Birmingham boy, 9, killed by school lunch fish finger despite his allergies being known

A Birmingham schoolboy died after eating a fish finger at a school lunch despite his fish allergy being known by staff, an inquest heard. Mohammad Ismaeel Ashraf suffered a fatal allergic reaction on 3 March at Al Hijrah School in Bordesley Green.

Birmingham Coroner's Court heard that the faith school were aware of Ismaeel's many allergies, which included fish and dairy products, but did not have an adequate response procedure in place, the Birmingham Mail reported.

Catering manager Deborah Park told the court that staff only knew about Ismaeel's dairy allergy, which was detailed on a special lanyard he wore.

"When I looked in the care plan after his death, I was shocked to discover he was allergic to fish," Park, who works for contractor Caterlink, said.

She said that Ismaeel had eaten fish and chips at school before and never suffered an allergic reaction.

Ismaeel's dad, Tehseen Ashraf, said that his son was only allergic to some fish and that he had regularly eaten white fish – although he did once have a reaction to tuna packaged in brine.

Ashraf told the court his son was allergic to all dairy products, all nuts, some fish and kiwi fruits.

The inquest heard a recording of an emergency call in which school staff told the operator they were having trouble finding his EpiPen.

Coroner Louise Hunt said the delay in giving him his EpiPen, which injects adrenaline to stimulate breathing and heartbeat, was central to understanding why Ismaael had died.

The court heard Ismaeel and six other Al Hijrah pupils were at risk of allergic reactions and special care plans telling staff what to do if they became unwell.

Park said that to her knowledge none of the canteen workers had read the care plans, even though a copy was kept in the kitchen.

Coroner Hunt said the exact cause of Ismaeel's death had not been determined but that she suspected it was an allergic reaction. The inquest continues.

In 2012 Al Hijrah headmaster Muhammad Saqib claimed his school was the most oversubscribed in the UK with 1,000 applicants competing for 60 places.

Pupils at the state school achieve high academic standards. The school is co-educational but boys and girls are taught in separate classes.