Sharon Tarr, head teacher of Ide primary school near Exeter, has written to parents explaining the ‘nut-free environment’ policy introduced yesterday
Parents have blasted a primary headteacher’s proposal to ban nuts from the school grounds.
Sharon Tarr, head teacher of Ide primary school near Exeter, has written to parents explaining the ‘nut-free environment’ policy introduced yesterday.
The list of banned products includes peanuts or peanut butter, packs of nuts, most chocolate spreads, fruit and cereal bars that contain nuts, chocolate bars and nutty sweets.
Sesame seed rolls, sauces with nuts, Turkish Delight and some biscuits are also off limits. The ban covers 130 pupils aged four to 11.
Miss Tarr wrote: ‘This list is not exhaustive, so please check the packaging of products closely.’
Some parents reacted angrily to the ban, claiming the majority of children were being penalised.
One said: ‘There isn’t much we can give them to eat.’
Another parent said: ‘The only nut ban should be the head…this is ridiculous.’
One parent said: ‘There isn’t much left we can feed our children from that blacklist.’
Miss Tarr said that the ban was to protect children starting at the school in January who suffer from severe nut allergies.
She said: ‘If a pupil with a nut allergy comes into contact with a nut product, it can have life threatening consequences.
‘It can easily be contracted from a simple touching of hands, not washing hans properly or touching tables that have been contaminated.
‘From January 2018 the school, pre-school and after school club will become nut free environments.’
She said the school had a policy not to use nuts in food prepared on the site.
‘Our suppliers provide us with nut free products. However they cannot guarantee freedom from nut traces’, she explained.
Parents have blasted a primary headteacher’s proposal to ban nuts from the school grounds at Ide primary school (pictured)
About one in 50 primary school-age children is affected by a peanut allergy which has led to some schools banning peanuts and other foods in the canteen, staff room and playground.
However Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said a no-nut school or nursery didn’t reflect the reality of the outside world.
He suggests a ‘whole school awareness’ approach instead, where staff and pupils know how to deal with allergic reactions.
A charity which supports people with severe allergies is also opposed to such bans in schools because it threatens to give children a ‘false sense of security’.
Lynne Regent, Chief Executive of the Anaphylaxis Campaign, told MailOnline: ‘We recognise that this is an issue which generates strong views. Generally speaking, the Anaphylaxis Campaign would not necessarily support a blanket ban of any particular allergen in any establishment, including in schools.
‘This is because peanuts and treenuts are only one of many allergens that could affect pupils, and no school could guarantee a truly allergen free environment for a child living with food allergy. We advocate instead for schools to adopt a culture of allergy awareness and education.
‘However, schools do have a duty of care to all pupils, so need to have procedures in place to minimise the risk of an allergic reaction occurring.
‘All patients are different, and specific cases need specific advice, so a comprehensive care plan that accommodates the child’s needs should be developed with the input of parents, carers and medical professionals.’