AQO 1397/22-27 Oral question to the Minister of Education
To ask the Minister of Education to outline how the Education Authority ensures children with severe allergies have access to support in school.
Asked by Kate Nicholl MLA on 9 January 2025
- Answered
- Oral
- Answered in the Chamber
- Tabled
- 9 January 2025
- Answer due by
- 21 January 2025
- Answered
- 21 January 202512 days after tabling
- Department
- Department of Education
- Priority question
- No
Answer
Answered in the Assembly Chamber on 21 January 2025. Extract from the Official Report (Hansard), including any supplementary questions:
Mr Givan
The Education Authority's special educational needs inclusion service medical needs team operates a central point of contact for schools and parents who have questions around the inclusion of children with medical needs, including those with allergies and anaphylaxis. The Education Authority advises that, in many cases, advice and support for children and young people and schools on severe allergies can be provided without the need for a statutory assessment. For children in respect of whom a healthcare specialist has confirmed that the anaphylaxis is severe or where a child has significant and complex difficulties, schools or parents can request that the Education Authority carries out a statutory assessment of their individual needs. That will help to determine whether any additional provision is needed over and above that which the school can provide.
Ms Nicholl
Thank you, Minister. I have been working with a young girl who has anaphylaxis. She is allergic to milk, dairy, eggs and nuts, which is a lot, and has really struggled with the inclusion service. Given what parents with children who have food allergies have to go through and the stress that it entails, the Food Allergies NI group has asked whether you would be willing to meet it to discuss what more can be done in schools and, in conjunction with the Health Minister, as regards a public health awareness campaign. Would you be willing to do that?
Mr Givan
I thank the Member for raising the issue. Through the census return of 2022-23, we were able to identify that just over 3,000 children were recorded as having anaphylaxis as a medical condition. Her constituent is an example of the 3,000 children in a similar position. There is already provision of departmental guidance on medication in schools. We are reviewing that with the Department of Health to make sure that the available guidance is there. To assure Members, all catering staff, for example, get annual training to make sure that they provide the right support for children and young people with allergies. They follow a plan to make sure that the foods that are prepared recognise those differences. The Education Authority is working on the area, and we are reviewing it. I would be more than happy to meet the group that the Member has asked me to meet to look at the issues.
Mr Buckley
I thank the Member for her original question. Whilst we know that children and parents face significant challenges in dealing with severe allergies, additional stress is also put on teaching staff who have to administer medication and, often, feel under-equipped to do so. Can the Minister outline whether those steps will include additional support for teachers, who often have to administer medication in difficult circumstances?
Mr Givan
I thank the Member for that, because he is right: making sure that the teaching profession and support staff have the confidence to know how to react in certain situations is important. We are reviewing the medication in schools guidance to make sure that it is as up to date as possible and that there is support in those scenarios.
Mr Speaker
We move on to topical questions.