Helping north east London schools to become Asthma and Allergy Friendly

Asthma is the most common long-term condition in children. It can cause breathlessness, coughing and wheezing which is triggered by air pollution, allergies and infections like colds or flu. A worsening of these symptoms is known as an asthma attack, and in some severe cases, it can be life-threatening. Around 6,700 children attended A&E last year with asthma in north east London.

To help improve the health and wellbeing of local children and young people with asthma, we have been encouraging and supporting local schools to become Asthma and Allergy Friendly.

Asthma and Allergy Friendly Schools is a national initiative which helps schools to become a safe, healthy and inclusive environment for children with asthma and allergies. Asthma affects an average of 3 children in every classroom and it can have major implications on a child’s life, including needing time off school or not being able to take part in the same activities as others their age.

Whilst parents/carers are supported by GPs or asthma specialists in the management of their child’s asthma, schools have a vital role in ensuring children with asthma are safe during school hours. This initiative helps to reduce the risk of asthma or allergy attacks at school and aims to improve attendance and academic potential for all children with asthma and allergies.

To become ‘Asthma and Allergy Friendly’ schools must meet specific criteria, such as developing an asthma and allergy policy, having emergency medical kits on school premises and ensuring each child has an asthma/allergy care plan. 

When I started in my role as ‘NEL Children’s Asthma Practitioner’, Newham and Tower Hamlets were the only boroughs across north east London who had started to implement the initiative. The next step was to encourage all NEL schools to sign up.

The launch of Asthma and Allergy Friendly Schools for Waltham Forest, Redbridge, Havering, Barking & Dagenham and City & Hackney began in January 2024. Many schools already had many of the criteria in place and achieved full accreditation quickly and easily. I supported implementation by creating resources for schools to use to use in collaboration with the children’s GP lead, school nurses and public health colleagues.

The main barriers schools faced was a lack of time and limited finances to achieve accreditation. To help overcome this, template documents were developed that schools could easily modify. This saved schools valuable time and effort in creating the documentation needed to achieve accreditation. A local school shared their experience with me and how they “felt 100% supported throughout the process. Being Asthma and Allergy Friendly not only demonstrates a commitment to the health and well-being of our pupils but also signifies a dedication to quality and safety.”

To further support the initiative, we have worked with pharmacies in each borough to provide emergency medication at cost price for the schools who were undertaking the accreditation to help ease some of the financial burden associated with the initiative.

To build further momentum for the project, we have recruited to three new roles in Barking & Dagenham, Havering and Redbridge. These roles are ‘Asthma and Allergy Friendly School Co-ordinators’ and will focus on the delivery of the project in their respective boroughs.

131 schools are now part of the initiative, and our aim is to support every school in north east London to become Asthma and Allergy Friendly so that every child with asthma and allergies can receive the care they deserve and live their lives to their fullest potential.

Jessica Russell,
Children and Young People’s North East London Asthma Practitioner, NHS North East London / Young Barts Health