Benedict's Law Is Here: A School's Guide to the 2026 Allergy Safety Guidance
On 6 July 2026, the Department for Education published its statutory guidance, Allergy safety in schools (DfE, 2026).
For every school in England, allergy safety has moved from good practice to statutory duty.
This guide explains what Benedict's Law means, what your school must have in place, and one point that surprises many leaders: first aid training alone no longer meets the requirement.
If you have followed our earlier explainer written during the consultation, think of this as the sequel. Back then, much was still "expected." Now it is confirmed, and we can be specific.
You can read the original briefing here: Mandatory Allergy Training in Schools: What to Know.
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What is Benedict's Law?
Benedict's Law is the name given to the new statutory duty and guidance requiring schools in England to keep children with allergies safe.
It is named after Benedict Blythe, who was five years old when he died from anaphylaxis at school in December 2021. His family founded the Benedict Blythe Foundation and campaigned for national change (Benedict Blythe Foundation, 2026). That campaign is now law.
The duty is set out in section 34 of the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026, which amends section 100 of the Children and Families Act 2014 (DfE, 2026).
In plain terms, schools must now have an allergy safety policy, publish it, keep it under review, and have regard to the DfE's statutory guidance on how allergy safety should be managed.
Is Benedict's Law in force now, and when does it start?
The statutory guidance was published on 6 July 2026 and applies to schools in England from the start of the September 2026 school year (DfE, 2026).
The core duty to have, publish and review an allergy safety policy, is already established in law through the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026. Several more specific duties are set to follow through forthcoming Regulations.
These include the duty to provide regular staff training, to stock spare adrenaline devices, to name a senior leader responsible for allergy safety, and to record serious incidents (DfE, 2026).
Schools are expected to prepare for these now rather than wait.
Who does the DfE allergy guidance apply to?
It is worth being clear about why. A first aid qualification is valuable and, in many cases, separately required.
It gives named staff the hands on skills to manage an emergency, including using an adrenaline device and performing CPR. But the guidance asks for something broader. It expects allergy awareness training for every member of staff present when pupils are on site (DfE, 2026).
That is a whole school requirement, and it sits alongside first aid rather than being covered by it. The training is expected to be refreshed at least once a year, and a statutory duty to provide it is expected through forthcoming Regulations (DfE, 2026).
This is a requirement to build into your annual calendar, not a one off.
Who counts as "all staff"?
The guidance is deliberately wide. Allergy awareness training should reach everyone present while pupils are on site, including permanent staff, temporary and supply teachers, peripatetic staff, agency workers and regular volunteers.
It also includes catering staff and anyone supervising breakfast or after-school clubs. It does not extend to contractors with no pupil facing role, such as builders or maintenance workers visiting on an ad hoc basis (DfE, 2026).
For a typical school, that is a large number of adults to train, and to keep trained as people join and leave. It is the single biggest practical challenge in the new guidance, and it shapes how sensible schools approach delivery.
What must allergy awareness training cover?
The guidance sets out a detailed expectation. Effective allergy awareness training should ensure all staff can do the following (DfE, 2026a):
- Understand allergy, the risks it carries, and how reactions happen
- Recognise that allergy covers several conditions that can co exist, including food allergy, asthma, eczema and hay fever
- Tell the difference between food allergy, coeliac disease and food intolerance
- Know where to find information on a person's allergy triggers
- Identify the full range of allergic reaction symptoms
- Recognise anaphylaxis
- Respond in an emergency, including calling 999, informing parents, and locating and administering emergency medication
- Use an adrenaline device, whether prescribed to an individual or held as a school "spare"
- Understand the impact allergy has on a child's wellbeing
- Understand the school's own allergy safety policy
- Check the record of known allergies and use an Allergy or Asthma Action Plan
- Understand their part in reducing exposure to known allergens
- Know how to report an incident or a near miss
Our onsite Allergy Awareness Training is built around exactly this list.
What else must a school have in place under Benedict's Law?
Allergy awareness training is one part of a bigger framework. The guidance sets out several connected duties, each worth understanding in its own right.
We will publish detailed guides on each, linked below.
- A dedicated allergy safety policy. Every school must have a standalone allergy safety policy, separate from the general medical conditions policy. It must be published on the school website, made available in hard copy on request, and reviewed at least annually. A named senior leader must be responsible for it, and the guidance is explicit that this responsibility should not sit with the catering manager (DfE, 2026).
Read more: How to Write an Allergy Safety Policy for Your School.
- Spare adrenaline devices on site. Schools are expected to stock spare adrenaline auto-injectors for emergency use, including for children with no prior diagnosis. They must be stored in pairs at room temperature, kept unlocked and accessible, and positioned so a device can reach anyone within five minutes. A statutory duty to stock them is expected through forthcoming Regulations (DfE, 2026).
Read more: Spare Adrenaline Auto Injectors in Schools: A Practical Guide.
