A dedicated allergy safety policy
Maintained schools, academies and PRUs have the statutory policy duty and must have regard to the DfE guidance. The detailed requirements are being developed further through Regulations.
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Allergy safety,
made practical.
Clear guidance, emergency actions and staff resources for schools, maintained nurseries and childcare professionals in England.
GUIDANCEPublished July 2026Prepare now for allergy-safety duties and DfE expectations
Supporting safer settingsSchools • Nurseries • Childcare
For people responsible for children and young people with allergies
- School leaders
- Teaching and support staff
- Nursery teams
- Caterers and clubs
THE CURRENT POSITION
Start with the right duty for your setting
The new guidance is statutory for specified schools. It is also highly useful good practice for early-years providers, but the legal position is not identical.
EYFS duties continue
Maintained nursery schools are excluded from the new section 34 policy duty. Existing EYFS food, allergy, medicines and paediatric first-aid duties continue; the DfE framework is strong good practice.
Attached nursery?Follow the school's arrangements where they apply, alongside the nursery's own EYFS duties.
WHAT TO DO NOW
Prepare with confidence
These are the practical DfE expectations to build into policy, induction and everyday routines while the further Regulations are introduced.
Name a senior lead
Give a senior leader responsibility for allergy safety and use the DfE policy template as a practical starting point.
Identify and plan
Know who has an allergy, their triggers and medication locations. Use an Individual Healthcare Plan where extra arrangements are needed.
Train every adult
Include permanent, temporary, supply, catering, club and trip staff in allergy-awareness and emergency-response training, not just general first aid.
Make medicines reachable
Plan for prescribed and spare adrenaline devices: correct age-appropriate doses, unlocked access and two devices together, within five minutes.
Include every setting
Build allergy safety into the risk register, food provision, activities, playgrounds, transport, clubs, trips and transitions.
Record, learn and rehearse
Record serious incidents and near misses, address allergy-related bullying, and use emergency drills to strengthen the policy and individual plans.
RECOGNISE • TREAT • CALL
Anaphylaxis is an emergency
Any one Airway, Breathing or Circulation sign means: give adrenaline immediately and call 999. A skin rash may be absent.
Airway
Throat or tongue swelling, hoarse voice, difficulty swallowing
Breathing
Sudden wheeze, persistent cough, noisy or difficult breathing
Circulation
Dizzy, pale, floppy, confused, sleepy or unconscious
IMMEDIATE ACTION
Do not delay.
Bring help and medication to the person. Always follow their current Allergy Action Plan and the instructions for their prescribed adrenaline device.
If in doubt, treat for anaphylaxis.
- 1
Lie flat
Raise the legs. If breathing is difficult, allow sitting with legs extended - but never standing or walking.
- 2
Give adrenaline
Use the prescribed device immediately. Use a permitted school spare if the prescribed device is unavailable or misfires.
- 3
Call 999
Ask for an ambulance and say ‘ANAPHYLAXIS’. Put the phone on speaker and send someone to meet the ambulance.
- 4
Stay and repeat
Keep monitoring. If there is no improvement after five minutes, give a second adrenaline dose.
- 5
Start CPR if needed
If unresponsive and not breathing normally, call 999, begin CPR and use an AED as soon as it arrives.
THE INDIVIDUAL PLAN
Make it personal to the child or young person
An Individual Healthcare Plan should translate clinical information into the setting's practical arrangements. Attach the latest clinician-issued Allergy Action Plan and involve the pupil and family.
- Current photograph, allergens, triggers and usual early signs
- Exact medicines, doses, devices and accessible locations
- Self-carry or self-administration arrangements and supervision
- Meals, lessons, sport, transport, clubs, trips and transitions
- Emergency contacts, information sharing and review date
FREE STAFF RESOURCES
Download, share and rehearse
Use these resources for briefings, induction, inset sessions and team refreshers.
A4 staff emergency handout
A print-ready, double-sided action card covering recognition, adrenaline, 999, CPR, preparation and reporting.
Download the handoutStaff-awareness presentation
A ready-to-deliver briefing deck covering legal scope, individual plans, prevention, emergency action and incident learning.
Download the presentationFIRST AID GARAGE TRAINING
Build a whole-team response
Written guidance matters. Confident action comes from practising the signs, finding the medication and rehearsing what happens next.
Anaphylaxis & auto-injectorsRecognition, responsibilities and emergency response.
Paediatric first aidPractical training for early-years and childcare teams.
School and nursery team trainingTalk to us about the right option for your staff and setting.
Official guidance
This hub is an awareness resource for settings in England. Always follow the individual plan, current clinical advice and your setting's policy.