Keeping children safe at school means being prepared for a wide range of medical emergencies. For pupils living with serious allergies, that preparation can be particularly important because an allergic reaction can develop rapidly and, in some cases, progress to anaphylaxis.
Recent changes to allergy safety requirements in England mean schools now have clearer responsibilities for how they identify, manage and respond to allergy-related risks.
These changes are widely associated with Benedict’s Law, a campaign established following the tragic death of five-year-old Benedict Blythe, who died after experiencing an anaphylactic reaction at school in 2021.
But what exactly is Benedict’s Law, what has changed for schools, and what should school leaders and staff be doing now?
What Is Benedict’s Law?
Benedict’s Law is the name given to a campaign led by the Benedict Blythe Foundation to improve allergy safety consistently across schools.
The campaign called for stronger measures around areas such as allergy policies, staff awareness, emergency medication and the way schools support pupils living with allergies.
Those aims have subsequently been reflected in changes to the law and statutory guidance in England.
Section 34 of the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026 introduced new allergy safety requirements by amending the existing duties schools have towards pupils with medical conditions. Among other things, the legislation requires relevant schools to have an allergy safety policy, keep it under review and make it known to their school community.
The Department for Education also published new statutory guidance on allergy safety in schools in July 2026.
Which Schools Do the New Allergy Safety Requirements Apply To?
The statutory guidance currently 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. Certain exclusions apply, including maintained nursery schools and 16-to-19 academies.
From September 2026, maintained schools and academy trusts must comply with the new allergy safety duties, including having an allergy safety policy and having regard to the statutory guidance.
The DfE states that equivalent allergy safety requirements are also intended for independent schools and non-maintained special schools through their relevant regulatory standards. The guidance may additionally be useful to early years settings, further education providers and other education settings.
Schools should therefore check which requirements apply to their particular setting rather than assuming the position is identical for every education provider.
What Does Benedict’s Law Mean for Schools in Practice?
The changes are about developing a whole-school approach to allergy safety, rather than relying solely on the staff members who usually deal with first aid or medical needs.
There are several key areas schools need to consider.
1. Schools Need an Allergy Safety Policy
Relevant schools are required to have a dedicated allergy safety policy.
Under the legislation, the policy must be reviewed at least annually, updated where necessary, made known within the school and to parents, brought regularly to the attention of pupils and people working at the school, and published on the school’s website.
The DfE guidance recommends that a named senior leader takes responsibility for the policy.
A school’s policy should address areas including how pupils with allergies are identified, how exposure to known allergens will be minimised, how staff are trained, how emergency medication is accessed and how pupils with allergies are supported to participate safely in school activities and trips.
The Department for Education has also provided an allergy safety policy template alongside its guidance.
2. Allergy Awareness Needs to Extend Across the School
One of the most significant aspects of the guidance is its emphasis on whole-school allergy awareness.
The guidance says allergy safety policies should provide for regular (at least annual) allergy awareness training. It says that staff who are present while pupils are on site should receive appropriate awareness training, including permanent and temporary staff, supply teachers, relevant agency workers, regular volunteers and catering staff.
That matters because an allergic reaction will not necessarily happen when the school’s usual first aider happens to be standing nearby.
Staff may need to understand how to recognise the signs of an allergic reaction, when a reaction may be becoming anaphylaxis, where relevant emergency medication is located and what emergency procedures need to be followed.
Importantly, the DfE specifically states that general first aid training is not sufficient to replace this allergy awareness training.
That distinction is important for schools reviewing their current training arrangements.
3. Schools Should Be Prepared to Respond to an Emergency
Allergy safety is not only about trying to prevent exposure. Schools also need robust arrangements for responding when something goes wrong.
The DfE expects allergy awareness and emergency response training to cover areas such as recognising allergic reactions and anaphylaxis, calling emergency services, knowing where relevant emergency medication is located and understanding how medication or devices should be used in an emergency.
Those arrangements should also work beyond the classroom.
Schools need to consider lunchtimes, breakfast and after-school clubs, sports, extracurricular activities, school trips and other circumstances where a pupil may encounter an allergen or require emergency support.
The aim should be to make safety part of everyday school practice rather than something considered only when a known incident occurs.
What Are Individual Healthcare Plans?
Some pupils with allergies will require an Individual Healthcare Plan (IHP).
An IHP records the specific support and arrangements a child needs while at school. In the context of allergies, this may incorporate an Allergy Action Plan or Asthma Plan and provide staff with important information about the individual pupil’s needs and the action to take if they become unwell.
The new DfE guidance provides information to help schools identify pupils who may require an IHP, develop the plan and keep it under review.
The Department for Education has also published an IHP template alongside the statutory guidance.
Individual plans are particularly important because allergy management should not rely on assumptions. Different pupils may have different triggers, symptoms, medication and healthcare arrangements.
Why Communication Matters
An effective allergy policy cannot simply sit in a folder or on the school’s website.
Staff need to know it exists and understand their responsibilities within it. Parents and carers need confidence that relevant information is being communicated appropriately, and pupils themselves should be supported to understand how the school is managing allergy safety.
The statutory guidance also places importance on the wellbeing and inclusion of children and young people living with allergies.
Schools should ensure pupils are not unnecessarily excluded from normal school activities because of their allergy. The guidance encourages schools to identify safe alternatives and make appropriate arrangements that allow pupils to participate alongside their peers wherever possible.
Allergy safety should therefore be considered both a medical safety issue and an inclusion issue.
