Safeguarding children with allergies at school

England School Food Standards

School food standards for state schools in England are governed through the Requirements for School Food Regulations 2014.

The Department for Education has published advice for schools on the school food standards.

A series of resources for schools, including a practical guide to meeting the standards, have also been published.

Allergy guidance

The Department for Education has published Allergy guidance for schools, most recently updated in September 2024.

The guidance highlights that under section 100 of the Children and Families Act 2014, schools have a duty to support pupils at their school with medical conditions. This could include ensuring that a child with an allergy is able to eat a school lunch. Statutory guidance on supporting pupils at school with medical conditions provides further details.

The allergy guidance also provides practical advice and further resources on managing allergies within schools.

Scotland

Statutory guidance has been published by the Scottish Government on Healthy eating in schools (2020).

The guidance supports the implementation of the Nutritional Requirements for Food and Drink in Schools (Scotland) Regulations 2020.

The guidance says:

All education authorities and schools should have policies in place to safely support children, young people and staff with food allergies. These polices should be carefully referred to before permitting food and drink to be brought into schools under one of the above exemptions, for example a charity bake sale or food and drink brought into school as part of a packed lunch.

For schools, the Scottish Government has published guidance on how they should support pupils with health conditions, including those with allergies.

The guidance states that awareness raising training about common conditions, such as allergies, should be provided to ensure that staff in schools have a basic understanding of the conditions, can recognise symptoms, and seek appropriate support – particularly in the case of anaphylaxis.

Wales

The Welsh Government has published statutory guidance on Healthy eating in maintained schools (2014), which makes clear that schools should be aware of nut allergies in particular.

The Welsh Government has also published statutory guidance on Supporting learners with healthcare needs (2018). The guidance is issued under Section 175 of the Education Act 2002, which places a duty on local authorities and governing bodies to make arrangements to ensure their functions are exercised with a view to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children in school or another place of learning, including supporting children’s healthcare needs.

The guidance states that where food is provided by or through the education setting, consideration must be given to dietary needs of learners – such as those who have allergies and food intolerances.

The Welsh Government has also published guidance on The use of emergency adrenaline auto-injectors in schools.

Northern Ireland

The Northern Ireland Department of Education has published guidance on Nutritional standards for school lunches, which includes information on catering for children with allergies. The current nutritional standards were most recently reviewed, including through a public consultation, in 2020.

The Education Authority in Northern Ireland has published Guidance for the provision of Special Diets in schools, which states that:

The provision of special diets is a shared responsibility and requires a joint approach and close communication between the School Principal, Parent/Guardian and School Catering Service to minimise risk and provide a safe educational environment for pupils with special dietary requirements.

The guidance includes information on recommended procedures and forms to outline best practice in dealing with special diets.

The Department of Education in Northern Ireland has also published guidance on Support for pupils with medication needs, to support schools in managing related protocols.

Food allergy

An allergy is the response of the body’s immune systems to otherwise harmless substances (allergens). The NHS webpage on allergens notes that these substances can include tree and grass pollen, house dust mites and food.

The NHS webpage on food allergy states that the most common food allergens are:

• cows' milk
• eggs
• peanuts, soybeans, peas and chickpeas
• tree nuts, such as walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts, pecans, cashews, pistachios and Brazil nuts
• shellfish, such as prawns, crab and lobster
• wheat

People who have another type of ‘allergic condition’, such as eczema or asthma, are more likely to have a food allergy.

The NHS explains that a food allergy is different from a food intolerance. A food intolerance can cause symptoms such as bloating and tummy pain, usually a few hours eating the food a person is intolerant to.

If a GP thinks a patient has a food allergy, they may refer them to a specialist to be tested.

Symptoms

The NHS webpage on food allergy explains that common symptoms include itchy skin or a raised rash (hives), swelling of the lips, face and eyes (angioedema) and feeling sick or being sick.

Food allergies can also result in a more serious reaction called anaphylaxis. This is a life-threatening medical emergency in which a person’s throat and tongue swell up causing difficulty breathing. The person may also feel tired, confused or faint, and their skin may be cold to the touch.

Treatment

People with food allergies are generally advised not to eat the relevant foods.

Antihistamines can help to relieve the symptoms of mild allergic reactions.

Children with peanut allergy may be offered immunotherapy to help their bodies become less sensitive to peanuts.

Adrenaline can be used to treat anaphylaxis. Auto-injector pens (brand names include EpiPen and Jext) are designed to be used with minimal preparation.

When anaphylaxis occurs, emergency medical support should always be sought by calling 999, even if adrenaline has been administered.

The NHS webpage on anaphylaxis advises on what steps to take if a person is thought to be experiencing anaphylaxis.

Schools can choose to make emergency anaphylaxis kits available. Kitt Medical supplies schools and qualifying businesses with wall-mounted anaphylaxis kits.

Allergen labelling in the UK

If a food is packaged at the same place it is offered or sold to consumers it is ‘prepacked for direct sale’ (PPDS). In a school setting, an example would be sandwiches which are packaged on the premises. The law requires PPDS foods to be labelled with a full ingredients list, and 14 allergens must be emphasised within this list. The 14 allergens that must be labelled are set out in Annex II of the food information to consumers regulations.

