This article explains how Benedict’s Law changes allergy training for schools and the practical steps schools can take to prepare.
Many schools already provide allergy awareness training and ensure staff know how to respond to allergic reactions and anaphylaxis. With Benedict’s Law coming into force in September 2026, school leaders should consider whether their existing allergy training reflects the increased emphasis on prevention, risk reduction, and whole-school responsibility.
What Is Benedict’s Law?
Benedict’s Law (also known as the School Allergy Safety Bill) was introduced following the death of Benedict Blythe, a five-year-old boy from Lancashire who died in 2021 after suffering a severe allergic reaction at school. Benedict had a known cow’s milk allergy and was given food that contained milk, triggering anaphylaxis. Despite emergency treatment, he later died in hospital.
The new law, which comes into force in September 2026, introduces statutory requirements to improve allergy awareness in schools to keep children safe. Schools in England will be expected to implement robust allergy management arrangements, including staff training, individual healthcare planning, allergy risk reduction measures, and effective emergency procedures.
The aim is to ensure that children with allergies are protected through a consistent, whole-school approach to allergy safety.
How does Benedict’s Law change allergy training for schools?
Allergy training must cover the practical knowledge and responsibilities staff need to help keep pupils with allergies safe throughout the school day.
Understanding common allergens in schools
Staff should understand the allergens most encountered in educational settings and the situations in which pupils may be exposed to them. This includes recognising potential sources of allergen exposure during mealtimes, classroom activities, educational visits, school events, and extracurricular activities.
Understanding where there are allergy risks is the first step in preventing allergic reactions.
Preventing allergen exposure through cross-contamination
Staff should understand how allergens can be unintentionally transferred between foods, surfaces, equipment, hands, and shared resources. Training should explain how cross-contamination occurs in school environments and the practical steps staff can take to prevent it, helping to reduce the risk of pupils being exposed to allergens unexpectedly.
Identifying and reducing allergy risks
Schools are expected to take a proactive approach to allergy management. Staff should understand how allergy risks are identified, assessed, and controlled across different areas of school life. This includes understanding the purpose of allergy risk assessments, recognising when additional precautions may be required, and applying appropriate control measures to help keep pupils safe.
Individual healthcare plans and allergy information
Individual healthcare plans (IHPs), allergy action plans, and allergy registers provide staff with important information about a pupil’s specific allergy, symptoms, medication, and support needs.
Training should help staff understand how to access and use this information, follow agreed arrangements, and ensure allergy records remain accurate, up to date, and available to those who need them.
Understanding roles, responsibilities and school procedures
Effective allergy management depends on all staff understanding their responsibilities. Training should explain the school’s allergy management arrangements, including policies, procedures, reporting arrangements, and individual responsibilities.
Staff should understand how their actions contribute to the effective implementation of the school’s allergy management arrangements and support compliance with Benedict’s Law.
Communication and information sharing
Managing allergies in schools effectively requires clear communication between schools, parents and carers, healthcare professionals, catering teams, and staff. Training should help staff understand how allergy information is shared, updated, and acted upon to ensure that everyone involved in supporting a pupil understands the risks and control measures in place.
Supporting pupils with allergies throughout the school day
Children with allergies should be able to participate safely and confidently in all aspects of school life. Staff should understand how to support pupils during lessons, mealtimes, clubs, sporting activities, and school events. This includes ensuring activities are planned so that pupils with allergies can participate safely and confidently alongside their peers.
Allergy safety during trips, events and extracurricular activities
School trips, performances, fundraising events, and extracurricular activities can introduce additional allergy risks. Training should help staff understand how to plan for these activities, assess potential risks, communicate relevant information, and implement appropriate controls to protect pupils with allergies while allowing them to participate fully.
Recognising allergic reactions and anaphylaxis
Training should cover the signs and symptoms of allergic reactions and anaphylaxis, including early warning signs, the fact that symptoms can vary between individuals, and why anaphylaxis should always be treated as a medical emergency.
Taking immediate action in an emergency
When an allergic reaction or anaphylaxis occurs, prompt action is essential. Staff should understand the school’s emergency procedures, how to follow healthcare plans and allergy action plans, when adrenaline auto-injectors (AAIs) are required, and how to support a pupil until emergency medical assistance arrives.
Learning from incidents and improving allergy management`
Reviewing and learning from allergy-related incidents is vital. Staff should understand the importance of recording and reporting allergy-related incidents, reviewing what happened, identifying lessons learned, and updating policies, procedures, and control measures where necessary.
This continuous improvement approach helps schools strengthen their allergy management arrangements and reduce the risk of similar incidents occurring in the future.
