Allergies in School Could you put your hands on the paperwork?

By Sharon Jenkins - eduFOCUS · 5 Nov 2026 · 5 min read

The OEAP has updated its National Guidance on allergies, anaphylaxis and asthma. When you read it alongside the new statutory guidance, Allergy Safety in Schools, the same questions keep coming up.

• Do you know who's at risk?
• Is the medication to hand?
• Is it in date?

The statutory guidance applies to schools in England from September 2026 and becomes a legal duty in early 2027. It's worth checking now how you'd answer.

What do schools have to do?

• Have an allergy safety policy and a named senior leader in charge of allergy.
• Train all staff in allergy and anaphylaxis.
• Hold spare adrenaline devices, on top of pupils' own.
• Create Individual Healthcare Plans for pupils whose allergies need active management.
• Record allergy incidents and near misses, report them and learn from them.

Where do things go wrong?

Usually in small ways. A healthcare plan goes past its review date. An inhaler runs out of date at the back of a drawer. A cover teacher can't find a pupil's allergy details. A near miss gets talked about in the staffroom and never written down.

When the information lives in paper forms, spreadsheets and people's heads, things get missed. And if an inspector or governor asks to see your records, you want them in one place.

Bringing it together

EVOLVEaccidentbook from eduFOCUS puts first aid, pupil medical care and medication management into one system for schools and MATs. You don't need EVOLVEvisits to use it. It links to your MIS, so pupil and staff details stay up to date without anyone retyping them.

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With it you can:

• see each pupil's conditions, allergies and emergency contacts in one register;
• store healthcare plans and get a reminder before they expire;
• track inhalers and auto-injectors, including spares, with alerts when stock is low or nearly out of date;
• record every dose, including who gave it, when, and readings such as blood sugar;
• record allergy incidents and near misses with the new ‘Allergy Incident’ type, so you capture the allergen involved, the response, the outcome and the action taken to prevent it happening again;
• log all other accidents, near misses and first aid in moments, mark injuries on a body map, and email or text parents straight away;
• alert the school nurse, head of year or other key staff automatically;
• run reports, including RIDDOR reports, by location, activity, time or pupil, so governors can see where and when incidents happen.

Staff only see what their role allows, and everything is hosted in a secure data centre. eduFOCUS also provides online training and support to get you started.

“Having everything on one platform makes it easy to oversee incidents and keep reporting consistent. The system is user-friendly, even for less tech-savvy colleagues, and it notifies the right staff and parents promptly. Being able to see all three schools in one place has streamlined our processes, improved communication and helped us tackle issues before they escalate, all of which supports our commitment to a safe environment. Highly recommended for any school or academy!” Unity Multi Academy Trust

When you go on a trip, pupils' medical details, allergies and medication information can go with you.

Top tips

1. Check the expiry date on every adrenaline device and inhaler, spares included.
2. Look at which healthcare plans are due for review.
3. Ask staff if they'd know what to do in an emergency.
4. Check you're recording near misses, not just accidents or reactions.

Find out more

Book a demo at edufocus.co.uk/book or visit edufocus.co.uk/evolveaccidentbook. You can also call 01394 775 250 or email info@edufocus.co.uk.

Further reading: Allergy Safety in Schools at gov.uk/government/publications/allergy-safety-in-schools

OEAP National Guidance at oeapng.info

Anaphylaxis UK at anaphylaxis.org.uk

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