Benedict’s Law Orders England Schools To Stock Emergency Adrenaline Pens From September

Benedict’s Law will require schools across England to stock emergency “spare” adrenaline auto-injector (AAI) pens, publish a whole-school allergy policy, train all staff to recognise and respond to allergic reactions and anaphylaxis, and put individual healthcare plans in place for pupils whose allergies require management at school.

“- Published Life-saving allergy pens will be stored in all UK schools from September following a campaign by the parents of a five-year-old boy who died after drinking contaminated milk”

BBC

The Department for Education said the statutory guidance will come into force from September, with the BBC reporting that “Published Life-saving allergy pens will be stored in all UK schools from September following a campaign by the parents of a five-year-old boy who died after drinking contaminated milk.”

BBC

Education Minister Olivia Bailey said, “Benedict’s Law means every single school will now have the training plans and the life-saving equipment in place to protect every child.”

The policy is tied to the death of five-year-old Benedict Blythe, who died after accidental exposure to cow’s milk protein at Barnack Primary School, between Stamford and Peterborough, in December 2021.

The BBC added that Benedict had asthma and a number of allergies, including eggs, nuts and milk, and that his mother said she had worked with the school to put together an allergy action plan, but an inquest heard that process had not been followed.

The guidance is described as the first phase of Benedict’s Law, with LincsOnline saying it begins this week in memory of a Stamford schoolboy and comes into effect from September.

LincsOnline reported that the guidance will lead to about 1.5 million teachers and school workers receiving allergy awareness and emergency response training, calling it “the largest public health training initiative ever delivered across England's schools.”

European Medical Journal

European Medical Journal said the provisions replace previous non-statutory advice and that a consultation on new guidance on supporting children and young people with medical conditions and allergies ran from 5th March to 15th May and is set to come into force in England in September 2026.

In Newcastle, Walbottle Village Primary School’s School Business Manager Danielle Thackray said, “Investing in allergy training has been absolutely necessary for our school.”

Thackray added that the structured training, emergency drills, and support with policies “have taken our procedures to the next level,” while the European Medical Journal described the measures as standardising practice and including improved incident recording and lessons learnt processes.

While the statutory guidance comes into effect from September, Benedict’s Law is set to go further, with LincsOnline saying that from 2027 the same measures will be placed into primary legislation and create a legal duty on all schools in England, including independent schools and fee-paying special schools.

“Department for Education publishes new statutory guidance for schools on allergy safety after campaign by Stamford parents in memory of Benedict Blythe, 5 The ‘biggest overhaul of school allergy safety in a generation’ begins this week in memory of a Stamford schoolboy”

LincsOnline

The BBC said the same measures will be made into statutory duties from 2027 and will apply to state schools, independent schools and fee-paying special schools, meaning schools will be legally required to implement the changes.

Helen Blythe, co-founder of the Benedict Blythe Foundation, said, “From September, schools across England will have clear national expectations on how they keep children with allergies safe.”

The BBC also cited research by the Benedict Blythe Foundation that 50% of schools in England do not have any spare medication, a third have no allergy policy, and 70% do not have all the measures now being introduced.

In the same BBC report, Blythe said, “Had Benedict's Law and this guidance been in place when he'd been at school, he almost certainly would still be with us,” as Education Minister Olivia Bailey framed the change as protections that “should simply be there.”