Allergy safety in schools has changed.
From the 2026/27 academic year, schools in England are working under strengthened allergy-safety requirements introduced following the campaign for Benedict’s Law.
For education providers, this is an important shift.
Allergy awareness can no longer be treated simply as information held by the first aider, school office or the teacher of a particular child. The new approach places much greater emphasis on whole-school allergy awareness, staff training, individual planning, emergency preparedness and learning from incidents and near misses.
For schools reviewing their arrangements, the key question is simple:
If a pupil experienced anaphylaxis in your setting today, would the adults around them recognise what was happening and know what to do?
What Is Benedict’s Law?
Benedict’s Law is the name associated with the campaign that followed the death of five-year-old Benedict Blythe, who died after experiencing an allergic reaction at school.
The campaign called for stronger and more consistent protections for children with allergies, including better staff training, clear allergy policies and improved emergency preparedness.
In April 2026, the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026 became law. Section 34 introduced specific allergy-safety provisions for schools.
The Department for Education subsequently published new statutory Allergy Safety in Schools guidance on 6 July 2026.
The guidance sets out how relevant schools should support pupils with allergies, including requirements and expectations around allergy policies, staff training, Individual Healthcare Plans, emergency arrangements and reviewing serious incidents and near misses.
For a more detailed breakdown of the legislation and what schools need to prepare, read our Benedict’s Law 2026: Is Your School Ready for the New Allergy Safety Requirements? guide. Read our full Benedict’s Law 2026 guide
What Does the New Allergy Guidance Require?
The statutory guidance applies to governing bodies of local-authority-maintained schools, management committees of pupil referral units and proprietors of academies, including free schools and alternative provision academies, within the scope defined by the Department for Education.
Schools are expected to take a structured, whole-setting approach to allergy safety.
This includes having and publishing an allergy safety policy, ensuring staff receive appropriate allergy-safety training, identifying children and young people who require an Individual Healthcare Plan (IHP) and recording and learning from serious allergy incidents and near misses.
The legislation also requires relevant schools to review their allergy safety policy at least annually and have regard to statutory guidance.
That makes allergy safety an ongoing responsibility rather than something that should only be considered when a pupil with a known severe allergy joins the school.
Why Whole-School Allergy Awareness Matters
A serious allergic reaction does not necessarily happen while a trained first aider is standing beside the child.
It could happen in the classroom.
It could happen during lunch.
It could happen in the playground, on a school trip, during breakfast club, in an after-school activity, during PE or while a child is being supervised by someone who does not normally work with them.
That is why allergy awareness needs to extend beyond designated first aiders.
Teachers, teaching assistants, lunchtime supervisors, catering staff, office teams, support staff, wraparound-care teams, temporary staff and others responsible for pupils may all have an important role to play.
Staff should know how to recognise a possible allergic reaction, understand when symptoms could indicate anaphylaxis, know how to access emergency medication and follow the school’s emergency procedures promptly.
What Is Anaphylaxis?
Anaphylaxis is a serious and potentially life-threatening allergic reaction.
It can develop rapidly and may affect breathing, circulation or a person’s level of responsiveness.
Possible signs can include swelling of the tongue or throat, difficulty breathing, wheezing, changes to the voice, dizziness, collapse or other rapidly developing symptoms.
One important part of allergy and anaphylaxis training is understanding that not every reaction looks exactly the same.
Staff therefore need more than a checklist of symptoms. They need the confidence to recognise when a situation is becoming serious and understand the emergency procedures within their own setting.
Where children have prescribed adrenaline auto-injectors (AAIs), staff also need to understand how those arrangements work and how medication can be accessed quickly during an emergency.
Individual Healthcare Plans and Allergy Action Plans
Children with significant allergies may require an Individual Healthcare Plan setting out the support they need while at school.
The plan can include information about the child’s allergens, previous reactions, signs and symptoms, prescribed medication, emergency procedures and arrangements for meals, activities, trips and other parts of school life.
But having a plan stored somewhere is not enough.
The people who may actually be responsible for that child need access to the information relevant to their role.
Schools should therefore consider how allergy information is communicated when pupils move between classes, attend clubs, eat in dining areas, take part in trips or are supervised by temporary members of staff.
Allergy Safety Is Also About Prevention
Emergency response is essential, but strong allergy management should also reduce the chance of exposure happening in the first place.
Schools may need to consider risks associated with food preparation, shared equipment, cooking activities, celebrations, snacks, craft materials, animals, school trips and food brought into the setting.
Cross-contact is another important consideration. An allergen can be transferred through hands, surfaces, utensils or equipment even when the allergen itself is not obvious.
Schools also need to balance risk management with inclusion.
Children with allergies should not automatically be excluded from activities because managing the risk requires additional planning. Allergy safety should help children participate safely alongside their peers wherever reasonably possible.
