Stronger protections for children with allergies in school announced
Source: Department for Education, 5 March 2026
The Department for Education has today (5 March) announced that life-saving allergy pens must be stocked by schools under new plans announced by the government.
The move will also see compulsory training for teachers and a requirement for each school to have a dedicated allergy policy.
As well as saving lives, the new measures will help children stay in school, with 500,000 days of learning lost due to allergy-related illness or medical appointments in the last year alone.
Replacing previous non-statutory advice, the new guidance on supporting children and young people with medical conditions and allergies is now open for consultation, ahead of coming into effect in September 2026.
The new statutory requirements mean for the first time schools must:
- Stock “spare” adrenaline auto-injectors for use in emergency situations
- Provide allergy awareness training for all staff – covering recognition of symptoms, emergency response and the use of adrenaline devices – alongside improved incident recording and lessons learnt processes
- Have a comprehensive policy for supporting children with medical conditions, including Individual Healthcare Plans to record specific arrangements for individuals like an allergy management plan
The guidance will standardise practise, pointing to a collection of reliable resources for teachers to use, and work in parallel to the government’s open call to businesses to support with costs such as adrenaline auto-injectors.
Wider changes to the guidance include new condition-specific content covering a range of common and significant conditions. As epilepsy is one of the most common long-term conditions for children, Individual Healthcare Plans should cover seizure types and what to do in an emergency. And as type 1 and 2 diabetes cases in children are rising, schools must support children and young people to use continuous glucose monitors and insulin pumps – including via mobile phone apps.