Benedict’s Law: A Positive Guide to the New 2026 School Allergy Guidance
With the new academic year on the horizon, exciting and positive updates are coming to classrooms across England. The Department for Education has confirmed that new statutory guidance on allergy management—widely known as Benedict’s Law—will officially come into force this September (2026).
Rather than viewing this as another piece of administrative paperwork, schools across the country are welcoming this milestone. It provides a clear, consistent framework that ensures classrooms, playgrounds, and dining halls are safer, more inclusive, and supportive for every child.
At Oodles Training, we know that headteachers, governors, and school business managers want to look after their teams and protect their pupils without stretching budgets or overwhelming timetables. Here is your simple, stress-free guide to what Benedict’s Law means for your school, and how easily you can achieve complete compliance.
What Does Benedict’s Law Mean for Your School?
The upcoming 2026 guidance moves high-level allergy safety from an "optional best practice" into a clear, mandatory standard for all schools in England. To be fully compliant by September, your school simply needs to demonstrate it has four key pillars in place:
Whole-School Allergy Policy: A dedicated, standalone school allergy policy that is published clearly (separate from your general medical conditions documentation).
Individual Healthcare Plans (IHPs): Accessible, standardised allergy action plans for every single student with a known allergy.
Spare Adrenaline Auto-Injectors (AAIs): Keeping "spare" emergency adrenaline pens on-site that aren't tied to a specific pupil, ensuring a backup is always available in an emergency.
Comprehensive Staff Training: Ensuring it’s not just one or two designated first aiders who know what to do. Because an allergic reaction can happen anywhere—from the school gates to the lunch queue—all staff need the confidence to recognise symptoms and act quickly.
Your Top 3 Questions Answered: School Allergy Compliance FAQ
Navigating new updates always brings up practical questions. We’ve answered the most common queries search engines see from school leaders to give you complete peace of mind.
Does every single member of staff need allergy training?
Yes, the new guidance emphasises a whole-school approach. It is highly recommended that teachers, teaching assistants, sports coaches, lunchtime supervisors, trip leaders, and office staff receive baseline training. When your whole team knows the signs of anaphylaxis, you build a powerful safety net across the entire setting.
Can we complete this training during our regular INSET days?
Absolutely! Utilising an INSET day or a scheduled staff meeting is one of the best ways to get your whole team updated at the same time. We can deliver this in a variety of ways to suit your schedule, from booking a full first aid course with a bolt-on module, to running short, back-to-back allergy awareness sessions to cycle your entire staff through efficiently.
What is the fastest and most cost-effective way to get certified?
This will depend largely on how many staff you need trained. For smaller numbers video e-learning is the ideal option. Your staff can complete their certified training individually online at a time that perfectly suits them, with zero disruption to the school day. For bigger numbers of staff it may be more cost effective for us to run a series of group sessions, either face to face or via live webinar.
5 Flexible Ways Oodles Training Supports Your Team
We are here to make your transition to the September 2026 standards smooth, encouraging, and completely tailored to your resources. We offer five flexible training pathways to choose from:
Video E-Learning: Fully certified, self-paced video learning. This is our fastest and most flexible solution for whole-school compliance.
The "Bolt-On" Option: If you already have face-to-face training booked with us (such as School First Aid, Sports First Aid, EFAW, or FAW), we can "bolt on" a specific, certified Anaphylaxis and Allergy module to the same session. This is the most popular way to achieve dual certification efficiently.
Back-to-Back Whole-School Sessions: Perfect for INSET days. We run short, repeating sessions face-to-face at your school over the course of a day, allowing staff to sign up at a time that fits their schedule.
Standalone Face-to-Face Courses: A distinct, short, and highly interactive session focused purely on allergy awareness and practical auto-injector practice for your team. These can be run as twilight session to minimise classroom disruption.
Live Virtual Training: Get the benefit of a live, expert tutor delivering interactive training to your staff via video link, keeping your team connected without the travel. These can also be run as twilight session to minimise classroom disruption.
Take the Stress Out of Compliance—Get in Touch Today!
Preparing for Benedict’s Law doesn't have to be complicated or overwhelming. Whether you just want a friendly chat to ask a few questions about the 2026 guidance, or you are ready to secure your training dates for the upcoming academic year, our expert team is here to guide you every step of the way.
Get in touch with Oodles Training today to find out how we can keep your school safe, compliant, and confident.
Website: www.OodlesTraining.com
Email: Hello@OodlesTraining.com
Phone: 01865 59 77 69
