Asthma in School: A Guide for Teachers

Rachel Gordon

July 29, 2025

5 min read

It’s vital that all children feel safe at school. Not only does this ensure that it remains an open and supportive environment, it keeps them engaged with their education and encourages an active approach to learning. For children with medical conditions such as asthma, school may not always feel safe. Judgement from other pupils, dismissal by teachers or a general lack of understanding of their medical condition can make them feel isolated and at risk. As such, it’s imperative that schools know how to support students with asthma so that they feel safe in the school environment. In this article we will outline everything you need to know about managing asthma in schools.

What is Asthma?

Asthma is a relatively common and long-term lung condition that affects breathing. Asthma is caused by airway sensitivity and inflammation which narrows the airways making it difficult to breathe. The symptoms of asthma typically develop in childhood however it’s possible to develop asthma at any age. Whilst the condition cannot currently be cured, if well treated and properly managed the symptoms of asthma can be controlled.

The main symptoms of asthma include:

Shortness of breath
Chest tightness
A chronic cough
Wheezing
Difficult sleeping
Rapid breathing

Young girl struggling with an asthma attack

It’s important to note that as asthma impacts the lungs and therefore oxygen intake, it can lead to fatigue and low energy levels as more effort is required to breathe.

Asthma symptoms can be mild or severe, they can come on quickly, seemingly out of the blue, and they can be worse at night and early in the morning. An asthma attack refers to when symptoms increase in severity and become life-threatening, such as an intense difficulty to breathe.

Asthma symptoms can occur randomly or after exposure to a particular trigger. Common asthma triggers include:

Allergies – allergic reactions to dust mites, animal fur or pollen can trigger asthma symptoms
Smoke
Pollution
Physical activity (also known as exercise-induced asthma)
Stress and strong emotions
Chest infections such as a cold or the flu

Identifying triggers is an important part of managing the symptoms of asthma as it enables people to avoid those triggers. For example, this may mean a student needing to take regular breaks during P.E lessons to avoid triggering an asthma attack.

Asthma Treatment

As mentioned, asthma cannot currently be cured and it is a life long condition. However, it can be treated. The main treatments for asthma are steroid preventer medicine to prevent the symptoms and reliever medicine to treat the symptoms and asthma attacks. This medication is typically taken through an inhaler as this helps the medicine to get straight into the airways.

Reliever inhalers contain bronchodilators which quickly open the airways and enable easier breathing. Reliever inhalers are often blue and they are the most common type of inhaler. You can learn more about the different types of reliever inhalers here.

Steroid preventer inhalers contain corticosteroids and they are used to lower the risk of asthma attacks and symptoms. Steroid preventer inhalers reduce inflammation and swelling in the airways. They are usually brown or beige though they can also be red or pink. You can learn more about the different types of steroid preventer inhalers here.

A child taking his inhaler during a PE lesson at school

In 2024 the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) updated their guidelines on asthma treatment. They now recommend that everyone with asthma should have treatment with inhaled steroids and that no one with asthma should only have a blue reliever inhaler.

Inhalers save lives and so it is vital that any child with asthma has an inhaler with them at all times. Ideally, a pupil should have their inhaler on their person so that they can use it to relieve their symptoms immediately without having to find a member of staff or go to a secondary location to retrieve it. This may be harder to manage with younger children who may struggle to administer the medicine by themselves. However, as soon as a child is able to use their inhaler alone they should always keep it with them, such as in their school bag or pocket. The Department for Education (DfE) advises that asthma inhalers should always be readily available to children and not locked away. For children who require medication in schools, it’s imperative that they can quickly access their medicine as and when needed.

Asthma in Schools

Asthma can impact every aspect of a child’s life including their life at school and by extension, their education. As mentioned above, the symptoms of asthma can cause extreme fatigue as a child must expend more effort simply to breathe. This can impact their energy levels and in turn their concentration levels and ability to actively engage with their education. Moreover, if a child does not feel like their school environment has adequately accommodated their asthma they may feel justifiable stress and anxiety about going to school. For example, a pupil who suffers from exercise-induced asthma may naturally take it a bit easier during P.E lessons. If their teacher does not understand their condition or thinks it is simply being used ‘as an excuse’ they may push the pupil to over-exert themselves which could trigger a potentially life-threatening asthma attack. That student is then likely to feel a lot of fear and stress about going to school.

It’s important to consider that a child may be exposed to additional asthma triggers when at school. As different people from different households interact they can potentially introduce harmful asthma triggers such as dust mites, pollen or animal fur. Moreover, strong emotions such as excitement and anxiety, common emotions for a child to feel whilst at school, can also trigger asthma symptoms.

All schools have a duty to support pupils with medical conditions and this is mandated by section 100 of the Children and Families Act 2014. Under the act schools must make arrangements to support pupils at school with medical conditions. Moreover, statutory guidance from the DfE states that:

Pupils at school with medical conditions should be properly supported so that they have full access to education, including school trips and physical education.
Governing bodies must ensure that arrangements are in place in schools to support pupils with medical conditions.
Governing bodies should ensure that school leaders consult health and social care professionals, pupils and parents to ensure that the needs of children with medical conditions are properly understood and effectively supported.

