Being ‘Allergy Aware’

At Oxley College we follow the guidelines of The National Allergy Strategy. Given the number of substances to which students may be allergic, it is not possible to remove all allergens and state, for example,  that we are ‘nut-free’. Therefore, rather than promoting that we ‘ban allergens’, we are ‘allergy-aware’. This involves staff creating student awareness around allergies that is age-appropriate, and implementing strategies such as discouraging food sharing, promoting handwashing, and encouraging parents to provide up to date medical information for their children, which includes having an ASCIA Action Plan for students who are at risk of anaphylaxis. All of our staff receive annual anaphylaxis training at the start of the year.’

Immunocompromised Students

As we have students at Oxley College who are immunocompromised, it is crucial to be aware of infectious illnesses that may be of concern to fellow students’ health. Infectious illnesses like chicken pox, shingles, measles, mumps, whooping cough, and hand, foot, and mouth disease are highly contagious and seriously impact the health and medical needs of immunocompromised students.

If your child is suspected of having any of these illnesses or is unwell, it is imperative that they refrain from attending school. Additionally, it is crucial for your child to stay home until they are no longer contagious whilst they are unwell. Information about infectious conditions can be found on national health websites such as www.health.gov.au, or you may contact your local general practitioner (GP).

If your child has chicken pox, shingles, measles, mumps, or whooping cough, or if there are suspicions of such illnesses, please notify the College immediately. Please call Student Services on 4861 1366 during office hours, or email clinic@oxley.nsw.edu.au. Doing so will enable us to assess the duration and extent of any potential contact and help us to minimise the potential risk of exposure to immunocompromised students.

Thank you for helping to keep our children safe.

Nurse Bec