In July 2026, the government published statutory guidance on allergy safety in schools, setting out the arrangements schools must have in place to support pupils with allergies.

The guidance introduces new duties for maintained schools, academies and pupil referral units (PRUs), with further requirements being phased in during the 2026/27 academic year. 

For school leaders, the immediate priority is ensuring that allergy safety arrangements are reviewed and strengthened ahead of the new requirements coming into force.

What is changing?

The new statutory guidance sets out what schools are expected to do to keep children and young people with allergies safe. It covers:

• having and publishing an allergy safety policy
• ensuring staff receive appropriate allergy safety training
• identifying pupils who require an Individual Healthcare Plan and putting those plans in place
• recording, reviewing and learning from serious incidents and near misses.

The guidance applies to:

• local authority-maintained schools, including maintained special schools (excluding maintained nursery schools),
• academies, including free schools and alternative provision academies (excluding 16-19 academies),
• PRUs. 

Key dates for leaders

School leaders should be aware of the phased implementation timetable.

September 2026

From September 2026, schools in scope:

• must have an allergy safety policy in place
• must have regard to the statutory guidance on allergy safety in schools. 

The guidance creates a strong expectation that schools will:

• stock spare adrenaline auto-injectors (AAIs)
• provide allergy awareness training for all staff. 

However, these measures will not yet be statutory duties at this stage. 

Schools that have not fully implemented them by September 2026 will not automatically be acting unlawfully, but leaders should be prepared to explain to Ofsted inspectors or others how they are working towards compliance with the guidance. 

New Year 2027

The government intends to introduce regulations that will make specific allergy safety measures mandatory, including:

• allergy awareness training for staff
• holding spare AAIs on site
• other specific allergy safety duties set out in regulations. 

What should schools be doing now?

Leaders should use the period before September 2026 to review existing arrangements and identify any gaps.

Priority actions are outlined below. 

1. Develop or update an allergy safety policy

From September 2026, having an allergy safety policy will be a requirement. Schools should ensure that the policy clearly sets out:  

• how allergy risks are identified and managed
• staff responsibilities
• emergency procedures
• arrangements for trips, visits and extracurricular activities
• communication with families and healthcare professionals. 

2. Identify pupils who need Individual Healthcare Plans

Schools should review existing records and ensure that children and young people with significant allergies are identified and supported through robust Individual Healthcare Plans. 

Plans should be regularly reviewed and shared with relevant staff.

3. Review staff training arrangements

Although training will not become a specific statutory requirement until regulations are introduced in 2027, the guidance establishes a strong expectation that all staff receive allergy awareness training. Leaders should therefore begin planning and delivering training programmes as soon as they are able. 

4. Consider arrangements for spare AAIs

Schools are expected to work towards holding spare AAIs and ensuring staff understand how and when they should be used. This will become a specific statutory requirement under planned regulations. 

5. Strengthen incident reporting and learning

The guidance emphasises the importance of recording serious allergy incidents and near misses and using them to improve practice and reduce future risk. Schools should review existing reporting systems and procedures. 

Resources available

Alongside the guidance, the government has produced templates that schools can adapt to:

• meet the requirement to have an allergy safety policy
• create Individual Healthcare Plans for pupils with allergies
• manage record-keeping and training related to AAIs. 

What this means for leaders

While the most significant statutory duties will not take effect until 2027, September 2026 marks an important milestone. 

Schools must have an allergy safety policy and must be able to demonstrate that they have had regard to the new statutory guidance. 

Leaders should therefore begin preparations, focusing on policy development, pupil identification, staff training and emergency response arrangements, so that their school is ready for the next phase of implementation.