⚠️ Statutory guidance published July 2026 | All English schools must comply from September 2026
What is Benedict’s Law?
Five-year-old Benedict Blythe died from anaphylaxis at school in 2021. His family’s campaign led to landmark legislation. In 2026, the English Government confirmed Benedict’s Law in primary legislation — with statutory guidance published July 2026 and full enforcement from September 2026.
2 in 30
Children in every classroom have an allergy
30%
Of severe reactions in children with no prior diagnosis
24,000
State schools in England now legally required to comply
What Every School Must Do by September 2026
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Whole-School Allergy Policy
A written policy covering allergy management, staff responsibilities, communication with families, and emergency response.
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Annual Staff Training
All staff must receive annual allergy awareness and anaphylaxis response training, including how to use an adrenaline auto-injector.
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Emergency AAI Access
Schools must ensure access to emergency adrenaline auto-injectors (EpiPens or intranasal adrenaline spray) for pupils who need them.
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Individual Allergy Action Plans
Every pupil with a diagnosed allergy must have an individual healthcare plan agreed with parents and shared with all relevant staff.
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Incident Recording
Schools must record all allergic incidents, implement lessons learned, and improve communication with families to prevent recurrence.
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Applies To All Schools
State primaries, secondaries, academies, free schools, special schools, independent schools, and maintained nurseries in England.
How A&AT Helps Your School Comply
We have been delivering exactly what Benedict’s Law now requires for over 20 years — through our sister organisation First Aid for Schools, Ofqual-accredited and trusted by schools across the UK and Ireland. We have also been advocating for allergy safety in schools since 2020 and offer free online training for teachers and students right now.
Staff Allergy Training
Ofqual-accredited anaphylaxis training for all staff, with annual renewal. Covers recognition, emergency response, and AAI use. Delivered in-school or online. Free online training for teachers and students also available now.
Book Training →The Kitty Kit™
EpiPens and a tourniquet for catastrophic bleeds in a compact bag that sits alongside your defibrillator — what we like to call a Dual Life Station. Meets the Benedict’s Law AAI access requirement.
Get a Kitty Kit™ →Policy & Action Plan Templates
Ready-to-use whole-school allergy policy templates and individual allergy action plan frameworks, fully aligned with the DfE statutory guidance published July 2026.
Get Resources →⚠️ Our Concern: Will Benedict’s Law Actually Be Enforced?
Basic first aid training has been mandatory in all state-funded schools in England since September 2020 under DfE statutory guidance. Five years on, many schools still haven’t met that requirement. A&AT has been advocating for allergy awareness in schools since 2020 and has offered free online training for teachers and students throughout that period to help close the gap. We cannot allow the same neglect to happen with Benedict’s Law. A child’s life should not depend on whether their school chose to act. That is why we are here — to make compliance real, not just legal.
Get Your School Benedict’s Law Ready
Statutory guidance is live. September 2026 is the deadline. We provide the training, the equipment, and the policy templates — everything your school needs in one place.
In memory of Benedict Blythe, 2016–2021