Schools & early years

This information is to help teachers, pre-school and nursery workers, local authorities, pre-school groups, pre-school management committees and parents develop effective policies for dealing with asthma.

Pre-school guidelines

The guidelines tell you more about how children with asthma can control their condition, understand how to build the child's confidence, and create a safe environment for children with asthma where they can reach their full educational potential.

They aim to promote a working partnership between all concerned, resulting in the development and successful implementation of an asthma policy.

Click on the links below to download the guidelines.

School Asthma Pack

With the right healthcare management and support from their family, schools and the wider community, there is nothing that should stop the vast majority of pupils with asthma at your school from leading full and active lives.

By developing an active and integrated school asthma policy, you will help to ensure that pupils with asthma are healthy, stay safe, achieve their potential and are able to make a positive contribution.

Aimed at primary and secondary schools, this pack contains guidance for school staff, school nurses, head teachers, school governors/school boards, local education authorities/library boards, the school health service and others, to help develop and maintain an asthma policy that is customised to your individual school's needs.

Asthma UK recommends the pack for primary and secondary schools in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

The pack includes information about:

How pupils can control their asthma
Where to go to get legal advice on medicine administration
What you can do to create a safe school environment for pupils with asthma
What you can do to help pupils with asthma reach their full potential at school

You can download sections of the pack in PDF format using the links at the bottom of this page, or you can order a free copy by calling our Supporter & Information Team on 0800 121 62 55.

Medical Conditions at School website

Medical Conditions at School cross The Anaphylaxis Campaign, Asthma UK, Diabetes UK, Epilepsy Action and Cystic Fibrosis Trsut worked together to provide free resources which assist schools in England to support their students with medical conditions.

Medical Conditions at Schools: A policy resource

The Medical Conditions at School: A Policy Resource Pack, aims to help primary and secondary schools in England to include and support all pupils with medical conditions.

A medical conditions policy will ensure children and young people with medical conditions at your school can:

Be healthy
Stay safe
Enjoy and achieve
Make a positive contribution

The pack includes a policy framework, a template policy and guidance to help your school develop its own medical conditions policy, information on four medical conditions [Anaphylaxis, Asthma, Diabetes and Epilepsy], emergency procedure posters and useful forms including a Healthcare Plan.

The Medical Conditions at School: A Policy Resource Pack is available for school policy makers to download for free from www.medicalconditionsatschool.org.uk

Please note this resource has been designed for use in schools in England only and contains information about legislation that is relevant to England only. Asthma UK recommends that schools in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland refer to our School Asthma Pack (see above).

Medical Conditions at School – Awareness sessions

Medical Conditions Awareness Sessions is a tool for school healthcare professionals such as school nurses to use with school staff to raise awareness and understanding of five long-term medical conditions.

It is a series of ‘awareness sessions’ and includes slides and presenter notes for five long-term medical conditions (anaphylaxis, asthma, cystic fibrosis, diabetes and epilepsy).

This free resource is available to school healthcare professionals and can be downloaded for free in PowerPoint format from www.medicalconditionsatschool.org.uk

PE & sports at school

Exercise is good for everyone. Learn more about how children with asthma can exercise safely and get the most out of PE and sports at school.

As part of our 'Out There & Active' campaign Asthma UK produces a classroom poster featuring top sports stars which has information and advice about asthma and exercise, and a series of factsheets for PE teachers and coaches about individual sports including football, rugby and swimming.

'Out There & Active' posters and factsheets

Listen Up! competition

Asthma UK is running a competition asking young people to raise awareness of asthma in their school to help create a safe environment for children and young people with asthma.

Finalists will be invited to a youth conference called 'Listen Up' in Westminster in the autumn to showcase their ideas and they will also have the opportunity to meet their local MP.

The deadline for Listen Up! entries is Friday 24 July 2009.

Find out how to enter the Listen Up! competition

The AAAH!!! Project

Young people in Dudley, West Midlands, are benefiting from a resource pack produced by the Adolescent Asthma Awareness and Help (AAAH!!!) Project.

Funded by the Asthma UK Challenge Fund, the resource was produced with the help of young people from across Dudley, who were involved at every stage of the project.

It contains a DVD and CDROM of activity sheets and teachers notes, and is being used in schools, colleges and other youth settings in the area. Evaluation of the project has already demonstrated a better knowledge and understanding of asthma among young people and teachers, and its impact has recently been recognised by an award for Research in Child Health from the Royal College of Nursing.

The AAAH!!! Project resource pack is available to schools and healthcare professionals across the UK. To order your free copy, call Asthma UK’s Supporter & Information Team on 0800 121 62 55 or email info@asthma.org.uk.

Raise funds for children with asthma

Asthma UK’s Kick Asthma mini-marathon is a new school fundraising challenge to encourage pupils to get fit and active while raising money for the 1.1 million children in the UK with asthma.

Find out more about the Kick Asthma mini-marathon

Contact us with your own ideas

If you, your children or school have your own idea for raising money, email our Community Fundraising Team or call 020 7786 4995 for a fundraising pack.