How to work with your school over Christmas when your child has allergies

3 ways we keep in contact with my sons school in the run up to Christmas

Good afternoon to all our we can eaters!

When it comes to communicating with our son's school about his allergies, my husband and I are really particular about how we keep in touch with the school. So, we thought we'd share what we've learned from experience over the years about keeping in contact during important times of the school calendar, such as the run up to Christmas. 

1. Allergy management plan - We've worked with the school to develop a care plan to ensure our son has the correct support to manage his needs. If your child has just started school and they have an allergy/allergies, it can be really daunting and you may not be aware of allergy management plans. If you already have a plan - great! if you don't, here are some places where you can find good templates and I found a useful blog site by Dr Lee Noimark who has developed a template plan. The plans usually cover;

• Emergency procedure

• Medication

• Food management - my sons brings a packed lunch , but this area of the plan explored the different events taking place throughout the school year where the school would be required to identify when  #freefrom substitutes would be required e.g. school trips, Christmas parties 

• Staff training.

This plan not only allowed us to work closely with the school to manage our sons allergies, it provided us with peace of mind that he is receiving the best support in school.

2. Communication is a big thing for us. In the run up to every Christmas period, we meet with my sons class teacher to understand what class activities are planned during the period. This meeting allows us to identify #freefrom alternatives, we also remain in contact throughout the year by a communication book (which great for either us, or the teacher writing down questions), email and telephone.

3. Make sure you plan ahead The school teacher explained earlier on in the year there would be a Christmas meal for all school children, so I arranged a meeting with the cook to make sure the meal would be free from nuts, egg and milk. The cook identified the deserts all contained either nuts, egg and milk, so I was able to plan and bring in my son's favourite desert, Swedish glaze ice cream and strawberry sauce to school. Not only did my son feel special about having his favourite desert, but it gave us peace of mind to meet the cook and reinforce the seriousness of his allergies.

Final thoughts

Try not to get stressed in the run up to specific school calendar events, just keep the communication open with the school and don't be afraid to challenge or provide suggestions to the school. 

I’d love to hear any tips you’ve picked up around  communicating with schools to make sure your child is safe! Please do leave any thoughts or ideas in the comments!