Overview
- The Department for Education published the statutory guidance on Sunday requiring all schools in England to hold spare adrenaline auto‑injectors from September and to keep clear allergy policies and healthcare plans.
- The measure follows the 2021 death of five‑year‑old Benedict Blythe and an inquest that found procedural failures and delays in giving an adrenaline pen at his primary school.
- The guidance also mandates training for teachers and staff so they can recognise anaphylaxis and use auto‑injectors in an emergency.
- School leaders and the NAHT union welcomed the clarity but warned implementation will need central funding, national stock management and vetted suppliers to handle storage, expiry, reordering and safe disposal of devices.
- Campaigners and allergy organisations praised the change as a major safety step for hundreds of thousands of children and around 1.5 million school staff, and the government says it will follow the guidance with formal legislation next year.