Questions to Ask when Choosing a Secondary School for your Child

It seems like only yesterday that your child started school, but before you know it, it’s time to start thinking about choosing a secondary school. Picking the right secondary school can be a stressful time, but for parents and carers of children living with allergies, there comes a whole new level of stress and worry. 

It can be overwhelming choosing a school that you trust to keep your child safe and we know that parents, carers and students often feel unsure about what questions to ask to help them make the decision that is right for them. But rest assured, the team at Anaphylaxis UK have got you covered!

We believe that positive, open communication with the school from the very beginning is key. Whether it be meeting with the relevant member of staff at the opening evening/day or arranging a separate meeting at a quieter time… It can help to have prepared a list of questions you’d like to ask ahead of choosing a secondary school.

Here are some suggested questions that you might want to ask the secondary school to help you make the right decision for your child :

Student Responsibility

By the time secondary school comes round, children are at an age where they should be taking more responsibility for managing their allergies and are developing their confidence and independence. Ensure your child is part of the conversations you have with their new school to ensure they get the support they need to help them manage their allergies independently in school. It’s also really important to know what expectations the school has on students for the responsibilities they need to take in managing their own allergies so you can get prepared.

Allergy Policy

Ask whether the school has an Allergy Policy already in place and ask to see a copy. When was the policy last reviewed and how does the school monitor it?

Also check whether the school has completed an Allergy Risk Assessment for your child. Don’t panic if the school doesn’t have either of these in place yet – we have a DfE approved model allergy policy and template risk assessments available to download for free from our Safer Schools Programme. Using these free resources, you can work together with the secondary school you eventually choose to produce these plans to ensure your child’s allergies are managed safely.

Staff Training

We can’t recommend enough speaking to the school to find out whether staff have completed suitable allergy training from a reputable company. Find out which staff are trained; whilst we advocate for the whole staff team to have training, often in secondary schools this sits with first aiders, PE teachers and technicians.  In the absence of whole staff training, it is important that staff who teach your child know which members of staff have had allergy training and know how to summon help from them quickly if needed.  Find out how this information is communicated to each teacher.

Adrenaline Auto-Injectors (AAIs)

At secondary school age, we would expect most students to be carrying their own AAIs in school, but if this is not the case then find out where will they be kept and will they be immediately accessible if needed. It’s important that PE teachers understand that AAIs need to be with the student and not in a locked changing room as AAIs should never be locked away. It is also worth asking if the school hold spare AAIs and are they in more than one location in the school.

Whilst students living with allergies are no doubt well versed in how to administer an AAI should they need it, it should not be expected that the student will always be able to administer it. Sometimes the situation is critical so it is vital that school staff know how to administer an AAI correctly in an emergency.

Incidents and Near Misses

Unfortunately, we know allergic reactions do happen in schools, so it’s important to have an honest conversation with the school about incidents and near misses that may have happened in their school. Does the school keep data on incidents and near misses?  What do they do if they have experienced an incident or near miss?  How many of each have happened in the past year?  What have been the lessons learnt from these and have changes been implemented? What are the systems in place for summoning help in the event of an incident and how is this communicated to all staff?

Having this conversation may feel a little uncomfortable, particularly if there have been recent incidents at the school. But knowing how the school respond to these incidents and how seriously they take implementing changes to ensure it is unlikely to happen again may give you peace of mind that the school are committed to improving their allergy management to keep your child safe.

Food in Lessons

It can be useful to ask for information about how food is used in lessons such as DT and Science. Are there unnecessary allergens used in recipes or science experiments?  Are staff proactive in finding out which students have allergies and instigating conversations with parents/carers ahead of the student using food in lessons?  How do staff ensure that all activities are safe for all the students in their classes and that these activities do not inadvertently cause anxiety for a student with allergies.

School Canteen

Lunchtime is such an important social time for students at secondary school, but we also know the thought of your child being exposed to their allergen in the canteen can cause huge anxiety for parents and students. Ask the school what their process is for managing allergies in the school canteen? Will students with allergies be able to eat canteen food safely and if so, how will they know which food items contain the allergen?

Allergy Awareness

It’s not just about the school staff being allergy aware. It’s also about ensuring students are educated on allergies and the signs and symptoms of an allergic reaction or anaphylaxis. By ensuring students are allergy aware it can help to make their friends and peers living with allergies feel more included and understood. Ask the school whether they run any allergy awareness activities such as assemblies or focus weeks.

We know there is a lot to consider when choosing a secondary school, and the above questions are not an exhaustive list by any means but hopefully it gives you a good starting point to initiate a conversation about your child’s allergies with the school. Our Transitioning to Secondary School with Allergies webpage also has plenty of information that you may find useful as you navigate the next step in your child’s allergy journey.

With the right information and support, we believe the transition to secondary school for children living with serious allergies can be a safe, inclusive and happy one.

You’ve got this and we’ve got you, whenever you need us 💙🧡