Stronger protections for children with allergies in school

Aiming to replace previous non-statutory advice, the consultation on the new guidance on supporting children and young people with medical conditions and allergies is now open and introduces new requirements for schools that will come into force in September 2026.

The new statutory requirements mean for the first time schools must:

• Stock “spare” adrenaline auto-injectors for use in emergency situations
• Provide allergy awareness training for all staff covering recognition of symptoms, emergency response and the use of adrenaline devices, alongside improved incident recording and lessons learnt processes
• Have a comprehensive policy for supporting children with medical conditions, including Individual Healthcare Plans to record specific arrangements for individuals like an allergy management plan.

This guidance aims to standardise practise, signposting 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.