Life Skills · Health & Wellbeing

Allergy Awareness and Anaphylaxis Response for School Staff

Annual training for every member of school staff, mapped to the DfE statutory guidance Allergy Safety in Schools

Sharing food is one of the friendliest things human beings do. We do it in every culture, in every country, every single day. For most of us it is completely safe. For some people, one bite of the wrong food can start a reaction that becomes a medical emergency within minutes.

Around one in five children with an allergy has their first reaction at school, and almost every classroom contains someone with an allergic condition. This course teaches you what allergies are, how to recognise a serious reaction and exactly what to do about it. It also tells the story of a five year old boy whose death changed the law in England, and what that law now requires of every school.

By the end of this course you will be able to

• Tell the difference between food allergy, coeliac disease and food intolerance.
• Explain what your school must do under the allergy safety duty, and where to find your school’s own allergy safety policy.
• Find and use a pupil’s Individual Healthcare Plan, and know what it means for the pupil in front of you.
• Recognise the signs of anaphylaxis.
• Give the six-step emergency response in the correct order, including using an adrenaline device.
• Give the emergency response for an asthma attack, including the reliever inhaler and spacer.
• Know what your school may hold as spare adrenaline, and where it is kept.
• Take the everyday precautions that apply to your own role, whether you are a teacher, a lunchtime supervisor, a caterer, an administrator or a senior leader.
• Report allergy bullying as a safeguarding concern.
• Report a reaction or a near miss.