UK Schools Required to Store Allergy Pens and Adopt Allergy Policies From September

Life-saving allergy pens will be stored in all UK schools from September under new requirements named Benedict's Law. The Department for Education said schools must also maintain a whole-school allergy policy, train all staff on allergies, and ensure individual healthcare plans for pupils with allergies. Statutory guidance setting out these obligations comes into force in September.

From 2027 the same measures will become statutory duties that apply to state schools, independent schools, and fee-paying special schools. Benedict Blythe, five, died in December 2021 after an accidental exposure to cow's milk protein at Barnack Primary School near Stamford, Lincolnshire. He had asthma and allergies to eggs, nuts, and milk.

Research by the Benedict Blythe Foundation found that 50 percent of schools in England have no spare medication, a third have no allergy policy, and 70 percent lack all the measures now required. Helen Blythe, Benedict's mother, said the new rules would have changed the outcome.

"Had Benedict's Law and this guidance been in place when he'd been at school, he almost certainly would still be with us," she stated.

Education minister Olivia Bailey said the changes resulted from the efforts of Helen and Peter Blythe.