Many parents will worry about management of their child'sasthma during the school day, particularly in younger children. It is important that they work in partnershipwith the school and that teachers are fully informed about the child's condition.
What can parents do?
- Inform the school about their child's asthma
- Arrange a meeting and provide up-to-date written information about their child's condition and needs at school, to include:
- Information about what medications their child is using, how much and when they need to take them
- Triggers for asthma (eg dust mites, exercise)
- Signs of an asthma attack and what to do (asthma action plan)
- Inform the school of any changes to medications or asthma action plan
- Provide the school with a spare reliever, clearly labelled with the child's name (this may be kept by the school nurse)
- Ensure their child takes their reliever to school with them, clearly labelled with their name
- Ensure the reliever their child takes to school and the spare are within their expiry date
- Keep their child at home if they are not well enough to attend school
What can the school do?
- Ensure that teachers and other staff involved in the child's care are aware of triggers for the child's asthma, how to use a peak flow meter, how to give medications and what to do in the event of an asthma attack
- Ensure teachers are aware of the child's personalised action plan
- Ensure that spare inhalers are kept in a safe place and can be accessed quickly when needed
- Try and reduce the child's exposure to known triggers
- Look out for signs of an asthma attack - this particularly important during PE classes
What can the child do?
Dependent on the age of the child, they may be able to:
- Carry their medication
- Learn to use their inhaler properly
- Learn to use a peak flow meter - understand the results and know how to act if the number is too low
- Identify signs and symptoms of an asthma attack and tell their teacher if they experience them