Briefly: how Benedict’s Law changes allergy training for schools
The table below highlights the key differences between traditional allergy training and training for Benedict’s Law.
| Traditional approach | Benedict’s Law approach |
| Often focused on first aiders and designated staff. | Recognises allergy safety as a whole-school responsibility. |
| Limited focus on day-to-day allergy management. | Covers healthcare plans, school procedures, communication and staff responsibilities. |
| Allergy training often delivered as best practice. | Allergy training forms part of a school’s wider allergy management arrangements. |
| Focus on emergency situations. | Focus on preventing incidents and ensuring staff can respond effectively when emergencies occur. |
| Limited focus on allergen exposure and cross-contamination risks. | Greater emphasis on identifying allergens, preventing cross-contamination, and reducing exposure risks. |
| Limited consideration of allergy risks during everyday activities. | Greater emphasis on identifying, assessing and managing allergy risks. |
| Limited emphasis on reviewing and learning from incidents. | Promotes continuous improvement through incident reporting, review and learning. |
| Focused primarily on managing allergic reactions when they occur. | Focuses on helping pupils participate safely and confidently in all aspects of school life. |
Does first aid training cover Benedict’s Law requirements?
First Aid at Work and Paediatric First Aid training are essential because they teach staff how to recognise and respond to medical emergencies, including anaphylaxis.
Benedict’s Law complements this emergency response training by helping staff understand how to prevent allergy incidents, reduce exposure to allergens, support pupils with allergies, and follow the school’s allergy procedures.
Which school staff need allergy training?
One of the most significant changes introduced by Benedict’s Law is the recognition that allergy safety is a whole-school responsibility.
Pupils interact with a wide range of staff throughout the school day, and allergen exposure can occur in classrooms, dining halls, playgrounds, offices, school vehicles, educational visits, extracurricular activities, and other shared spaces. For this reason, allergy awareness in schools should not be limited to designated first aiders or senior leaders.
Schools should ensure that all staff who may come into contact with pupils understand their role in preventing allergy incidents, supporting pupils with allergies, and responding appropriately in an emergency. This may include:
- Teachers.
- Teaching assistants and learning support staff.
- Lunchtime supervisors.
- Catering and kitchen staff.
- Office and administrative staff.
- Senior leaders.
- Educational visit and trip leaders.
- Breakfast club, after-school club, and extracurricular activity staff.
- Site, premises, estates, maintenance, and facilities staff.
- Cleaning and housekeeping staff.
- Temporary, agency, and supply staff.
- Volunteers and regular visitors.
This whole-school approach helps ensure allergy management arrangements are applied consistently and that pupils with allergies can be supported safely throughout the school day.
How can schools prepare for Benedict’s Law?
With Benedict’s Law taking effect in September 2026, schools should review their existing arrangements to ensure they are prepared to support pupils with allergies safely, consistently, and effectively.
Assessing staff training arrangements
Schools should assess whether existing training adequately prepares staff to prevent, recognise, and respond to allergy incidents. Training should not be limited to designated first aiders and should reflect the responsibilities of all staff who may interact with pupils throughout the school day.
Reviewing your school allergy policy
Schools should review their allergies in school policy to ensure it reflects current guidance, clearly defines responsibilities, and sets out how allergy risks are managed across the school. Policies should be understood by staff and supported by practical procedures that can be implemented consistently.
Checking healthcare plans and allergy information
Individual healthcare plans (IHPs), allergy action plans, and allergy registers should be reviewed regularly to ensure they remain accurate, up to date, and accessible to relevant staff. Schools should have clear processes for updating information when circumstances change.
Reviewing allergy risk assessments
Schools should consider whether allergy risks have been identified and appropriately managed across all areas of school life. This includes classrooms, dining areas, educational visits, extracurricular activities, school events, and any activities where allergen exposure may occur.
Testing emergency procedures
Schools should review emergency arrangements to ensure they remain effective, confirm that emergency medication is available and accessible where required, and ensure staff know what to do if a pupil experiences an allergic reaction or anaphylaxis.
Improving communication arrangements
Effective allergy management depends on clear communication between schools, parents and carers, healthcare professionals, catering teams, and staff. Schools should review how allergy information is shared, recorded, and communicated to ensure everyone involved in supporting a pupil understands the risks and control measures in place.
Train your staff for Benedict’s Law
Our online Anaphylaxis & Allergy Awareness Training for schools supports a proactive, whole-school approach to allergy safety by helping staff identify risks, reduce allergen exposure, and respond confidently to allergic reactions and anaphylaxis.
Designed specifically for educational settings, the course provides practical guidance on allergy awareness, risk reduction, healthcare plans, emergency procedures, and the use of adrenaline auto-injectors (AAIs). Staff gain the knowledge and confidence to help prevent incidents, support pupils with allergies safely and inclusively, and take immediate action when an emergency occurs.
Find out more about Anaphylaxis & Allergy Awareness Training on our website or contact our friendly team today on 0203 011 4242 / [email protected]
Tom Paxman
Managing Director (Digital)
