My little baby boy is starting school next year – how did that happen?!
I always imagined we would live in a small village and walk him everyday to the local school. That was the plan. But then we found our house, down a farm track, and fell in love!
So now, we have to decide which school we would like him to go to. We are in the catchment area for a large school in the local town but also have some outstanding village schools nearby.
As well as worrying about him being happy and learning well, I am also concerned about how they can manage his food allergies effectively.
Here are 5 questions I have been asking:
Do you have any pupils with food allergies?
This is a good opener to start the conversation and see how they respond. It allows me to see their attitude to the situation, which is so important, and if they do have pupils with allergies, how much they have already done to accommodate them.
What is your allergy management plan?
A few of the schools I am looking at are nut free but I do not believe this is necessarily the best approach. I am keen to hear how they would manage the risks of multiple allergies and keep J safe and included in all school activities.
Are your staff epipen trained?
This is not a dealbreaker, as they can easily train their staff but it is a bonus. It shows their commitment and understanding and is reassuring to know they are already paying attention.
Where do children sit to eat their lunches?
A couple of the schools I am looking at are very small so children eat their lunches in the classrooms, which concerns me. I want to know that they will not separate J from others but will take steps to clean areas, educate children about not sharing food and adapt for his needs.
Who prepares and serves school lunches?
The bigger school prepares and manages lunches onsite whereas the village schools have them delivered, leaving more room for error I think. I am open to sending packed lunches but it would be great if the caterers are flexible, experienced and have clear plans for catering for allergies.
What is your snack and treats policy?
If snacks are provided, especially in the classroom, then it is important they are safe and inclusive. I also want to know how they manage children bringing in birthday cakes or treats for their classmates, as well as cake sales, baking or seasonal celebrations.
At the moment, I am trying not to judge the schools purely on their allergy management as I hope this is something we can work on together. However, if I am happy overall with a few of them, then this would be a leading factor.
How did you decide on a school for your children? What questions did you ask?
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Its scary how quickly the school applications has come round! Its time for us to do Elodie’s and then all 3 of mine will be at school 🙁
For us choosing a school was about size, we went for smaller so the Peachicks are one of 30 new children for the staff to get to know not one of 100-150 like some of the schools around here! Also a straight through Primary rather than junior/infant school so there is a continuity of care.
Also one thing to consider is the role of the school nursing team – they will come in and draw up health care plans, train staff where needed and provide an extra voice for you. Practical information is the key – not just my child is allergic to eggs but a discussion of they can’t eat eggs – heres a recipe & list of ingredients you can use for cooking!
I do support the peanut/nut free although my kids are not allergic to them and don’t want milk/orange/egg free schools! as the Peachicks need to learn to manage in a world full of them! MIllie has special school dinners but having worked in Hampshire school I know there caterers are generally very good and the allergy menu is the same in every school. The cook was very open to meeting with us too!
Giant essay over & Tissues all round for next September!! x
Brilliant advice Emma, for those who find themselves in what can be a stressful and overwhelming situation xx
Fab info! Chloe x
Snap!! My two are starting school next year too!! HOW can that be?? They’re still babies!!!! One of them has an egg allergy and to be honest — although we had lots of these conversations with the nursery they go to, it didn’t occur to me until now, to speak to the village school about their policies!! Thanks so much for flagging it up 🙂 #FreeFromFridays
Thank you so much – this is going to be us next year and I’m just not sure how they’ll manage multiple allergies and still be inclusive. Those are brilliant questions, and I’ve saved this post as a prompt.
Excellent questions, it is such a good idea to speak with them first before deciding on a school. Best of luck with your decision. And thanks for joining the linky!
Jumpy will also be starting school next year and that terrifies me! Thanks so much for sharing your questions. I’ll definitely be using them when meeting with the headteacher. xx
We were amazingly lucky with Miss GF’s school and had a great relationship with them about food. She had a separate tub of ‘treats’ that we sent in for birthday celebrations in the class, and I worked really closely with the kitchen, going through their larder, checking all labels and recipes and agreeing exactly what menu Miss GF would have and how it would be prepared.
She’s now at secondary school and has more or less negotiated the same deal with the kitchen staff there by herself! I can be really pleased that she has learnt an important life lesson.
Good luck with finding the right school. Asking the right questions and observing the answers is so important to understanding safety and gaining some confidence in what is a huge decision. x
Hi Emma,
Thank you for the school question information, I have a 18 month old so it is a little in the future but I have to plan ahead an think about these things. My little one suffers from allergies to Milk Protein, Gluten, nuts and eggs as well as brittle asthma and eczema. Unfortunately we spent much of the first year of his life in HDU in various hospitals. Although all of his ailments are now under control, as he gets bigger the potential risk of food sharing is a real concern to myself and my husband.
Currently our son attends Nursery where I provide all his meals, individually labeled and they are Epipen trained, They are brilliant with him but it was a huge decision to put him in child. We were warned off it by our consultant, the phrase “they won be able to manage him” was used! I am not one for keeping my child separate from anything as I do not want him to feel islated as he grows up but schools are much bigger then nurseries and teachers cannot keep an eye on him all day so we have to make sure he is well educated himself to know what he can and cannot eat.
It’s hard isn’t. J has been going to nursery for a year now, eating packed lunch there 3 days a week and had absolutely no reactions! They have been amazing but I am still nervouse about school. As you say, it is much bigger but it is so important to help them understand and live with their allergies so they are not restricted by them. Take a look at my post about teaching children about their allergies, as this is something we are working on more and more with J.