SCHOOL governors have backed down over a decision to keep a young girl - who suffers from a rare peanut allergy - out of class because they could not give her life-saving drugs.

The U-turn comes just two weeks after governors at St Bartholemews Primary School, Great Harwood, asked Tracey Williams to take daughter Holly out of school.

The school claimed it could not administer her medicine, Epipen, if she had a reaction.

But after a meeting with Lancashire Education Authority bosses, eight-year-old Holly was allowed back to school, with teachers volunteering to administer the drug.

Holly's father, Glenn, of Park Avenue, Great Harwood, said: "I'm pleased Holly's been let back into school and very surprised the governors made the issue such a big deal.

"The antidote is very easy to use and only takes 10 seconds to inject. If Holly had been kept out of school any longer I'm sure her education would have suffered - all along that was our main concern."

The LEA's chief medical officer will meet teachers next Wednesday at school to show them how to administer the medicine. The antidote is vital if Holly accidentally eats peanuts because the reaction is so severe it can put her in hospital.

Mr Williams added: "We must thank Hyndburn MP, Greg Pope, who wrote to the LEA and asked them to sort the situation out. I feel his help was instrumental in getting Holly back to school swiftly.

"She was glad to see her school mates again."

Chairman of the school's governors, Mr John Aldred, declined to comment.

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