Allergy safety in schools
9 July 2026
New statutory guidance from DfE (also known as Benedict’s Law).
New DfE statutory guidance for schools about allergy safety was published this week on Monday 6 July.
The guidance is available at GOV.UK
On the page there is a link to the guidance itself and to templates for an allergy policy and an individual healthcare plan.
This new guidance is statutory national legislation that requires every school to put formal allergy‑safety measures in place to protect children with serious allergies. It was created after the death of five‑year‑old Benedict Blythe, who sadly suffered a fatal allergic reaction at school in 2021.
In the slideshow below there is more in-depth information. This was first shown to the Senco network in June and has since been updated:
Key points for schools
The statutory guidance applies to all schools. Independent Schools are part of this too (relevant guidance for independent schools is also being updated).
Schools must have regard to the guidance from September 2026. Schools must also have an allergy safety policy in place from September 2026.
More specific duties on allergy safety will come into force in due course, through regulations. The DfE intend this to include the requirement for schools to stock “spare” adrenaline auto-injectors; and have allergy awareness training for all school staff; and there will be a requirement to have a lead member of staff for allergy safety. DfE intend to bring these into effect in the new year (2027), though the timing remains to be confirmed. In the meantime these more specific measures would be good practice for schools though not yet a statutory duty.
There is a very useful page provided by Kent Community Health on allergy safety Health information… select the anaphylaxis drop down to see the relevant information. Kent Community Health are providing free basic awareness training sessions about anaphylaxis, asthma and epilepsy, and these sessions are bookable from that page. There is also a thirty minute video clip about anaphylaxis awareness on their page too.
Other useful websites:
- Allergy UK - National Charity
- Anaphylaxis UK
- The British Society for Allergy and Clinical Immunology (BSACI)
- Spare Pens in Schools
- Guidance on the use of adrenaline auto-injectors in schools
- EpiPen
- Jext
Contact details
Rory McDonnell, Head of STLS Sensory and Physical Disabilities
Email: Rory.McDonnell@kent.gov.uk