Benedict’s Law for Schools: What You Need to Do

Benedict’s Law for schools introduces stronger allergy safety requirements designed to protect pupils at risk of serious allergic reactions.

The changes follow years of campaigning by the family of five-year-old Benedict Blythe, who died following an anaphylactic reaction at school in 2021. His death highlighted the potentially devastating consequences of gaps in allergy management, staff training and emergency response procedures.

New statutory allergy safety guidance came into effect in England in September 2026. As a result, schools must now take a more consistent and structured approach to managing allergies.

In this guide, we explain what Benedict’s Law means, which schools it applies to and the practical steps schools should take.

What is Benedict’s Law?

Benedict’s Law is the name commonly used for the new statutory protections introduced to improve allergy safety in schools.

The requirements are intended to ensure that schools have the policies, trained staff, individual arrangements and emergency medication needed to protect children with allergies.

The changes replace the previous reliance on non-statutory allergy advice with clearer legal duties and statutory guidance.

They are supported by the allergy safety provisions contained within the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026.

When did Benedict’s Law come into effect?

The Department for Education published its statutory allergy safety guidance in July 2026, with the new requirements taking effect from September 2026.

Schools should therefore already be implementing the required measures and checking that their policies, training records and emergency arrangements meet the new standard.

Which schools must follow the guidance?

The statutory guidance currently applies in England to:

• Local-authority-maintained schools, including special schools
• Academies and free schools
• Pupil referral units
• Alternative provision academies

The guidance does not currently impose the same statutory requirements on independent schools, non-maintained special schools, early years settings or further education colleges.

However, the government has stated that equivalent requirements are intended for independent and non-maintained special schools. Other education settings can also use the guidance as a recognised framework for good allergy management.

Regardless of whether the guidance is currently statutory for a particular setting, every education provider has a responsibility to assess and manage foreseeable risks to children in its care.

What are schools required to do under Benedict’s Law?

The new allergy safety requirements cover several important areas.

1. Create and publish an allergy safety policy

Every school within scope must have a clear and accessible allergy safety policy.

The policy should explain how the school:

• Identifies pupils with allergies
• Records and shares relevant allergy information
• Prevents accidental exposure to allergens
• Manages food and drink safely
• Responds to suspected allergic reactions
• Stores and accesses emergency medication
• Trains staff
• Manages school trips, clubs and off-site activities
• Records and investigates incidents and near misses

A policy should reflect what happens in practice. Simply downloading a template will not be enough if the procedures have not been implemented or communicated to staff.

2. Provide allergy awareness training for staff

All staff must receive appropriate allergy awareness training.

Training should help employees understand:

• Common allergy triggers
• The difference between an allergy and an intolerance
• How to recognise the symptoms of an allergic reaction
• The signs of anaphylaxis
• When and how to administer an adrenaline auto-injector
• How to summon emergency assistance
• Their individual responsibilities under the school’s allergy policy

Training should form part of the induction process for new employees. Schools should also provide refresher training and retain clear training records.

Staff confidence is particularly important. In an emergency, employees need to recognise the symptoms and act without delay.

3. Stock spare adrenaline auto-injectors

Schools are required to hold spare adrenaline auto-injectors, sometimes referred to as AAIs or allergy pens, for use in an emergency.

Schools need suitable arrangements for:

• Purchasing the appropriate devices
• Storing them securely but accessibly
• Checking expiry dates
• Replacing used or expired devices
• Ensuring staff know where they are kept
• Recording when an injector has been used
• Obtaining the necessary parental and medical permissions

Emergency medication must be easy to locate. It should not be locked away somewhere that authorised staff cannot access quickly.

4. Use Individual Healthcare Plans

Pupils whose allergies require specific support should have an Individual Healthcare Plan, or IHP.

The plan should be developed with the pupil’s parents or carers and, where appropriate, relevant healthcare professionals.

It should include:

• The child’s known allergens
• Their usual symptoms
• The action staff must take
• Details of prescribed medication
• Where medication is stored
• Emergency contact information
• Arrangements for meals, snacks and food-related activities
• Requirements for trips and activities outside school
• Any reasonable adjustments the school must make

Plans should be reviewed regularly and whenever the child’s condition, medication or circumstances change.

5. Record incidents and near misses

Schools must have arrangements for recording and learning from serious allergy incidents and near misses.

A near miss might include:

• A pupil being given the wrong meal but not eating it
• Allergen information being missing or incorrect
• Emergency medication being unavailable
• An expired adrenaline auto-injector being discovered
• Staff being unable to locate a pupil’s healthcare plan
• A communication failure between the classroom and catering team

Near misses are valuable warning signs. Recording them allows schools to identify weaknesses before somebody is harmed.

What should school catering teams do?

Benedict’s Law is not only an issue for teaching and pastoral staff. School catering arrangements are a vital part of allergy safety.

Catering teams should have robust controls covering:

• Accurate allergen information
• Approved recipes and ingredient specifications
• Supplier and product changes
• Delivery checks
• Allergen storage and segregation
• Cross-contamination controls
• Food preparation and service
• Identification of pupils with allergies
• Communication between catering and school staff
• Cleaning procedures
• Staff training
• Incident escalation

Schools that use an external catering contractor should clearly define responsibilities. The school should also obtain evidence that the contractor’s allergen controls are effective rather than assuming the risk has been transferred.

A practical Benedict’s Law checklist for schools

School leaders can use the following questions as an initial compliance check:

• Do we have a published allergy safety policy?
• Have we identified every pupil with a known allergy?
• Are suitable Individual Healthcare Plans in place?
• Have all staff completed allergy awareness training?
• Can relevant staff recognise anaphylaxis?
• Do staff know how to use the adrenaline devices held by the school?
• Do we have the correct spare adrenaline auto-injectors?
• Are expiry dates monitored?
• Can emergency medication be accessed quickly?
• Are allergen risks included in school trip planning?
• Have catering arrangements and allergen controls been reviewed?
• Do supply, temporary and lunchtime staff receive the necessary information?
• Do we record and investigate incidents and near misses?
• Can we demonstrate that our procedures work in practice?

If the answer to any of these questions is no, the school should record the gap, assign responsibility and agree a completion date.

How often should allergy arrangements be reviewed?

Schools should review their allergy arrangements regularly rather than treating compliance as a one-off exercise.

Reviews should also take place when:

• A new pupil with an allergy joins the school
• A pupil’s allergy or medication changes
• Catering suppliers, ingredients or menus change
• An incident or near miss occurs
• New staff join
• A school trip or unusual food-related activity is planned
• Government guidance is updated

Periodic allergy safety audits can help schools confirm that written policies are being followed consistently across classrooms, catering areas, clubs and off-site activities.

How Safer Food Scores can support schools

Effective allergy management depends on more than having the right paperwork. Schools need practical procedures that staff understand and can follow confidently.

Safer Food Scores can support schools and multi-academy trusts with:

• Allergy safety policy reviews
• Food safety and allergen audits
• Catering compliance assessments
• Staff training
• Individual Healthcare Plan processes
• Incident and near-miss reviews
• Practical action plans
• Ongoing food safety advice and support

We can also help multi-site education providers create a consistent allergy safety framework across their schools while identifying risks that are specific to individual locations.

To discuss your school’s allergy management arrangements or arrange an independent compliance review, contact the Safer Food Scores team.