Schools Should Learn From Incidents and Near Misses
Another important part of the new approach is learning when something does go wrong.
The DfE guidance expects schools to have arrangements for recording and learning from serious allergy incidents and near misses.
A near miss may reveal a weakness in a process even where no pupil ultimately comes to harm.
Reviewing what happened can help a school identify whether procedures, communication, staff awareness, medication arrangements or risk management need to change.
This turns allergy safety into an ongoing process of review and improvement rather than a one-off policy exercise.
Does First Aid Training Meet the Requirements of Benedict’s Law?
Not by itself.
This is an important point for schools to understand.
The DfE’s statutory guidance explicitly states that first aid training is not sufficient as the allergy awareness training expected under the guidance.
Schools should therefore make sure that appropriate specialist allergy awareness and emergency response arrangements are in place rather than assuming an existing first aid qualification automatically satisfies every allergy-related requirement.
However, first aid remains an important part of a school’s wider emergency preparedness.
Staff may encounter many different medical emergencies during the school day, from choking and serious injuries to seizures, breathing difficulties, unconsciousness and allergic reactions.
Learning & Support Services provides practical First Aid Training in Essex for organisations including schools. LSS’s First Aid training covers emergency response skills such as CPR and AED use, choking, seizures, breathing difficulties and responding to allergic reactions.
For schools and nurseries working specifically with younger children, our existing Paediatric First Aid Training: Essential Skills for Schools, Nurseries and Parents guide also explains the role of paediatric first aid in preparing staff to respond to emergencies involving children.
Medical Emergency Training Should Be Considered as a Whole
Benedict’s Law provides a timely reason for schools to review more than one isolated area of their emergency planning.
Depending on the pupils they support and the responsibilities of their staff, schools may also need to consider preparedness for other medical conditions and emergencies.
For example, LSS provides specialist Epilepsy Training and Emergency Medication Administration suitable for schools, colleges and SEN settings supporting pupils with epilepsy. The course covers recognising seizure types, responding appropriately and emergency medication administration where applicable.
Schools can also explore LSS’s wider Training Services in Essex, which include First Aid, Epilepsy, Health & Safety, Manual Handling, Fire Safety and Mini Medics.
Reviewing these different areas together can help school leaders identify where staff already feel confident and where further knowledge or training may be appropriate.
A Practical Benedict’s Law Checklist for Schools
Schools reviewing their allergy safety arrangements may find it useful to ask:
- Do we have a dedicated, up-to-date allergy safety policy?
- Is a named senior leader responsible for it?
- Has the policy been published on our website and communicated appropriately?
- Do we have a clear process for identifying pupils with allergies?
- Do pupils who require them have appropriate Individual Healthcare Plans?
- Do relevant staff know how to recognise an allergic reaction and anaphylaxis?
- Have staff received appropriate allergy awareness and emergency response training?
- Do staff know where emergency medication is kept and what procedures to follow?
- Have we considered allergy safety during trips, clubs, catering and extracurricular activities?
- Do we record and review allergy-related incidents and near misses?
- Are pupils with allergies able to participate safely and inclusively in school life?
- Have we reviewed our wider first aid and medical emergency arrangements?
Schools should use the official DfE statutory guidance when assessing whether their own arrangements meet their responsibilities.
Building Safer and More Confident School Communities
Benedict’s Law represents an important change in the way allergy safety is approached within schools.
Rather than relying on individual staff members or responding only after an incident occurs, the emphasis is increasingly on a whole-school culture where policies, training, communication, emergency preparedness and inclusion work together.
For school leaders, this is an opportunity to review current arrangements carefully, identify any gaps and make sure staff know how to respond when a child needs help.
At Learning & Support Services, we work with schools and organisations across Essex to build practical skills and confidence through engaging, hands-on training.
While our First Aid Training does not replace the dedicated allergy awareness training described in the DfE guidance, it can form part of a school’s wider approach to preparing staff for medical emergencies.
Explore our First Aid Training in Essex, view our wider Training Services or contact Learning & Support Services to discuss your school’s training requirements.
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FAQs
What is Benedict’s Law?
Benedict’s Law is the name associated with the campaign for stronger allergy safety arrangements in schools following the death of five-year-old Benedict Blythe. Changes introduced through the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026 and subsequent DfE statutory guidance have strengthened allergy safety responsibilities for schools in England.
Does every school need an allergy safety policy?
The statutory duties apply to local-authority-maintained schools, academies and pupil referral units within the scope set out by the legislation and guidance. Equivalent requirements are intended for some other school types through separate regulatory standards. Schools should check the DfE guidance for their specific setting.
How often should a school allergy safety policy be reviewed?
The legislation requires the allergy safety policy to be reviewed at least annually, with changes made where appropriate following the review.
Do all school staff need allergy awareness training?
The DfE guidance says staff present while pupils are scheduled to be on site should receive allergy awareness training, with arrangements for regular training at least annually. This encompasses a wide range of staff including permanent, temporary and supply staff and relevant volunteers and catering staff.
Is first aid training enough to meet the allergy awareness requirements?
No. The DfE guidance specifically says first aid training is not sufficient as a substitute for allergy awareness training. Schools should ensure that their allergy-specific arrangements meet the statutory guidance alongside maintaining appropriate wider first aid provision.
Can LSS provide first aid training for schools?
Yes. LSS provides First Aid Training for schools and other organisations across Essex, with practical training covering areas including CPR, AED use, choking, seizures, breathing difficulties and allergic reactions.