Asthma Friendly Schools

One of the most impactful ways that a school can support pupils with asthma is by becoming an Asthma Friendly School. An Asthma Friendly School is one in which pupils with asthma are safe to fully participate in all elements of school life. It demonstrates a commitment to keeping children safe by ensuring that all staff know what to do if a child has an asthma attack. The criteria for becoming an Asthma Friendly School varies from region to region and many schools achieve this status through self-assessment. However, an Asthma Friendly School is typically one that:

Adopts and adheres to their local authority recommended asthma policy
Has a named asthma lead
Maintains an up-to-date asthma register of the children in its care
Ensures staff complete asthma training and annual updates
Ensures staff can recognise when a child is having an asthma attack and what to do if that happens
Ensures that children with asthma have easy access to their inhaler(s)

Some Asthma Friendly Schools will also have an emergency inhaler on site. This is not a legal requirement however guidance from the Department of Health encourages schools to have an emergency inhaler on site. The Human Medicines (Amendment) (No.2) Regulations 2014 allows schools to buy salbutamol inhalers without a prescription for use in emergencies.

Emergency inhalers should only be used by children who have been diagnosed with asthma, have been prescribed an inhaler and for whom the school has written parental consent.

Want to Learn More?

Our Paediatric First Aid training course will provide you with the necessary knowledge to deliver paediatric first aid in an emergency, giving you the confidence to assist pupils in a wide range of situations.

It’s important to remember that anxiety around managing asthma in schools may not only come from a pupil. For parents whose children have any kind of medical condition, sending their child to school can be a terrifying experience. Effective asthma management can therefore help to reassure parents that their child’s condition will be taken seriously and that they will be safe whilst at school. Parents and carers may well ask questions about how their child’s asthma will be managed in school and it’s important that you can answer these questions to offer peace of mind.

Questions from parents and carers may include:

What will you do if my child gets asthma symptoms?
Have teachers/staff had any asthma training?
What policies does the school have regarding asthma?
Where will my child’s inhaler be kept?
Does the school have an emergency inhaler?

How to Manage Asthma in School

Below you will find guidance on how you can manage asthma in your environment. Managing asthma in schools is important as it keeps children safe and reassures parents that in their absence their child’s medical needs will be taken seriously.

Establish a School Asthma Policy

As mentioned schools have a legal responsibility to support children with medical conditions. A clear asthma policy can help to support students with asthma by providing information for staff on the condition, how it can impact students, information on inhaler devices and how to use them, and how the school will support a student with asthma. The policy should be developed using government guidance and should be regularly updated to ensure that it remains effective.

Train Staff

Ensuring staff have a baseline understanding of asthma provides them with the vital knowledge to keep children safe. Staff should be trained to recognise the signs of an asthma attack and what to do if a child has an asthma attack. This training can be completed by an external provider who comes into your environment or via online training. Posters can then be used as visual reminders for staff, reiterating what they should do if a child has an asthma attack. Displaying these posters in prominent places such as the staff room, school canteen and bathrooms ensures that staff are frequently reminded of the steps they should take and that they have an easily accessible reference in the case of an emergency.

Establish an Asthma Register

Schools have a legal responsibility to maintain an asthma register. The register should be updated regularly and must include the name and date of birth of the pupil. As mentioned, schools can purchase emergency inhalers, however they must have written parent consent before it can be used in an emergency. An asthma register is a good place to collate this information and document parent consent. The register should be available to all staff so that they know which pupils have asthma and can therefore exercise extra vigilance when necessary.

Ensure Children have an Asthma Action Plan

An asthma action plan is a written plan, similar to an Individual Healthcare Plan, with all the information that you need about a child’s asthma in one place. Action plans can vary in the level of detail but they generally include information on the medication that a child takes for their asthma, individual triggers they may have and signs that indicate that their asthma is getting worse. Asthma + Lung UK have a detailed child asthma action plan which they encourage families to fill in with a GP or nurse. An asthma action plan can help to reassure a child and their parents that a school has all the necessary information to keep them safe.

If a child’s asthma plan includes their known triggers, schools can then use this information to better tailor activities with asthma friendly alternatives ensuring that no child feels left out or has to risk triggering an attack in order to participate.

Acquire a School Emergency Inhaler

Schools do not have a legal responsibility to have an emergency inhaler, however having one can be incredibly beneficial. It can help to prevent an unnecessary and potentially traumatic trip to hospital for a child and, by extension, save their lives. Parents are also likely to have a greater peace of mind if they know that their child’s school has an emergency inhaler should the need arise. If you choose to acquire an emergency inhaler you should also establish a protocol on how and when the inhaler should be used so that staff know what to do in the event of a child having an asthma attack. An emergency inhaler can only be used by children who have been prescribed one and for whom the school has written parental consent.A

Asthma is a life long condition that can affect all aspects of a child’s life. However, with proper treatment it can be managed and the negative impacts kept to a minimum. All children should feel safe at school and they should feel confident that their school and the adults around them know how to keep them safe. Effective asthma management is integral to keeping children safe and parents reassured, ensuring that all children with asthma can participate in school life to the fullest extent.