Government launches consultation to transform allergy safety in schools following death of Benedict Blythe (5) following reaction in Peterborough school

For the first time, schools in England would be expected to introduce clear allergy policies, ensure staff are trained to recognise and respond to anaphylaxis, and hold spare adrenaline auto-injectors on site.

If implemented, the guidance would affect nearly 25,000 schools across England and millions of pupils.

The consultation marks a significant step towards delivering what has become known as Benedict’s Law, following a four-year campaign by the family of five-year-old Benedict Blythe, who died from an allergic reaction suffered at Barnack Primary School in 2021.

For the Blythe family, this moment represents the culmination of a long and deeply personal campaign. Since Benedict’s death in December 2021, Helen and Peter Blythe have worked with clinicians, coroners, charities and parliamentarians to highlight gaps in allergy safety in schools and push for national protections so that no other family experiences the loss of a child in circumstances that could have been prevented.

The proposed statutory guidance would mean that schools must:

• Stock spare adrenaline auto-injectors for use in emergency situations, including for children without a prior diagnosis.

• Provide allergy awareness training for all staff, covering symptom recognition, emergency response and the use of adrenaline devices.

• Put in place comprehensive policies for supporting pupils with medical conditions, including Individual Healthcare Plans.

Helen and Peter Blythe, Benedict Blythe’s parents, said: “For four years, the Benedict Blythe Foundation has led the campaign for allergy safety in schools through Benedict’s Law. We are grateful that the government has listened to us, and that as a result a new generation of children with allergies will, from September, enter a school system far safer for them.

"Our son Benedict died aged just five years old, from an allergic reaction in school that was not only preventable but treatable. Benedict’s Law is delivered through the new statutory guidance published for consultation. It means schools will be required to have allergy pens, allergy training and allergy policies, none of which were in place when Benedict joined his school – in fact had they been, he may still be alive.

“As a family, leading the campaign for allergy safety in schools has been about remembering our son. He was a kind, clever boy who cared about helping others – so knowing that for the first time schools will be expected to protect children with allergies like him from harm feels like a fitting legacy for Benedict.

As Benedict’s family, we are profoundly thankful to the parents, children, school staff, clinicians and charities who lent their voices to this campaign and for the diligence of those involved in making a reality. The confirmation that Benedict’s Law will now be delivered, alongside clear guidance, feels like a true turning point for allergy safety and awareness in schools. Every child should be safe from allergy at school, and through Benedict’s Law they will be.”

While the Foundation welcomes this progress, it is clear that statutory guidance is not the same as legislation. Guidance sets expectations, but it does not create an enforceable legal duty or guarantee consistent implementation across every school.

Professor Adam Fox OBE, Chair of the National Allergy Strategy Group, added: “There has been an urgent need to address safety in schools for children with allergies for many years - this has been raised by all the members of the National Allergy Strategy Group as well as numerous coroners following inquests into a number of tragic deaths in school - all of which were avoidable.

“Thankfully, the government is now listening and this change means that parents can start to send their children to school with more confidence that they will be kept safe. It’s so important that those with a lived experience of managing this issue contribute to the consultation to help ensure that the new statutory guidance is the best that it can be.”

Around 30% of allergic reactions in schools occur in children previously undiagnosed with an allergy.

The consultation, which precedes implementation planned for September 2026, replaces previous non-statutory advice and signals a shift towards clearer, nationally consistent expectations.

The Foundation is encouraging parents, clinicians, teachers and school leaders to respond to the consultation and help ensure that the final guidance is robust, properly funded and implemented consistently across England.