At a glance:
- Higher Lane Primary School first asthma-friendly school in Bury
- Paediatric community services working at the Northern Care Alliance (NCA) help train the school in the required standards.
- Asthma is the most common long-term medical condition in children in the UK, with around 1 in 11 children and young people living with asthma.
A school in Bury has become the first in the town to achieve ‘asthma-friendly’ status thanks to its efforts to support children with the condition.
Paediatric community services working at the Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust (NCA) have awarded Higher Lane Primary School in Whitefield the accreditation which highlights the work done to ensure the school supports children with asthma.
It also provides peer education sessions for both children with and without the condition on the importance of asthma management, the potential triggers and how to use inhalers effectively, particularly in an emergency. The group of students then become asthma champions.
Being an asthma-friendly school ensures emergency medication is available and that staff are aware of the children and young people most impacted by the condition.
A school can receive asthma-friendly status by ensuring the following standards are met:
- They develop an asthma policy and have an asthma register in place.
- All staff are trained in asthma awareness and there is a named asthma lead within school.
- All children and staff receive guidance on how to use an inhaler safely and effectively.
- Management of inhalers follows a consistent approach, and the school has a spare emergency inhaler and spacer. A spacer is a plastic tube that fits onto the mouthpiece of your inhaler. It helps you breathe the medicines into your lungs more easily.
- The school has a system in place to monitor when an inhaler is due to expire.
- All staff are aware of the process when escalating cases to health professionals and / or parents / carers.
Asthma is the most common long-term medical condition in children in the UK, with around 1 in 11 children and young people living with asthma.
This work is part of a National Bundle of Care for Children and Young People with Asthma which was launched by NHS England in 2021. It also follows a pilot in Manchester of the asthma-friendly schools programme which ran until April 2024.
Sonia Keane, paediatric nurse practitioner, Bury children’s community services, said: “I have enjoyed working with the school to support them in achieving asthma-friendly school status. The school is now in a better position to support pupils with the condition and in a better place to handle emergencies.
“We are working with other schools in Bury to achieve their accreditation and help make our schools a safer and more inclusive place for our children.”
Children’s comments about the training
‘I liked learning about the different colours / types of inhalers.’
‘I liked learning about how to deal with asthma and how to help’
‘I have asthma and loved learning new things about it.’
‘I enjoyed doing the fun activities and learning what it is like to have asthma.’
Headteacher of Higher Lane Primary School, Mr Ian Tetlow, said: “Becoming an asthma-friendly school is a real positive and serves as recognition of the systems and practices we have in place to support our children. An up-to-date register ensures we know which children we need to support and where we need to always maintain vigilance. Inhaler usage is monitored effectively along with expiration dates, and it is important that, as a school, we work closely with our parents to ensure that all children are safe in the school environment.
“We are very proud to have our work recognised and thank you to Mrs Nott in her lead role, the staff team and wider community for embracing the initiatives put in place.”
