A two-year-old boy has been kicked out of nursery before he even started because he has an allergy to sesame and cow's milk.
The tot's parents were even asked to sign a waiver to agree to staff not administering his life-saving medication if he suffered an allergic reaction on the premises.
Little Atlas was due to start at The Wantage Nursery and Pre-School in Oxfordshire in January as he and his parents were moving house and his place was all booked and deposit paid.
But once mum Lily Boulle sent in his paperwork she got a shocking phone call that Atlas' spot had been rescinded because staff were not trained to use Epipens.
Speaking to the Mirror, Lily who works in marketing, said she was stunned when she was told the news and felt even more concerned by the option the nursery gave her next.
Lily, 30, said: "When we went to look round, they said they had a 'red plate' system where children with allergies would have their food on a special plate and would have someone sit with them.
"But after I sent over his paperwork I got a phone call to say they couldn't take him as he had an Epipen."
Lily said the nursery said Atlas could still have a place if she signed a waiver to say it was ok for staff not to administer his medication if he needed it.
The shocked mum said staff also asked if the two year old could administer the auto-injector himself during an allergy attack.
Lily said the family had been aware of the boy's allergies since he was eight months old, when a snack of cucumber and hummus saw the youngster needing an ambulance to take him to hospital as his face swelled and he struggled to breathe.
"For a parent of a child with an allergy, the thought of leaving them each day is terrifying," Lily said.
"I don't think parents, or anyone really, who hasn't lived with allergies, has the understanding of how serious it is."
Lily, said she immediately knew she needed to find somewhere else for her son's childcare.
"If staff don't have training for Epipens, what else don't they have training for and more worryingly how many people have signed that waiver," she said.
"People shouldn't be given that option, it's awful."
The Wantage Nursery and Pre-School, which was given a Requires Improvement grading when it was inspected by Ofsted last year, looks after children from birth to age five.
The nursery's deputy manager, who asked not to be named, told the Mirror: "We can't comment on anything to do with the children or their parents."
Allergy UK's chief executive Carla Jones told the Mirror: "It's always upsetting to hear that families who live with allergies are encountering challenges like this.
"This situation sadly highlights the gaps we know exist in the understanding of allergy and the regulations and guidelines around keeping children with allergies safe in early years and schools settings.
"This presents a problem for both the child, their families and the settings.
"It is why in our Patient Charter, we are calling for there to be mandatory allergy training for educators and for people to better understand allergy and take it more seriously.
" Allergy UK has a number of resources on its website, available for free to nurseries and families, on best practice to help to fill this gap."
