Benedict's Law Compliance Checklist for Schools

From September 2026, every school in England has a legal duty to keep pupils with allergies safe. That duty, known as Benedict's Law, brings a specific set of requirements schools need to have in place, not just good intentions.

If you're leading on compliance, it helps to have a clear, practical checklist rather than wading through statutory guidance documents. Here's what your school needs to have covered, and where to start.

1. A published, whole-school allergy policy

Your school needs a dedicated allergy safety policy, reviewed regularly and published on your school website. This sits alongside, but is distinct from, your existing medical conditions policy.

• Allergy policy drafted and approved by leadership
• Named senior leader responsible for the policy
• Policy published on the school website
• Review date set (at least annually)

2. Allergy and anaphylaxis training for all staff

This is the part of Benedict's Law that catches most schools out, because the training requirement is far broader than first aid or medical staff. Anyone likely to be on site with pupils needs training, including teaching assistants, catering and kitchen staff, lunchtime supervisors, site staff, administrative staff, minibus drivers, and regular supply and peripatetic staff.

• Full staff list mapped against training requirements
• Training booked or completed for all relevant staff
• Designated allergy leads and first aiders given additional, role-specific training
• Record of completion kept for each member of staff
• Refresher training scheduled (annually is best practice)

If you need a straightforward way to train a wide mix of roles at once, our Benedict's Law Training: Allergy Awareness in Schools course is a CPD certified, 30–45 minute online course designed for exactly this. It's built assuming no prior medical knowledge, so it works whether you're training a teacher or a minibus driver.

3. Access to spare adrenaline auto-injectors (AAIs)

Schools should have access to spare AAIs for use in an emergency, alongside guidance on when and how staff can use them.

• Spare AAIs sourced and stored appropriately
• Staff know where spare AAIs are kept
• Staff understand when spare AAIs can be used
• Expiry dates monitored and replacements ordered in good time

4. Individual healthcare and allergy action plans

Every pupil with a diagnosed allergy needs an individual healthcare or allergy action plan, and relevant staff need to know which pupils they apply to.

• Individual healthcare plans in place for all pupils with diagnosed allergies
• Plans reviewed and updated regularly
• Relevant staff briefed on which pupils have allergies and what their plan involves
• Plans accessible to staff who need them, including supply staff and trip supervisors

5. Recording and learning from incidents

Benedict's Law also expects schools to have a clear process for recording allergic reactions and near misses, and using that information to improve.

• Incident recording process in place
• Process covers near misses, not just full reactions
• Learnings from incidents fed back into policy and training

6. Allergy safety across the whole school day

It's easy to think about allergy safety in the classroom or canteen, but Benedict's Law expects consistent practice across the whole school day, including break times, trips, and residentials.

• Allergy safety is considered in trip planning and risk assessments
• Catering staff briefed on the 14 major food allergens
• Breaktime and lunchtime supervision includes allergy awareness

Who does this apply to?

Benedict's Law applies to local authority-maintained schools, academies (excluding 16–19 academies) and pupil referral units in England. Independent schools aren't yet covered by the statutory requirement, though the government has signalled equivalent requirements are coming, so it's sensible for independent schools to prepare now rather than wait.

Getting your whole staff trained, without the admin headache

The biggest practical challenge schools tell us about is training such a wide range of roles consistently and keeping evidence of it. Online training solves both problems: staff complete the course in their own time, and you get a record of who's done what.

Our Benedict's Law course covers everything staff need to know, from recognising the signs of a reaction to understanding their role in your school's allergy policy, and includes a downloadable certificate on completion. For schools training in bulk, discounts apply automatically at checkout, from 10% off orders of 10 courses up to 40% off orders of 100 or more.

Next step: View the Benedict's Law training course →

This checklist is intended as a practical starting point and doesn't replace the official statutory guidance. Always check the latest published guidance from the Department for Education for full compliance requirements.