Other types of food produced in schools may not be prepacked, such as hot meals plated to order. For these foods, there is no requirement to label ingredients or allergens, but schools must be able to provide information, in writing or orally, on the presence of any allergens in the food they are serving. Allergen information can be provided in different ways, such as on a menu or chalkboard or with a written notice explaining how to find allergen information.

Parliamentary materials Parliamentary questions

Nurses: Schools

18 June 2025 | UIN 58866

Asked by: Sadik Al-Hassan

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of school nurses have received specialist training in (a) allergy and (b) anaphylaxis management.

Answering member: Karin Smyth | Department of Health and Social Care

Data is not held centrally on the number of school nurses who have received specialist training in allergy and anaphylaxis management. The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) sets the standards for education preparation for school nurses, who are registered nurses that undertake a post-graduate Specialist Public Health Nurse qualification with an NMC-approved university. School nurses will then also undertake any mandatory training required by their employer, as appropriate to their role.

Section 100 of the Children and Families Act 2014 places a duty on schools to make arrangements for supporting pupils with medical conditions. Schools should ensure they are aware of any pupils with medical conditions, and should have policies and processes in place to ensure that these can be well managed, including for allergies. The policy should also set out how staff will be supported in carrying out their role to support pupils, including how training needs are assessed and how training is commissioned and provided. Any member of school staff providing support to a pupil with medical needs should have received suitable training. NHS England has also produced the Health School Child e-learning programme, which is available at the following link:

https://www.e-lfh.org.uk/programmes/healthy-school-child/

This is designed for healthcare professionals, including school nurses, working with children aged five to 12 years old. Module 5 of the e-learning programme includes sessions on asthma, eczema, and other allergies.

Schools: Allergies

6 May 2025 | UIN 48755

Asked by: Sarah Gibson

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department is taking steps to support the implementation of the Benedict Blythe Foundation's allergy safety recommendations in schools in England.

Answering member: Catherine McKinnell | Department for Education

Section 100 of the Children and Families Act 2014 places a duty on maintained schools, academies and pupil referral units to make arrangements for supporting pupils with medical conditions. The accompanying statutory guidance ‘Supporting pupils with medical conditions at school’ makes clear to schools what is expected of them in taking reasonable steps to fulfil their legal obligations and to meet the individual needs of pupils with medical conditions, including allergies. The guidance can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/supporting-pupils-at-school-with-medical-conditions--3.

The department has alerted schools to external resources from trusted allergy organisations. This includes the Schools Allergy Code, developed by The Allergy Team, Independent Schools’ Bursars Association and the Benedict Blythe Foundation, and Allergy School created by the Natasha Allergy Research Foundation.

In 2017, the Department of Health published non-statutory guidance confirming that schools can purchase spare adrenaline auto-injectors (AAIs) from a pharmacy without a prescription and for use in an emergency situation. The department does not hold information on the number of schools which stock spare AAIs.

Adrenaline Auto-injectors: First Aid and Schools

23 December 2024 | UIN 20823

Asked by: Dr Allison Gardner

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to improve access to adrenaline pens (a) for first aid organisations and (b) in schools.

Answering member: Andrew Gwynne | Department of Health and Social Care

Since October 2017, the Human Medicines (Amendment) Regulations 2017 have allowed all schools to buy adrenaline auto-injector (AAI) devices without a prescription, for emergency use. The Department has published non-statutory guidance to accompany this legislative change, with the guidance being available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/using-emergency-adrenaline-auto-injectors-in-schools

This guidance advises schools on the recognition and management of an allergic reaction and anaphylaxis, and outlines when and how an AAI should be administered for pupils. The guidance makes clear that any AAIs held by a school should be considered a spare device and not a replacement for a pupil’s own AAIs. It also states that children at risk of anaphylaxis should have their own prescribed AAIs at school for use in an emergency, and that they should always carry two devices.

In November 2021, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and the Commission on Human Medicine’s Adrenaline Auto-injector Expert Working Group, with wide-ranging input from patient groups, leading allergy experts and healthcare professionals, published a report which outlined recommendations for the safe and effective use of AAIs, including quicker treatment, to help save lives. The MHRA has worked alongside the Department and wider health system to take forward these recommendations, some of which are already in place.

In June 2023, the MHRA, with the support of allergy awareness advocates, launched a safety campaign to raise awareness of anaphylaxis and provide advice on the use of AAIs.

The MHRA produced a toolkit of resources for health and social care professionals to support the safe and effective use of AAIs. Alongside this, the MHRA produced guidance, which states that prescribers should prescribe two AAIs to make sure patients always have the second dose and that those who are prescribed AAIs should always carry two of them. […]

Debates

Allergy Guidance for Schools

21 May 2024 | House of Commons Chamber | 750 cc844-852

School Pupils with Allergies

30 November 2023 | Westminster Hall | 741 cc383WH-404WH

Early Day Motions

Allergy safety and equality in schools

16 June 2025 | EDM 1472

Further reading

• BBC News, Allergy awareness toolkits for breakfast clubs, 6 May 2025
• Department for Education, Allergy guidance for schools, 13 February 2025
• NASUWT, More support needed to improve allergy management in schools, 11 February 2025
• BBC News, Teachers need allergy training, say campaigners, 11 February 2025
• Anaphylaxis UK, The Hidden Battle with Allergies : Keeping Students Safe in School, 4 October 2024
• The National Scot, Code of practice for schools launched to protect children with allergies, 27 February 2024