Peterborough mum's campaign to make school's safer after son (5) dies from allergic reaction

A Peterborough mum has called for changes to be made at schools after her five year old son died following a severe allergic reaction.

Benedict Blythe suffered the reaction while at Barnack School in December 2021, leaving mum Helen and dad Pete devastated.

The couple have now started a campaign to ensure schools are prepared for incidents when children suffer allergic reactions.

Helen said: “I can’t describe the impact on our family. Losing Benedict has shaken our whole reality. You assume that children don’t die – it just shakes your whole belief around what’s possible.

“Most of the time Benedict’s allergies were a looming spectre in the background. I had a fierce internal narrative that this is something that is risky, but that it’s something we could manage. That he should be able to live a normal life, even if we have to work a bit harder to achieve it."

Benedict had allergies to to dairy, eggs, peanuts, sesame and chickpeas.

Helen said: “Benedict knew that he needed to manage his own risks, but we didn’t want him to think of them as scary. It was always scarier for us than it was for him.”

Helen and Pete are still waiting for an inquest to shed light on how and why their son died, but they say the horrifying speed with which he became seriously ill demonstrates the need for schools to understand allergies and be prepared to respond.

Helen is now campaigning for schools to be supported to provide better protection for pupils with allergies through Benedict Blythe Foundation, founded in her son’s memory.

They are calling for it to be made mandatory for all schools to have an allergy policy, including an anaphylaxis plan, for pupils with food allergies, an individual healthcare plan and anaphylaxis action plan completed (and regularly updated) collaboratively by the child, parents/carers and school staff, for all schools to hold spare adrenaline pens that are in-date, and for schools to implement training for school staff and teachers on allergies and anaphylaxis and a whole school allergy awareness approach.

Helen is not the only mother working to shine a spotlight on the need for schools to be educated and prepared.

Sarah Knight founded The Allergy Team after her two sons were diagnosed with multiple food allergies as babies. The Allergy Team supports thousands of families and school staff with information, resources and state-of-the- art training.

Sarah said: “Time and time again parents and carers tell us of near-misses and mistakes which led to their children having allergic reactions in school. This impacts on the wellbeing of the whole school community.

"Seventy nine per cent of allergic reactions happen outside the dining hall so it’s vital that all staff are trained, it’s not good enough to leave it up to school catering teams or to have just a handful of teachers who know how to use an Epipen.

"Sending your son or daughter with allergies to school can be incredibly stressful. For many parents it’s the first time they’ve let anyone else cook for their child and every day you wonder if they will be safe.”

For more information, including signing a petition to back Helen’s call, visit https://www.benedictblythe.com/protect-pupils-with-allergies/