsed at Barnack Primary School, in Stamford, Lincolnshire, where he was a reception pupil, on Dec 1 2021. The schoolboy, who joined Mensa when he was aged four, had asthma and was allergic to milk, eggs and some nuts, the inquest was told. He died in hospital that day and his cause of death was later found to be food-induced anaphylaxis, the inquest heard. He had been kept off school the day before he died because he was feeling unwell overnight and vomited, but woke up 'in good health' on the day of his death, the court heard. Sophie Brown, who was a teaching assistant at the school, said from her memory Benedict was 'sick quite often', and she asked him questions after he vomited the first time that day to check if it was an allergic reaction. She told the inquest: 'When I said 'are you feeling OK?' he said 'good'. He said 'no' to his mouth being tingling, there was nothing on his body that showed any hives.' Ms Brown, who was trained in first aid and was aware of the boy's allergies, said Benedict changed his clothes before he vomited a second time, 10 minutes later. Speaking about the minutes between Benedict vomiting the first and second time, she told the jury: 'He was happy, he was giggling, he made a few comments about the book we were reading.' Ms Brown told the inquest: 'He was off the day before so I assumed it was a bug.' She told the inquest she did not know at the time why he had been kept home from school the previous day. The court heard milk for the pupils was kept in two separate fridges – one for dairy milk and one for dairy-free milk – in a staff room at the school, and that Benedict had his own bottle at the school to drink from. Ms Brown said she does not recall who gave Benedict his oat milk that morning, which he refused to drink, but said it was not her. The teaching assistant told the jury she could not remember whether Benedict had asked for his inhaler after he had vomited. Helen Blythe, Benedict's mother, previously told the inquest vomiting was 'always' the first symptom of his allergic reactions, and that the school was provided with a management plan with his usual symptoms. The court heard that after Benedict collapsed, his adrenaline auto-injector was administered twice, but he became unresponsive and was transported to Peterborough City Hospital, where he later died. The inquest continues.
