Benedict’s Law: What Schools Need to Know: Protecting children has always been at the heart of education, but from September 2026, allergy safety in schools will come under even greater focus through what is becoming widely known as Benedict’s Law.
Named in memory of Benedict Blythe, the changes aim to improve how schools prevent, recognise, and respond to severe allergic reactions and anaphylaxis. For schools, this means allergy management is no longer simply a medical consideration — it is increasingly recognised as a safeguarding responsibility.
According to the Department for Education’s guidance on safeguarding, schools must ensure they have effective systems in place to protect pupils’ health, safety, and wellbeing.
Department for Education – Keeping Children Safe in Education
What Is Benedict’s Law?
Benedict’s Law refers to a growing movement toward mandatory allergy awareness and emergency preparedness standards within schools across England.
The proposed measures are designed to ensure schools:
- Have clear allergy management policies
- Train staff in allergy awareness and anaphylaxis response
- Keep emergency adrenaline auto-injectors (AAIs) onsite
- Maintain individual healthcare plans for pupils with allergies
- Embed allergy safety into their safeguarding culture
Anaphylaxis UK – Benedict’s Law Overview
Why This Matters
Allergies are becoming increasingly common in educational settings, and severe allergic reactions can escalate rapidly.
For schools, preparation can make the difference between a controlled emergency response and a life-threatening situation.
Many schools already have excellent systems in place, but nationally there has historically been inconsistency in:
- Staff confidence
- Emergency procedures
- Communication processes
- Practical training delivery
Benedict’s Law aims to create a more consistent standard of protection for pupils across the education sector.
What Schools Should Be Doing Now
Although implementation continues to develop, schools should already be reviewing:
- Their allergy and anaphylaxis policies
- Staff training records
- Emergency medication procedures
- Individual healthcare plans
- Lunch and food preparation protocols
- Trip and offsite activity risk assessments
The Department for Education’s statutory guidance on supporting pupils with medical conditions is also an important reference point for schools preparing for these changes.
Department for Education – Supporting Pupils with Medical Conditions at School
The Importance of Staff Training
One of the biggest focuses of Benedict’s Law is ensuring staff are properly trained and confident in responding to allergic reactions.
Training should help staff:
- Recognise the signs and symptoms of anaphylaxis
- Understand allergy prevention measures
- Administer adrenaline auto-injectors correctly
- Respond calmly and effectively in an emergency
- Understand their safeguarding responsibilities
Importantly, allergy awareness training should not be limited to teaching staff alone. Midday supervisors, office staff, support workers, sports coaches, and leadership teams all play a vital role in keeping children safe.
How Paradigm First Aid Training Can Support Schools
At Paradigm First Aid Training, we understand the increasing responsibilities schools face around safeguarding, medical conditions, and emergency preparedness.
We support schools, colleges, nurseries, and education providers across the North West, and Wider UK with engaging, practical training designed specifically for educational environments.
Our training can support schools with:
- Allergy awareness and anaphylaxis response
- Paediatric First Aid
- Emergency First Aid at Work
- Staff confidence in emergency situations
- Scenario-based learning relevant to schools
- Compliance-focused training delivery
We believe training should be practical, memorable, and empowering — helping staff feel confident to act when it matters most.
As expectations around allergy safety continue to evolve, proactive training and preparation will play a key role in protecting pupils and supporting school staff.
If your school would like support reviewing training needs or preparing staff for the expectations surrounding Benedict’s Law, Paradigm First Aid Training would be happy to help.
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