What About “Nut-Free” Schools?
It can be tempting for schools to describe themselves as “nut-free”, but allergy management is more complex than focusing on one type of allergen.
Allergy UK highlights that a nut-free approach can create a false sense of security because many different foods and substances can cause serious allergic reactions. The new approach places greater emphasis on understanding individual risks, reducing exposure, training staff and preparing effectively for emergencies.
Whole-school allergy awareness is therefore about creating a culture where staff understand allergy risk rather than relying on a single blanket rule.
Recording Incidents and Near Misses
Another important aspect of the new guidance is learning from what happens in practice.
An incident where a child experiences a reaction clearly needs to be reviewed.
But near misses matter too.
For example, if a child is almost given food containing their allergen but the mistake is identified before they eat it, the outcome may have been harmless — but the system failure still needs attention.
Schools should consider what happened, why it happened and whether policies, communication, training or procedures need to change.
This creates a stronger safety culture where lessons are learned before a more serious incident occurs.
Does Benedict’s Law Apply to Nurseries and Early Years Settings?
There is an important distinction here.
The Department for Education’s statutory Allergy Safety in Schools guidance applies to specified schools in England. It does not currently make the same statutory requirements applicable to all Early Years providers.
However, the Department for Education specifically states that the guidance may also be useful for Early Years settings, further-education institutions, independent schools and other education providers outside its current statutory scope.
For nurseries and Early Years settings across the UK, the underlying principles remain extremely relevant: appropriate staff awareness, emergency preparedness, communication with families, individual planning, accessible medication and reducing the risk of accidental exposure.
Allergy Awareness & Anaphylaxis Training for Education Settings
Policies only work when the people expected to follow them understand what they mean in practice.
First Stop Safety Training’s Allergy Awareness & Anaphylaxis in Education Settings online course has been developed in 2026 to reflect the new allergy-safety requirements in England while also covering practical allergy-management principles relevant to education and Early Years settings throughout the UK.
The course explores allergies and anaphylaxis, common allergens, hidden sources of exposure, cross-contact, signs and symptoms, emergency response, adrenaline auto-injectors, Allergy Action Plans, Individual Healthcare Plans and managing allergy risks during everyday activities.
Learners also work through realistic scenarios and interactive activities designed around situations that could occur during a normal education or childcare day.
The course provides approximately two hours of structured CPD learning, includes a final assessment and provides a downloadable First Stop Safety Training certificate following successful completion.
Schools, nurseries and individual practitioners can purchase the course online:
Buy Allergy Awareness & Anaphylaxis in Education Settings
Training Your Whole Early Years Team?
For nurseries, preschools and childcare providers looking for a wider staff-training solution, the course can also form part of ongoing professional development through the First Stop Learning Hub.
The Learning Hub gives settings unlimited staff access to a growing library of 30+ CPD-accredited Early Years courses, together with manager reporting, digital certificates and new training added throughout the year.
Settings can currently access the Hub on a 90-day free trial, with the annual subscription costing £199 + VAT per setting after the trial.
This can be particularly useful for providers that need to manage training across an entire team rather than purchasing individual courses separately.
Explore the First Stop Learning Hub and start a 90-day free trial
Useful Benedict’s Law and Allergy Safety Resources
For schools wanting to review their arrangements in more detail, these resources provide further information:
- Department for Education – Allergy Safety in Schools: the official statutory guidance, including an allergy safety policy template and Individual Healthcare Plan template. Read the DfE Allergy Safety in Schools guidance
- Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026: the legislation containing the new school allergy-safety provisions. Read the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026
- Allergy UK – Benedict’s Law: practical information explaining the changes and what they mean for schools. Explore Allergy UK’s Benedict’s Law resources
- Allergy UK Schools and Education Hub: further information for schools supporting pupils with allergies. Visit Allergy UK’s Schools and Education Hub
- First Stop Safety Training – Benedict’s Law 2026: our detailed guide to the new requirements, including practical questions schools can use when reviewing their arrangements. Read our Benedict’s Law 2026 guide
Is Your Setting Ready?
Benedict’s Law represents an important change in allergy safety in education.
But the effectiveness of the new requirements will ultimately depend on what happens during an ordinary school day.
When a child says their mouth feels strange.
When a lunchtime supervisor notices their breathing has changed.
When emergency medication needs to be located quickly.
When a supply teacher needs information about a pupil they have never met before.
When a school trip leaves the building.
A written policy is important, but people put that policy into practice.
Giving staff the knowledge to recognise allergic reactions, understand anaphylaxis and respond confidently can help ensure that allergy safety becomes part of everyday practice rather than simply another compliance document.
Is your team prepared?
Start Allergy Awareness & Anaphylaxis in Education Settings training today
