• Natasha’s Foundation, the UK’s food allergy charity, launches FREE breakfast club training for school staff on 1 October.
• The online training will support primary schools as the Government’s free breakfast club scheme rolls out in England.
• Developed in collaboration with High Speed Training and Chartwells.
• With 1 in 13 children living with food allergies, the short and convenient training can help schools give ALL children the best start to the day.
Natasha’s Foundation, the UK’s food allergy charity, is launching a new breakfast club training course for school staff on 1 October to help keep children with food allergies safe.
Research shows when children start the day with full stomachs and a healthy breakfast, it boosts their attendance, behaviour and focus.
To ensure all children start the day ready to learn, the Government has introduced free breakfast clubs in primary schools.
As 1,400 further primary schools across England join the scheme, Natasha’s Foundation is helping schools ensure all pupils can join in safely and feel the benefits, including the 1 in 13 children with food allergies.
Through the Foundation’s educational programme Allergy School, it has joined forces with High-Speed Training and leading school catering company Chartwells to create an indispensable and easy-to-use course for all staff involved in delivering breakfast clubs.
Called Conducting a food allergy safe breakfast club, the training covers everything staff need to know to keep children with food allergies safe and fully included.
The short, online and FREE course includes:
• Understanding food allergies and other food hypersensitivities
• Checklists and allergen identifiers
• Controlling cross-contamination
• Reporting issues and concerns.
Around 2 children in every classroom now live with food allergies so this free training provides a powerful and vital tool to help staff deliver a safe and fully inclusive breakfast club.
With the Government’s breakfast club scheme ultimately set to extend to every primary school in England, Allergy School’s short online course can empower schools to take part with confidence.
It is also totally compliant with Benedict’s Law, new legislation which has introduced robust statutory allergy safety guidance in schools across England.
However, the free training can also provide valuable support to schools right across the UK. Wales and Scotland have led the way on free breakfast club provision, and Allergy School’s new training has been designed to be applicable across all the UK nations.
Schools in England can also sign up for Allergy School’s free Allergy and anaphylaxis training, designed to get schools fully compliant with Benedict’s Law and meet the new requirement for allergy training for all school staff.
So far, more than 180,000 educators and school staff have completed this free and fully accredited training, which compliments the new breakfast club training course.
Tanya Ednan-Laperouse OBE, founder of Natasha’s Foundation, said:
“Children with food allergies need safe food options so they can enjoy breakfast clubs without fear or anxiety.
“This training will give schools the tools they need to ensure that free breakfast clubs are food allergy safe environments.”
Jan Parnell, Director of Education at Natasha’s Foundation, said:
“School staff need the confidence and knowledge to deliver a free breakfast club programme, while ensuring that all children are safe, including those with food allergies.
“This new free training will help ensure that all children, including those with food allergy, are included and protected.”
Schools can sign up now for FREE training at the allergy school website.
Meg Hughes, Director of Nutrition and Sustainability at Compass Education, said:
“We’re proud to have worked with Natasha’s Foundation and High-Speed Training on this important new training resource. It will help school staff deliver safe and inclusive breakfast clubs for all pupils.
“The clubs play a huge role in supporting children’s health, wellbeing and readiness to learn, so it’s wonderful to see the government expand the scheme.
“At Chartwells, we are passionate about helping schools create environments where every child can thrive. Through this training, teams will be given the knowledge to meet the needs of all pupils, including those living with food allergies, helping ensure every child can start the day safely.”
Allergy School
Allergy School, the educational arm of Natasha’s Foundation, is a pioneering national initiative which aims to transform how schools manage food allergy so all children feel empowered, included and protected.
Allergy School offers a variety of free training and resources for all stages of education, as well as out-of-school settings. Its range of dynamic and age-appropriate resources are endorsed by the Department for Education.
About Natasha’s Foundation
Natasha Ednan-Laperouse lived with multiple food allergies. She died in 2016, aged 15, after eating a baguette containing sesame, to which she was allergic.
The sesame seeds were not visible, and the allergen was not marked on the label. Natasha’s death was entirely preventable.
Natasha’s parents, Tanya and Nadim Ednan-Laperouse OBEs, launched Natasha’s Foundation to advance research, raise awareness and strive for breakthroughs to better protect people with food allergy.
To find out more about Natasha’s Foundation and its mission to create a future without food allergy, visit the Natasha’s Foundation website.
