11-02-2025
Allergies: Calls for allergic reaction training in Welsh schools
Campaigners are calling for all teachers and school staff to be trained in how to recognise and respond to the signs of an allergic by the NASUWT teacher's union found 95% of teachers surveyed have children with allergies in their schools - but 67% have had no formal allergy Welsh government said all schools were provided with guidance on adrenaline auto-injectors and the need for staff to be trained to use whose 12-year-old-son William has severe allergies, said "literally putting your child's life in someone's hands" was "the most nerve-wracking experience ever".
"When my son started primary school, there was no allergy training," she told BBC Radio Wales Breakfast."We actually had to arrange for a nurse to come in to show the teachers what to do."The Natasha Allergy Research Foundation charity says the lack of training could mean the difference between life and death in an allergies, or anaphylaxis, is when someone can go into anaphylactic shock when exposed to their allergens. Symptoms include swelling of the lips, face and throat and can cause the person to have difficulty from Cardiff, added: "You spend your entire life ensuring everything is catered to for your children, that they don't feel different, that they're not excluded from daily activities but, as well as that, they are kept safe."So when you're handing them over to anyone really, it needs to be with the confidence that they know what they're doing. That they know how to recognise the signs of an allergic reaction and they will take the action that's needed."
Joanna Taylor, head teacher at St Michael's Catholic Primary School in Pontypridd, has several students with allergies, as well as being allergic to fish and nuts said the school had individual healthcare plans in place as well as allergy action plans, and medication was kept in the classrooms and labelled with the child's added all school staff were made aware of who had allergies and took part in annually updated training on using autoinjectors."[Parents] are handing their children over to us every day, they need to know they're safe," she said."We just aim to make it a community understanding - the school cooks, the kitchen staff, my clerk is really good at chasing to find out what allergies are and any training we need."It's all about us working together for the safety of the child."
Ms Hulme said, while she could see some attempts to improve allergy training, it had not gone far added the campaign was "a long time coming" and she was "hopeful" the calls would be taken seriously, particularly as the number of children with allergies was increasing."I feel there has been a tremendous amount of progress, but it hasn't been without the tragedies in the allergy community as well. We have had lives lost at a very young age and, because of this, we're still seeing there's not enough change," she said."It shouldn't be up to parents to ensure schools have done their allergy training, it should just be fundamental, basic first aid."The Welsh government said: "All schools in Wales are provided with guidance on the use of emergency adrenaline auto-injectors in schools."The guidance is clear about the need for staff to be trained to administer injectors for emergencies."
