School Search
I hope Easter was as safe and fun for everyone as it was for us this year. We had a great time catching up with family and friends. I ended up scaling back our Easter party so I could enjoy watching the kids play together. It was a great day, and I think everyone enjoyed themselves. They were definately exhausted at the end.
With the Easter holiday break nearly over, we have to make some hard decisions about schooling next year. We have lots of options: public schools, private schools, home schooling or delaying school for 1 year to allow for greater maturity. Not a lot to think about!!!!! Actually we have been discussing this topic for about 3 years! Armed with school prospectuses, enrollment forms and my own experience as a teacher, I have formulated a list of questions that we will be putting forward to the Principals at each interview. We will in fact be interviewing them, not the other way around - at first anyway.
I am thinking of covering topics and questions such as:
- Does the school have any previous anaphylaxis experience?
- the need for staff training
- the need for his teacher’s level of awareness
- playground/ lunchtime supervision
- Is the junior school separated from older kids?
- bullying with food and bullying in general
- hand washing of his class prior to entering classroom after lunches
- medication use and storage
- supervision before and after school
- Do they have a school nurse?
- their ability to provide a safe, inclusive education
I have lots of questions, but the main one that I have I don’t think they will be able to answer: Will my boy be safe here?
I have read lots of literature and watched lots of television footage about children going to school with peanut allergies. I have read how schools “ban” peanuts. This information really is not applicable or practicable to dairy anaphylaxis sufferers (or soy, wheat, egg or the countless other allergens). More literature about integrating children with food allergies where the foods can’t be “banned” is desperately required.
Our investigation begins next week, and I hope to have some encouraging news to report…. for all our sakes!!