Medical Information

St Helena’s Catholic Primary School is an Allergy Aware School and therefore will not be encouraging any nut products at the School. St Helena’s Catholic Primary School is also an Asthma Friendly School and will operate under the Asthma Australia guidelines.

As an allergy aware school our aim is to inform staff, parents/caregivers and students about the risks of allergies, with a focus on food allergies, and also to provide a supportive environment in which children at risk of allergy/anaphylaxis can feel safe.

Mild to moderate symptoms of allergy can include swelling of face, lips and/or eyes, hives or welts on the skin, stomach (abdominal) pain and vomiting. Severe allergic reactions (anaphylaxis) affect breathing and the heart, and can therefore be life threatening. The most common causes of anaphylaxis in schools are food and insect allergies.

The key to prevention of anaphylaxis is to identify allergens and prevent exposure to them.

Our School supports students at risk of anaphylaxis in the following ways:

• training staff

• teaching students not to share food with their peers

• educating students about allergies and anaphylaxis, and

• requesting that parents refrain from sending nuts and nut-based products to school.

We ask you to support the School’s risk minimisation strategies so that we can increase safety and provide an environment that meets the needs of all our students.

For further information about allergies and anaphylaxis visit https://allergyaware.org.au/