A Stamford mum is campaigning for allergy training to be mandatory in schools
After losing her 5 year old son from a suspected allergic reaction
A mum from Stamford says allergy training should be mandatory in schools after losing her 5 year old son from a suspected allergic reaction.
A poll of almost 1,900 union members by NASUWT found 95% of teachers have children with food allergies in their school, yet 67% have had no allergy awareness training.
As well as this, one in five teachers have never been taught how to administer an adrenaline auto-injectors which could save a life in a food allergy emergency, and 60% did not know, or were unsure, if their school had an allergy policy.
Almost two-thirds of teachers surveyed said they would find it useful to have more training and resources.
Losing our son is the most devastating thing that's ever happened
Helen Blythe, who set up the Benedict Blythe Foundation in memory of her son, said:
"Losing our son is the most devastating thing that's ever happened in our lives, and every day there's a hole because he should be here with us and enjoying life."
"One of the things that we know from our experience is how quickly a child that is healthy and happy can become seriously unwell."
"It's one of the reasons why education and knowing what to do in that second of action is important."
"Having the training as optional is a problem because it means finding the time for it is a challenge, and we know teachers are crying out for this a lot of the time, which is one of the reasons why some of the campaigning we have done is to make this mandatory."
Education and knowing what to do in that second of action is important
The Natasha Allergy Research Foundation has created a programme increase allergy awareness in school.
The Allergy School offers free, practical resources to help teachers create inclusive and safe environments for children with food allergies.