SIR – Following your story of October 16, as headteacher of a school in Bradford I would like to confirm that a great many children are supplied with inhalers but are never shown how to use them.

As an asthma sufferer myself, I find that I have to give tuition, showing the children by example how the inhaler needs to be used so that it will give relief to their symptoms.

I feel compelled to do this or most of the powder from the inhaler ends up around the room and not in the child’s lungs.

I have never received an asthma action plan for any of the pupils and most of them are unaware as to what triggers an asthma attack for them or even, in some cases, the difference between being out of breath from running and an asthma attack.

I feel very sorry for parents like Mrs Riaz, who I have known for around eight years. She conscientiously follows all the instructions she is given, but herself and her children have had severe attacks where they have had to be hospitalised.

Children do die from asthma attacks and parents and schools need to know the severity of a child’s asthma and how best to support their care.

Mary Midgley, headteacher, Netherleigh and Rossefield School, Parsons Road, Heaton