School days can and should be some of the best times of your life. An opportunity to make friends, have fun and learn lessons to set you up for later life.

So it’s crucial that pupils are able to play a full part in school life without being held back by coeliac disease. Sadly, this isn’t always the case.

For this reason, we continue to work with partners across the UK to secure greater support, improved gluten free provision and stronger protections for children with coeliac disease in school.

In Wales, we chair the Care in Schools Alliance (a grouping of 20 health charities and healthcare professionals advocating on behalf of children with medical needs) and have in recent years helped secure improved statutory guidance to help protect the rights of children with coeliac disease in schools. We also sit on the Wales Local Government Association’s catering for special diets working groups helping develop best practice guidance for caterers to be rolled out next year.

In England we regularly engage with LACA (Local Authority Catering Association) regarding special diets provisions and are members of the Health Conditions in Schools Alliance advocating for improved support for children with medical needs in schools.

We recently contributed to updated guidance on support for children in schools in Scotland and are supporting the Education Authority in Northern Ireland on its review into its guidance for catering for special diets in school.