As well as helping to save lives, the new measures will help children stay in school as 500,000 days of learning were lost due to allergy-related illness or medical appointments in the last year alone.
The plans come after the Government listened to families and campaigners who have fought for change — including Helen Blythe, mother of Benedict Blythe, who lost his life to an allergic reaction at school. The new guidance is now open for consultation, ahead of coming into force in September 2026.
Olivia Bailey, Minister for Early Education said: “No parent should have to send their child to school worried that a life-threatening allergic reaction won’t be handled swiftly.
“We have listened to the families and organisations who have campaigned tirelessly on this issue, and we are acting. These new requirements will give parents the confidence that every school has the training, the plans and the equipment in place to keep their child safe.”
The Government says this works hand in hand with wider work to reform the school food system, such as revising the school food standards and expanding free school meals to an additional 500,000 children this September.
Helen and Peter Blythe added: “For four years, we have campaigned for Benedict’s Law so that no child faces the preventable gaps in allergy safety that cost our five-year-old son his life.
“We are grateful the Government has listened, and that from September schools will be required to have allergy pens, training and policies in place — protections that were not there when Benedict joined his school. Knowing that future children will enter a system far safer than the one he did is a powerful and lasting legacy for our son Benedict.”
This guidance will standardise practice, pointing to a collection of reliable resources for teachers to use, and work in parallel to the Government’s open call to businesses to support with costs such as adrenaline auto-injectors.
Tanya Ednan-Laperouse OBE, founder of The Natasha Allergy Research Foundation the UK’s food allergy charity, whose daughter Natasha died aged 15 from a food allergic reaction, commented: “I am deeply grateful that the Government is taking positive action to keep children with food allergies safe at school.
“Ensuring Natasha’s wellbeing was always our top priority as parents, and it is what motivated us to set up Allergy School, allergy awareness resources and training for schools. Allergy School has already trained more than 20,000 educators, and we are ready to work with the Government and schools to create safer, more inclusive environments for children with food allergies through the implementation of Benedict’s Law.
“We welcome this statutory guidance, and the confidence it can bring to schools, teachers, pupils, and parents to ensure that children with food allergies are safe and included at school.”