Asthma Policy

Around one in ten Australian children has asthma, so most classes at St Mary's College include a student who may need a reliever during the day, particularly in cold weather, at sport or during the spring pollen season. This policy explains how we plan for those students and how staff respond when a student has trouble breathing. Our College First Aid Officer, Mrs Julie Sanders (First Aid Room, next to the Junior office, firstaid@stmaryswc.vic.edu.au), coordinates asthma planning.

Purpose

To ensure students with asthma participate fully and safely in college life, and that every staff member can recognise and respond to an asthma emergency in line with Asthma Australia and Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools (MACS) guidance.

Scope

This policy applies to all students Prep–Year 12 at school, sport and training, OSHC handover, excursions and camps, and to all staff and volunteers supervising them.

Policy statement

Every student diagnosed with asthma must have a current Asthma Care Plan at the College, and every student who needs a reliever must have one available at all times. Staff follow the Asthma First Aid steps for any student in respiratory distress, whether or not they have a known diagnosis, and always err on the side of treatment.

Procedures

• Asthma Care Plan. Parents provide an Asthma Care Plan on the Asthma Australia template, signed by the student's doctor, at enrolment and annually thereafter. Plans are uploaded through the Parent Portal or handed to the office and are filed in the First Aid Room and the student management system. A reminder is sent in Term 4 for the following year.
• Reliever and spacer. Parents supply an in-date blue/grey reliever puffer and a spacer, both labelled with the student's name. Prep–Year 6 relievers are kept in the classroom asthma pouch (unlocked and clearly labelled) and travel with the class; students in Years 7–12 carry their own reliever. A second reliever may be left in the First Aid Room for sport.
• General-use stock. The First Aid Room holds 4 general-use reliever puffers and single-use spacers, with one reliever and spacer in every excursion, camp and sport first aid kit. Stock and expiry are checked monthly by the First Aid Officer.
• Asthma First Aid (4x4x4). Staff sit the student upright, stay calm and: give 4 separate puffs of reliever through a spacer, one at a time with 4 breaths each; wait 4 minutes; if there is little or no improvement, give another 4 puffs; if still no improvement, call 000 and repeat 4 puffs every 4 minutes until help arrives. If the student has a known allergy and could be having anaphylaxis, the adrenaline autoinjector is given first.
• Recording and notification. Every reliever use at school is recorded in the First Aid Register. Junior parents receive a First Aid Notification slip and a Parent Portal message the same day; Senior parents receive the Portal message. Any episode requiring more than the first 4 puffs is phoned through immediately.
• Sport and cold weather. PE staff carry the class asthma pouch to the Main Oval, Sports Centre and off-site venues. Students with exercise-induced asthma take their reliever before sport as directed by their plan. During Total Fire Ban days and smoky conditions, outdoor activity is modified under the Extreme Weather Policy.
• Training. All staff complete Asthma Australia's asthma first aid training every 3 years; PE staff and camp leaders annually. Casual relief staff are shown the asthma pouch location on arrival.

Responsibilities

Parents and carers

• Provide and renew the Asthma Care Plan and named reliever and spacer each year.
• Tell the teacher if your child has been unwell overnight or their asthma is unstable.
• Replace relievers before expiry and after any episode that uses significant doses.

Students

• Know where your reliever is; Senior students carry it at all times, including to sport.
• Tell a teacher as soon as you feel breathless, wheezy or tight-chested.

Staff

• Know which students have asthma and where relievers are kept; take the pouch outside.
• Follow Asthma First Aid, record every use and notify parents.

Related documents

• Medication & First Aid Policy
• Anaphylaxis & Allergy Aware Policy
• Excursions & Camps Policy
• Extreme Weather Policy
• Medical Forms & Health

Review

Policy owner: Deputy Principal – Wellbeing & Mission. Approved by the College Leadership Team February 2026; ratified by the College Advisory Council; next review February 2028.

Frequently asked questions

My child only gets asthma with colds. Do we still need a plan?

Yes. Any diagnosis of asthma, however mild or seasonal, needs an Asthma Care Plan so staff know how to respond. Your GP can complete the Asthma Australia template in a few minutes.

Can my Year 3 child keep their puffer in their bag?

Junior relievers are kept in the classroom asthma pouch so staff can find them quickly and they travel with the class. Bags are often in the corridor and not accessible in an emergency. From Year 7, students carry their own.

What if my child has an attack and their reliever is at home?

Staff use a general-use reliever from the First Aid Room or the sport kit and follow Asthma First Aid. We will phone you, and ask you to send a replacement the next day.

Does the College give the reliever before PE?

If your child's plan says to take a reliever before exercise, the PE teacher will remind them and supervise. Please make sure the plan says so.

Will I be told every time my child uses their puffer?

Yes. Every use is recorded and you receive a notification the same day; a phone call follows any episode needing more than the initial 4 puffs or an ambulance.