Dear Parents and Carers,
Allergy and Asthma Awareness – Important Information
I am writing to all parents and carers following updated statutory guidance regarding the support schools provide for pupils with allergies and/or asthma. This guidance reflects the important changes brought about through Benedict’s Law, which aims to strengthen allergy awareness, management and emergency response within schools.
At Workington Academy, the safety and wellbeing of our pupils is always our highest priority, and we continually review our procedures to ensure that pupils with medical needs are appropriately supported.
As part of our preparation for the new academic year, all staff have received updated allergy and asthma awareness training as part of our INSET programme. We have also reviewed our procedures and provision to ensure that we not only meet the statutory requirements but, wherever possible, exceed them. For example, we have spare adrenaline auto-injectors and salbutamol reliever inhalers available on each floor of the school, enabling efficient access in the event of an emergency.
We are reaching out to all families to remind you of the important partnership between home and school in helping us to maintain a safe environment for everyone.
Workington Academy is a nut-free school. Whilst no school can guarantee an entirely allergen-free environment or completely eliminate the possibility of cross-contamination, there are proactive steps that we can all take to reduce risk.
We therefore ask parents and carers who provide their child with a packed lunch or snacks to do so mindfully and ensure that nuts and products containing nuts are not brought into school. This includes obvious nut products as well as nut-based spreads, including Nutella. We appreciate your support with this, as what may be an everyday food for one pupil can present a significant risk to another.
We would also like to take this opportunity to ask any parent or carer who has not previously informed us that their child has an allergy and/or asthma to contact the school office as a priority.
Once we are made aware, we will work with you to ensure that an appropriate, bespoke Individual Healthcare Plan is in place so that relevant staff understand your child’s needs and the support or action required.
If you have already disclosed your child’s allergy or asthma to school, please be reassured that this information and the appropriate arrangements are already in hand. We would, however, ask that you continue to inform us promptly of any changes to your child’s condition, medication or treatment.
Finally, I would like to remind parents and carers about the procedures followed by our catering provider, Aspens. Where an allergy is recorded on a pupil’s catering account, catering staff are not permitted to serve food that may conflict with the allergy information recorded. This is an important safeguarding measure designed to protect pupils.
Please be aware that if you have entered information on your child’s account relating to an intolerance, catering staff must also treat this information as a direction not to serve your child food containing that ingredient. It is therefore important that the information held on your child’s account is accurate and up to date.
Keeping children safe requires a strong partnership between school, families, pupils and our catering team. We are grateful for your continued support in helping us to maintain a safe and inclusive environment for all members of our school community.
Thank you for your cooperation and ongoing support in keeping our Academy safe for all.
Yours sincerely
Katie Kinrade
Assistant Headteacher
