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So annoyed with the pre school

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Hi,

I'm so annoyed with my daughters pre school as they just don't seam to think asthma is serious!

A few weeks ago I sent my dd to pre school she was a bit chesty that day so I asked them to give her a few puffs on her inhaler before p.e which she has donebefore and was fine! She was fine to go bit got worst whilst she was there.

Anyway my mum picked her up after a full day at nursery very poorly by this point and unable to complete the 10 min walk home and by the time I finished work she ended up in a&e needing oxygen and nebulisers she was sent home late that night n we was back up there first thing the very next morning for the same.

I'm so anoyed with the pre school they have contact numbers of 6 different people and didn't call any of us! They decided she wasnt well enough to do p.e in the end and gave her some inhaler surly I'f they thought she wasnt well enough to do p.e they should of rang me! I don't know what to do I have already wrote them a letter explaining her asthma and how serious it can be. I don't like sending her anymore she only has a few months left there I hope the school is better!

Has anyone experienced anything like this?

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angievere profile image
angievere

Hi Isabelle, I'm sort of surprised and sort of not - if that makes sense. My experience of pre-schools is that they are usually very vigilant with children with illnesses but as in everything, much depends on the staff at the time - and they can vary (unfortunately!)

I would follow this up with the pre-school. Make an appointment to see the head and explain what happened and what procedures they must follow in future. Emphasise how serious asthma is - if none of the staff have encountered asthma before they probably just dont realise how serious it can be. I'm afraid I encountered this ignorance at my son's primary and secondary schools, so it's something parents of asthmatic children have to be prepared for.

After the meeting, put in writing briefly what happened and how you want your daughter to be treated in future. Give a copy to the head of preschool and keep a copy for yourself.

Good luck and I hope your little girl gets better quickly.

Agreed with Angievere. Annoying but true, it often depends on who is on duty at the time, esp. in pre-schools where there isn't always the consistency of adults, and those who are there are often dealing with a myriad of coughs, splutters, wet underpants, runny noses and general little people that sometimes things get overlooked. Or worse, sometimes people think they know best (we've all been there... someone giving you *really* helpful advice like, ""just breathe, dearie!"")

A written complaint, with a request for an explanation of what policies have now been put in place, is the way to go. And for the future...

The trick in all educational establishments is to MAKE A FUSS and provide the school with clear guidance, especially when the child is too young to do it themselves. Unfortunately, sometimes people are scared to do anything in case of litigation (i.e. being sued for giving a child too many drugs / not enough drugs / touching child) that they sometimes try to bury heads in sand. It's about making them confident enough to respond appropraitely.

I'd write a written action plan, and insist all staff who come into regular contact with your child (INCLUDING cover staff and receptionists) are trained in it. A copy goes in the office, too. I'm asthmatic myself, and all the people I'd expect to know about a child also know about me. It states quite clearly where my meds are, when to help me take them, what to do if certain things happen (and not in vague terms, quite clear ""if after 5 minutes of 4 puffs every thirty seconds I am still blue around the mouth / coughing / wheezing or fading concentration call 999."" My arbitrary but memorable measure for whether I'm safe to go back is, ""Can i say the full first verse of Nellie the Elephant without coughing or wheezing? If so, send me back. If not, more ventolin and reassess in 3 minutes"").

The more aware people are of the different stages, the more likely they'll respond appropriately. Yours could include things like ""if x is unwell enough, in your opinion, for PE or active lessons, administer two puffs and call home,"" or ""if x would like to play, but it's cold outside, administer two puffs and monitor every five minutes."" Ulimately, the first one should always be, ""If unsure and x appears seriously unwell, call 999. If unsure and x seems alert, and coping, call home.""

Teach your child (if you haven't already) trigger words for staff. So just as little people can tell when they need to go to the loo and can tell a teacher, try to help her understand when she needs meds and when she needs to tell a teacher she's feeling poorly.

Does she wear a medalert bracelet? ICEgems do some cool ones for kids.

Ultimately, we can never guarantee the right person will be there at the right time and do the right thing. All we can do is make sure everyone who is likely to be there knows what the right thing is, to maximise chances of appropriate and timely help.

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