Talk to your child’s school

It is important to discuss your child's asthma with the teacher and school health representative. Explain how they can prevent or recognise symptoms and provide them with a copy of your child's asthma plan to follow in an asthma attack. The school itself can also help by becoming an Asthma Friendly School and having an asthma policy in place.

Permission and contact details

Ensure the school has your written permission to give reliever medicine in an emergency and that your contact phone numbers are kept up to date in school records. Check to see if your child's school has an asthma policy.

What is an Asthma Friendly School?

An Asthma Friendly School (AFS) is a school:

• that identifies children with asthma when they enrol at the school
• whose staff are educated in asthma safety
• that has an asthma policy
• that maintains a smokefree environment 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Benefits of Asthma Friendly Schools

Advantages of AFS schools include:

• Children with asthma are supported, learn more in the classroom and get more out of their school life.
• Some 550,000 school days are lost to asthma each year in New Zealand. AFS schools will have fewer absences to cope with and more children will be at school learning, rather than unwell at home.
• The risks of an asthma attack (or at least an attack nobody at the school can deal with) are reduced.
• Fuller student participation in physical activities. Children with asthma are often kept on the sidelines because their asthma is not managed. If everyone is more informed, it is much more likely that children with asthma will be able to take part in physical activities.

The Asthma Foundation can supply schools with a suggested asthma policy as part of its AFS programme. Schools that meet criteria receive an Asthma Emergency Kit including a reliever inhaler and a certificate stating they are an Asthma Friendly School.

Plan for trips and special activities

It is important for parents and schools to have a plan for school trips, camps, sports clubs and all activities where children with asthma are participating.

For more information on Asthma Friendly Schools contact the Asthma Foundation (details under 'Further information and support' below).

Related topics

Also see: Asthma first aid and Asthma in infancy and childhood and Asthma triggers

Original material provided by The Asthma Foundation of New Zealand. Reviewed by everybody, November 2010.