Abstract Acuteasthmaexacerbations(AAEs)canbelife-threatening,accelerate thedeclineinlungfunctionandmayincreasetheriskoffurtherattacks. Inhaledshort-actingß2agonistsarethefirst-linetreatmentforAAEs inschool-agedchildren.Theschoolpolicyshoulddescribehow touserescuebronchodilatorswithaspacerandwhentocall999. Schoolnursesshouldensurethatheadteachersareawarethat schoolscannowbuysalbutamolinhalersforemergencyuse. AAEsoftenindicatesuboptimalcare.AccordingtoAsthmaUK, just28%ofchildrenmeetallthreemarkersofgoodqualitycare:a writtenactionplan,checksofinhalertechniqueandastructured reviewatleastannually.AnAAEoffersschoolnursestheopportunity toencourageareviewofthechild’streatmentandotherelementsof care,whichhelpsreducetheriskofanotherattack.