Schools – have you reviewed your allergy and anaphylaxis training for staff recently?

It’s an important question many schools are now asking.

Two Adrenaline auto-injector pens designed for emergency use, featuring clear instructions on the label for quick and effective administration.

Across the UK, there is increasing focus on how schools manage allergies and respond to Anaphylaxis – a potentially life-threatening reaction that requires immediate treatment with an adrenaline auto-injector such as an EpiPen. Proposed changes often referred to as Benedict’s Law aim to strengthen allergy awareness in schools and ensure staff feel confident recognising and responding to allergic emergencies.

In practice, this means schools are being encouraged to ensure:

• Staff can recognise the signs of allergic reactions

• Staff understand how to respond quickly and appropriately

• Schools have clear allergy management procedures

• Staff know how to use an adrenaline auto-injector if needed

Paediatric First Aid training already includes the emergency treatment of anaphylaxis, including how to use an auto-injector. However, current guidance is encouraging schools to go a step further by ensuring all staff have allergy awareness, not just designated first aiders from 1st September 2026.

At Wiltshire First Aid, we work with schools to support this by providing:

✅Paediatric First Aid training for school first aiders

✅Allergy and anaphylaxis awareness training for staff teams

Our annual allergy awareness sessions typically last 45–60 minutes and are designed to give staff the confidence to recognise symptoms early and act quickly.

If your school is currently reviewing its training or policies around allergies, we’d be very happy to help. Please contact us for more information

Email: enquiries@wiltshirefirstaid.co.uk

Call: 01249 569690