From September 2026, schools across England will need to prepare for new allergy safety guidance designed to help protect children living with food allergies. Known as Benedict’s Law, the guidance introduces important expectations for schools around allergy awareness, staff training, allergen management and emergency response.
For school leaders, catering teams and support staff, now is the time to review current procedures and ensure your school is ready. With the right support, meeting the requirements of Benedict’s Law can be a straightforward process while creating a safer and more inclusive environment for every pupil.
What is Benedict’s Law?
Benedict’s Law was introduced following the tragic death of five-year-old Benedict Blythe, who suffered a fatal anaphylactic reaction at school in 2021. His family campaigned tirelessly for greater protection for children with food allergies, leading to new statutory guidance that aims to improve allergy awareness, preparedness and emergency response across schools in England.
The guidance recognises that managing allergies is not solely the responsibility of catering teams or first aiders. Instead, it promotes a whole-school approach, ensuring every member of staff understands their role in keeping pupils safe.
What are the key requirements for schools?
Under Benedict’s Law, schools are expected to have a comprehensive allergy safety policy that is published on their website and reviewed regularly. Staff should receive annual allergy awareness training so they can recognise the signs of allergic reactions, respond quickly in an emergency and understand their responsibilities under the new guidance.
Schools are also expected to maintain individual healthcare plans for pupils with allergies, ensure appropriate emergency medication such as adrenaline auto-injectors is available, and have clear procedures in place to minimise allergen risks across the school environment.
Together, these measures create a consistent approach to allergy management and help schools demonstrate that pupil safety is embedded throughout the organisation.
How can schools prepare?
Although the new guidance introduces additional expectations, preparing doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Reviewing your current procedures now will help identify any gaps well before the guidance comes into effect.
Train your teams
Annual allergy awareness training is now a key part of the new guidance. Every member of staff should understand how to recognise the signs of allergic reactions and anaphylaxis, respond confidently in an emergency, administer adrenaline devices where appropriate and understand how to reduce allergen risks throughout the school day.
Turner Price Learn provides flexible online allergy awareness training that helps schools keep staff knowledge up to date while maintaining clear training records to demonstrate compliance.
Review your allergen management
Parents place enormous trust in schools to keep their children safe, making accurate allergen management more important than ever.
Now is the ideal time to review your school menus, allergen information, catering procedures, kitchen practices and communication with parents. Clear allergen information helps reduce the risk of mistakes while giving families confidence that their child’s dietary needs are being managed safely.
Update your school website
The guidance expects schools to publish their allergy policy online, making school websites an important source of information for parents and carers.
Alongside your allergy policy, consider reviewing the allergen information available on your website, ensuring menus, dietary guidance and key contacts are easy to find and regularly updated.
Turner Price can support schools by providing clear, accessible website allergen information that helps parents make informed choices while supporting schools with consistent communication.
Build an allergy-aware school community
Creating a safer school goes beyond policies and training. Helping children understand food allergies encourages empathy, reduces the likelihood of accidental exposure and supports a more inclusive environment for pupils living with allergies.
The Welcome to Allergy School resources from Anaphylaxis UK offer engaging, age-appropriate materials that help children understand what food allergies are, why they matter and how everyone can play a part in keeping classmates safe.
How Turner Price can help
At Turner Price, we know that allergy management is about much more than providing nutritious school meals. It’s about creating confidence for pupils, parents and school staff.
Our Turner Price Learn platform delivers flexible online allergy awareness training that helps schools meet the expectations of Benedict’s Law while keeping accurate compliance records. We also support schools with clear website allergen information, making it easier for parents and carers to access the information they need before their child eats at school.
Combined with our expertise in school catering and allergen management, these services help schools create safer dining environments and prepare confidently for the new statutory guidance.
Preparing for September 2026
Benedict’s Law isn’t simply about meeting new statutory guidance. It’s about creating a safer, more inclusive school where every child with allergies can learn with confidence.
By reviewing policies, training staff, strengthening allergen management procedures and providing clear information for parents, schools can be ready for September 2026 while demonstrating their commitment to pupil safety.
If you’d like to find out how Turner Price can support your school with allergy awareness training, website allergen information and specialist school catering expertise, get in touch with our team today.
