Schools across England are now required to provide allergy awareness training for all staff and stock EpiPens, implementing new regulations known as 'Benedict's Law'. These measures follow the fatal allergic reaction of five-year-old Benedict Blythe, who died in 2021 shortly after starting primary school.
The law mandates that every school must have a dedicated allergy policy, provide training to all personnel on recognizing and responding to allergic reactions, and maintain a stock of EpiPens. This initiative is expected to equip 1.5 million adults with the knowledge to identify and manage allergic emergencies.
Benedict's parents, Helen and Peter Blythe, spearheaded the campaign for this legislation. "This is a huge moment for our family and for every child living with allergies," they stated. "Children starting school this September will enter one of the safest education systems in the world for pupils with allergies."
The campaign was driven by the memory of Benedict, who had asthma and multiple allergies including eggs, kiwi fruit, nuts, and milk. Despite an existing allergy plan at his school, he was administered cow's milk by a teacher in December 2021. An inquest into his death highlighted delays in administering adrenaline and noted a lack of training, failure to communicate his allergies, and an inability to recognize his symptoms.
Research conducted by the Benedict Blythe Foundation, established in his memory, indicated that half of schools lacked spare adrenaline auto-injectors and one-third had no allergy policy prior to these new regulations. The foundation collaborated with allergy organizations, schools, clinicians, parliamentarians, and the government to advocate for these nationwide changes.
Sarah Knight, founder of The Allergy Team, which assisted in developing the guidance, expressed optimism about the impact on parents, children, and teachers. "As a parent of two children with allergies this is honestly amazing," she said. "I know how daunting it can be to navigate these allergies, and for that responsibility to sit on other people is a lot."
Mrs. Blythe emphasized that the law's success will be measured by tangible improvements in child safety, staff preparedness, and parental confidence, rather than mere compliance. "The success of Benedict’s Law will not be measured by how many schools download a policy or record that training has been completed. It will be measured by whether children are safer, whether staff know what to do and whether parents can leave their children at the school gate knowing that every reasonable step has been taken to protect them."
These new protections extend beyond state schools, with a legal duty for allergy training set to apply to independent and fee-paying special schools by 2027. Benedict's Law aims to address the previously inconsistent safety standards for students with allergies.