Helping to keep pupils with allergies safe while they are at school – new guidelines for schools

Allergy UK, the Anaphylaxis Campaign and the British Society of Allergy and Clinical Immunology have collaborated to develop new ‘Model Policy for Allergy Management at School Guidelines’ to help schools keep pupils with allergies safe.

These guidelines have been designed to complement the existing government statutory guidance across the UK nations and provides a level of specific detail on supporting children with allergy to strengthen the current generic guidance.

Read the new policy and its objectives here

There has been a longstanding unmet need in schools for clear and specific guidance on how to develop and implement allergy policies which recognise children at risk, include measures to minimise risk, and define what constitutes adequate training for school staff. These new guidelines will support all school staff to recognise the symptoms of anaphylaxis, administer adrenaline early and encourage a ‘whole school’ approach to allergy management.

By implementing these guidelines schools will be able take a proactive approach to working towards preventing future childhood deaths from anaphylaxis whilst pupils are in their care.

Carla Jones, CEO of Allergy UK said:

These guidelines will provide schools with very clear and supportive information on how they can keep their pupils with allergy safe and do, we believe, meet a real need for both schools and parents. The need to improve awareness and understanding in schools is a priority for us and the launch of the guidelines is a real step forward and something we will promote through all our ongoing work with schools.