A teaching assistant mistook a five-year-old boy's fatal allergic reaction for a stomach bug when he vomited at school, an inquest has heard. Benedict Blythe collapsed and died at Barnack Primary School in Stamford, Lincolnshire, on 1st December 2021.
The schoolboy, who had joined Mensa aged four, was allergic to milk, eggs and some nuts and suffered from asthma. He died in hospital that day from food-induced anaphylaxis, Peterborough Town Hall heard.
Teaching assistant's response questioned
Benedict had been kept home the day before his death after feeling unwell overnight and vomiting, but woke up "in good health" on the fatal day. He was excited to open his advent calendar filled with dairy-free chocolate by his parents, the jury heard.
Sophie Brown, a teaching assistant at the school, told the inquest Benedict was "sick quite often" and she questioned him after he first vomited to check for allergic reactions. She said he appeared well, with no tingling mouth or visible hives.
Boy seemed happy between episodes
Ms Brown, who was trained in first aid and aware of Benedict's allergies, said the boy changed clothes before vomiting a second time 10 minutes later. Between the two episodes, she described him as "happy" and "giggling" whilst making comments about a book they were reading.
"He was off the day before so I assumed it was a bug," Ms Brown told the inquest. She said she did not know at the time why Benedict had been kept home from school the previous day.
School's milk storage system
The court heard milk for pupils was kept in two separate fridges at the school - one for dairy milk and one for dairy-free alternatives. Benedict had his own bottle at school to drink from, though he refused his oat milk that morning.
Ms Brown said she could not recall who gave Benedict his oat milk or whether he had asked for his inhaler after vomiting. The inquest previously heard from Benedict's mother Helen Blythe that vomiting was "always" the first symptom of his allergic reactions.
Emergency response unsuccessful
The school had been provided with a management plan detailing Benedict's usual symptoms. After he collapsed, his adrenaline auto-injector was administered twice, but he became unresponsive and was transported to Peterborough City Hospital where he later died.
The inquest has been adjourned until Wednesday morning.
(PA) Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.
