ROBERT Le Kyng Primary School has banned all fish products to protect a new pupil with a potentially lethal allergy.

The move will likely provoke debate, and understandably so, as there are strong arguments both for and against such a strategy.

It is, of course, right and proper that strong measures should be taken to protect the child in question, as all children have the right to be educated among their peers wherever possible.

The important question, though, is whether a ban will be more or less effective than permitting fish but altering on-site food handling, preparation and disposal procedures.

Banning fish products from the school site means the school itself can never be accused of exposing the child to such products; beyond that, however, the usefulness of the measure is questionable.

It will not, for example, prevent exposure to other pupils who have eaten fish products during or since their last evening meal, or who are wearing clothes exposed to fish cooking odours.

Nor will it prevent contact with a pupil who has lately given the family cat tinned food containing fish and perhaps got some on their hands. The ban, in short, will not prevent any one of countless circumstances in which the allergic pupil might be exposed to fish.

We welcome the thoughts of our readers - and whatever those thoughts might be, we’re sure everybody sends their best wishes to a little girl facing big challenges.