What a school allergy safety policy should cover
The areas the DfE expects an allergy safety policy to cover, how it differs from a medical conditions policy, and how to keep it up to date.
What the policy should cover
The DfE policy template groups the content into three themes. Use it as your checklist:
| Theme | Areas to cover |
|---|---|
| Culture | Allergy awareness training for staff; pupil wellbeing, including preventing allergy-related bullying; minimising the risk of exposure; food allergy and allergen information |
| The individual | How allergies are identified (pupils, staff and visitors); Individual Healthcare Plans; access to each pupil's prescribed adrenaline devices |
| School-wide | Spare adrenaline devices; visits and trips; serious incidents and near misses; information sharing; how the policy is made known to staff, parents and pupils and published |
Separate from the medical conditions policy
Schools already have a policy for supporting pupils with medical conditions. The allergy safety policy is a dedicated document. The two should point to each other, and the allergy policy should not simply be a paragraph inside the medical conditions policy.
Write it for your school, not a generic one
- Name the senior leader responsible for allergy safety
- Say where the spare adrenaline devices are kept, building by building
- Explain how kitchen and serving staff recognise pupils with allergies
- Say who checks device expiry dates, and how often
- Cover breakfast club, after-school clubs, lettings and trips
Keeping it alive
Review it at least every year and record the review. Review it again after any serious incident or near miss. Each year, tell staff, parents and pupils about it, for example in staff induction, the parent newsletter and an assembly, and keep the website copy current.
Draft your policy free with our generator
Questions schools ask
Does every school need an allergy safety policy?
Every school covered by the duty in England (maintained schools, academies, free schools, AP academies and PRUs) must have one. It is recommended good practice for every other school.
Can our allergy policy be part of our medical conditions policy?
The DfE expects a dedicated allergy safety policy. Link the two documents, but keep the allergy policy separate.
How often must the allergy safety policy be reviewed?
At least every year, and again after a serious incident or near miss.
Does the policy have to be on the school website?
Yes. Covered schools must publish it on the website and bring it to the attention of staff, parents and pupils every year.
Read next
- Free allergy safety policy generator
- Benedict's Law checklist
- The named senior leader for allergy safety
Official sources
Allergy Ledger helps your school record and follow its own allergy procedures. It does not give medical advice and does not replace staff training, the pupil's Allergy Action Plan or Individual Healthcare Plan, or the advice of a healthcare professional. In an emergency always follow the pupil's plan and call 999. Information on this page is general information, not legal advice.