School bans birthday cakes and other sweet treats

STUDENTS at one small Macarthur region school will no longer be able to share a birthday cake with their classmates.

Children at one Campbelltown school won’t be sharing birthday cakes this year.

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STUDENTS at one small Macarthur region school will no longer be able to share a birthday cake with their classmates.

Birthday cakes and other similar sweet treats have been banned from this year.

St Thomas More Catholic Primary School, at Campbelltown, has advised parents that birthday cakes, slices, doughnuts, biscuits and similar foods will no longer be permitted to be brought to school and given to children to celebrate birthdays and other events.

The school also has taken steps to ensure any cakes or slices sold in the canteen are not cooked with nuts or eggs.

Children have been told parents can buy “ice blocks” for the class as a birthday treat instead of cake.

Egg sandwiches are also a no-go zone and will no longer be sold in the school canteen.

In the school newsletter, parents were told the school had taken the extreme steps to protect children who were severely allergic to such foods, particularly those that contained nuts and eggs.

Instead, it was suggested parents could buy an “ice block” for each child in the class in lieu of celebrating with a cake.

A Wollongong Catholic Education Office spokeswoman said diocese schools were guided by the NSW Education Department’s Anaphylaxis Procedures for Schools guidelines.

“This is managed on a school-by-school basis, where each individual school determines and implements the necessary risk management processes for their school based on the needs and circumstances of their student population – a strategy similarly implemented by a number of schools across the state,” the spokeswoman said.

“St Thomas More Catholic Parish Primary School, Ruse, has students attending the school who have severe allergic reactions to foods containing nuts and/or eggs.

“The safety of our students is our No.1 priority, and the school has acted accordingly, seeking to minimise the risk to these students by removing egg- and nut-based cakes and slices from the school canteen and asking parents to also not bring such foods in to school.

“Parents were notified of this change in term 4 last year, and the school has provided alternative ways for children’s birthdays to be celebrated at school in their most recent school newsletter.”

The NSW Education Department allergen guidelines leaves it up to individual schools as to whether they want to adopt a “blanket ban” on food such as nuts.

“To minimise the risk of exposure to a high risk allergen, schools must not use peanuts, tree nuts or any nut products in curriculum or extra-curricular activities. This does not include food labelled as may contain traces of nuts,” the policy states.

Sharing birthday cake has been banned at one Campbelltown school.

“These precautions apply to all schools whether or not any student is known to be at risk from anaphylaxis.

“A blanket ban on peanuts, tree nuts and nut products within the school is not required but may be agreed to by a school and its community.”

A Harrington Park mother said a highlight of the school year for her two children was celebrating their birthday at school.

“It’s more exciting because everyone is looking forward to sharing the cake,” she said.

“But I also understand why some schools go down the path of banning cakes. You’d never forgive yourself if a child had an allergic reaction.”