Schools: Children’s Health

As a leading provider of Health & Safety eLearning, our experts are often asked about Children’s Health in Schools. We’ve collected all of those questions and answered them for you below…

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Frequently asked questions
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Frequently asked questions

If your child has an EpiPen then this should be administered, but only if you know how to use it correctly. Regardless of whether it has been administered or not, call 999 and you will be advised on what to do next. It is often recommended that you call 999 even when an EpiPen has been administered too.
A child is allowed to carry their own inhalers but it is advised that they are able to use it properly and not misuse it. This is up to the discretion of the school nurse or parents. It is advised for schools to have back up nebulisers in case of emergencies but it is not a legal requirement. Sometimes a child may keep their inhalers in the medical office at a school.
It is a severe allergic reaction to something and it can be life-threatening. When a child is experiencing an anaphylactic shock they might experience light-headedness, issues breathing, increased heart rate, sweats, anxiety & confusion or possibly losing consciousness.
Triggers include alcohol, smoking, mould, exercise, colds & flu, specific foods, dust, weather, pollution, stress, sex, animals, female hormones and more…
Type 1 diabetes – is insulin dependent. The body attacks its own pancreas with antibodies and it doesn’t make insulin. This means that people have to inject insulin each day and also test blood sugar levels. Type 2 diabetes – this is the most common and milder form. In this case, the pancreas does produce insulin but not enough or the cells are resistant to it. People who are obese are at particular risk of it. Type 2 needs to be controlled with good diet, weight and exercise, if it gets worse, insulin may need to be administered.
There are various medications to treat diabetes and there is the extra variation of what diabetes you are treating too. Some people have to trial a few different medications until they find the right one. Some of the possible medications are:
- Metformin
- Sulphonylureas
- Gliptins
- SGLT2 inhibitors
- Acarbose
- Incretin mimetics
- Prandial glucose regulators
- Glitazones
A wide range of things can trigger epileptic fits. Listed below are some of the triggers:
- Not eating correctly
- Lack of sleep
- Not taking medication
- Stress
- Flashing lights
- Some women find it can be affected by their period
- Alcohol & drugs
- Illness
- Excess caffeine
- Specific medications
If you think that a child is having an asthma attack follow these steps:
- Sit them up straight & try to calm them
- Get their reliever inhaler and get them to take 1 puff every 30-60 seconds, up to ten puffs.
- Call 999 if their symptoms continue to get worse, the 10 puffs don’t make them feel better or you’re worried and they haven’t properly inhaled. Or if you do not have the reliever inhaler with you.
- If the ambulance takes longer than 15 minutes, repeat step 2
What asthma medicines there are available
- Record keeping – seeing if a child needs an individual healthcare plan
- PE – remind children with asthma to take inhalers before PE, be aware of which children have asthma
- Out of hours sport – to make sure that staff who come into schools to run sports club are aware of children with asthma
- Make sure that a child’s asthma is not affecting their learning experience
- Plan for emergencies – what to do with an asthma attack
As well as the physical symptoms and restrictions of having allergies there are emotional effects too. Sometimes having an allergy can be embarrassing for a child. It is important to reassure children that everyone faces some kind of challenge, whether that’s wearing glasses, having learning difficulties etc. If they are older it is important to involve them in their medication and treatment of their allergy to give them some control. The way in which a child deals with their allergies can depend on a variety of things, like their age, character, what allergies they have and how much support they have. A child’s friends should be made aware of their allergies so that they know what to look out for and make sure that they don’t share food that might hurt them. Children should also be made aware of the signs of an allergic reaction in other children so that they know when to call a teacher for help.