Stronger protections for children with medical conditions in schools
Draft statutory guidance published
Stronger protections for children with allergies and other medical conditions will be introduced in September 2026. A consultation on the draft statutory guidance on Supporting Children and Young People with Medical Conditions and Allergy was published today, 4 March and is open until 1 May.
500,000 days of learning lost due to allergy-related illness or medical appointments in the last year
As well as saving lives, the new measures will help children stay in school, and participate in activities beyond the classroom. Data from the Benedict Blythe Foundation shows that 500,000 days of learning were lost due to allergy-related illness or medical appointments in the last year alone.
The plans have been developed with families and campaigners including Helen Blythe, mother of Benedict Blythe, who tragically lost his life to an allergic reaction at school, and the National Allergy Strategy Group – a coalition of organisations campaigning for safer schools.
Replacing previous non-statutory advice, the new guidance on supporting children and young people with medical conditions and allergies is now open for consultation, ahead of coming into force in September 2026.
What does the guidance say?
The new statutory requirements mean for the first time schools must:
Have a comprehensive published policy for supporting children with medical conditions, including Individual Healthcare Plans to record specific arrangements for individuals
Have a separate allergy safety policy, which includes training and the use of adrenaline devices
Those allergy requirements specifically include:
Stock “spare” adrenaline auto-injectors for use in emergency situations
Provide allergy awareness training for all staff — covering recognition of symptoms, emergency response and the use of adrenaline devices — alongside improved incident recording and lessons learnt processes
Wider changes to the guidance include new condition-specific content covering a range of common and significant conditions including epilepsy and diabetes.
Epilepsy is one of the most common long-term conditions for children; the draft guidance states that Individual Healthcare Plans should cover seizure types and what to do in an emergency. Responding to an increase in Type 1 and 2 diabetes in children, under this guidance, schools must support children and young people to use continuous glucose monitors and insulin pumps — including via mobile phone apps.
What does it mean for schools?
Schools will need to review their current policies and publish separate medical conditions and allergy safety policies. Many settings already include training on allergy awareness and medical conditions; this guidance will standardise practise and signpost to a collection of resources for teachers to use. The government is also calling on businesses to support with costs such as adrenaline auto-injectors.
Dr Zubir Ahmed, Health Innovation and Safety Minister, says:
“Every child deserves to feel safe and supported at school, regardless of their medical needs. Allergies and other conditions affect hundreds of thousands of children across England, and it is right that we give schools the tools, training and clear guidance they need to respond confidently in an emergency. When health and education work together like this, it can make a real, lasting difference for children and their families.”
image: Land & Wave School Trips
Beyond the classroom
These measures are important for supporting children and young people at school and when learning outside the classroom. The safe management of allergy and medical conditions is vital when taking children on educational visits and residentials.
Jake Wiid of educational visits advisers, EVOLVE Advice, says:
“All children and young people should be able to enjoy the full school experience, including enrichment activities and educational visits, which offer such important benefits for learning and development. We welcome the emphasis on all-staff training on allergy and common medical conditions. Through coordinated health and education plans, this guidance will give children and their families greater confidence and will support teachers taking children outside of the classroom.”
Anthony Walker, Chair of Health Conditions in Schools Alliance says:
“This draft guidance presents a much-needed opportunity to guarantee the support that pupils with health conditions should receive through strengthened use of medical conditions policies and Individual Healthcare Plans.
“All too often, our members hear of how inconsistent implementation of the existing duties results in a lack of clarity for families and education staff about how to identify and manage medical needs effectively, unfairly preventing many children and young people from flourishing in education and accessing opportunities like school trips and events. These resources are key to understanding the impact of conditions and providing the right personalised support so children and young people with health conditions are kept safe and fully included in education, with the same opportunities for learning, socialising, future aspirations, and personal development as their peers.”