- Individual Healthcare Plans. Any child whose allergy has a functional impact, puts them at risk, or needs arrangements beyond the norm should have an Individual Healthcare Plan. It is drawn up by the school with the family, is not a clinical document, and should attach any Allergy or Asthma Action Plan issued by a healthcare professional. Plans are reviewed at least annually, and after any incident or near miss (DfE, 2026).
Read more: Individual Healthcare Plans for Allergy, Explained.
- Minimising exposure to allergens. The guidance asks schools to manage risk across food, classroom activities, crafts, science and trips. Notably, it advises against "nut-free" claims, which can create a false sense of security, in favour of an "allergy aware" approach. It also confirms that children with allergies should never be segregated at mealtimes (DfE, 2026).
Read more: Creating an Allergy-Aware School: Everyday Risk Management.
- Recording incidents and near misses. Schools should record, report and learn from serious incidents and near misses, in a "no blame" culture. The guidance is blunt that a failure to learn lessons has contributed directly to children's deaths (DfE, 2026).
Read more: Recording Allergy Incidents and Near Misses in School.
- Food allergy and the law. Schools acting as food businesses already have duties under the Food Information Regulations 2014, including Natasha's Law for food that is pre packed for direct sale. This sits alongside the new allergy safety duties (DfE, 2026).
How can Safe Haven Training help your school prepare for Benedict's Law Guidance?
There is a lot to put in place, and the training element is where we can take the pressure off. Here is how our courses map onto the guidance.
Allergy Awareness Training, delivered at your school. This is the direct answer to the whole staff requirement. It is a two hour onsite session for up to 16 staff, so most schools can train a full cohort in a single morning, in their own setting, with minimal disruption.
Our content is built around the guidance's expected learning outcomes, from recognising anaphylaxis to using an adrenaline device and understanding your own policy.
Successful learners receive a Safe Haven certificate valid for three years, though the guidance expects the awareness itself to be refreshed annually.
Onsite delivery is from £325 plus VAT for a group of up to 16.
Book Allergy Awareness Training at your school
Allergy and Anaphylaxis Awareness eLearning. Training every adult in a busy school, and keeping supply and new staff trained through the year, is a real logistical challenge.
Our CPD accredited online course takes around an hour and is ideal for induction, for cover and peripatetic staff, and for annual refreshers.
A blended approach often works best: hands on onsite training for your core team, with eLearning to give complete whole staff coverage.
Please note the online course does not include the practical element of using an adrenaline device or an AED.
Paediatric First Aid and Emergency First Aid at Work. These remain the clinical foundation.
Allergy awareness training equips everyone to recognise and respond, while first aid training gives your named responders deeper, practically assessed skills, and is separately required in early years settings under EYFS Annex A.
The two work together. Allergy awareness is not a substitute for first aid, and first aid is not a substitute for allergy awareness.
Paediatric First Aid Emergency First Aid at Work
Safe Haven Training was founded in 2012 by former NHS paramedic Ian Bryan. We have certified more than 32,000 workplace responders, hold a 99% pass rate, and deliver at over 80 venues nationwide, as well as onsite at your premises.
What does Benedict's Law mean for parents?
If you are a parent of a child with an allergy, this guidance is good news, and you have every right to ask your school how it is responding. In practical terms, your child's school is now expected to have a published allergy safety policy you can read, usually on the school website.
It should train all its staff in allergy awareness, not just a few first aiders. It should stock spare adrenaline devices for emergencies.
And for many children with allergies, it should work with you to create an Individual Healthcare Plan that records exactly how your child will be supported (DfE, 2026).
You can download the Individual Healthcare Plan from the GOV.UK's website.
You are a partner in that plan, not a bystander. The guidance is clear that plans should be developed with families, and that schools should never make you feel obliged to come in to give medication, or penalise your child's attendance for allergy related absence (DfE, 2026).
Fair questions to ask your school include whether it has a published allergy safety policy, whether all staff receive allergy awareness training, whether it stocks spare adrenaline devices, and whether your child needs an Individual Healthcare Plan.
Is your school ready? A pre September checklist
- Do you have a dedicated, published allergy safety policy, separate from your medical conditions policy?
- Is a named senior leader responsible for it?
- Have all pupil facing staff, including supply, catering and volunteers, had allergy awareness training this year?
- Do you have a plan to train new and cover staff through the year?
- Do you stock in date spare adrenaline devices, stored in pairs and reachable within five minutes?
- Does every child who needs one have an up-to-date Individual Healthcare Plan?
- Do you have a clear process for recording and learning from incidents and near misses?
If any of those gives you pause, the training elements are the quickest to put right, and we can help this term.
Get your staff ready for September
The guidance is published, the direction is settled, and the schools that act now will be ready when the new year begins.
Training your whole team in allergy awareness is the single clearest step you can take.
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References
1. Benedict Blythe Foundation (2026): About Benedict's Law.
2. Children and Families Act 2014, c. 6, s. 100.
3. Children's Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026, s. 34.
4. Department for Education (2026): Allergy safety in schools: statutory guidance for governing bodies of maintained schools and proprietors of academies in England.
5. Department for Education (2026): Allergy safety policy template.
6. National Child Mortality Database (2023): Report on Asthma and Anaphylaxis.