Getting Your Education Setting Ready for Benedict’s Law
From 1 September 2026, new statutory guidance known as Benedict’s Law comes into force for schools in England. Named in memory of five-year-old Benedict Blythe, who died after an anaphylactic reaction at school in 2021, the guidance is designed to make sure every school has consistent, reliable procedures in place for allergy safety.
One of the central requirements is training. Under the new guidance, allergy awareness and emergency response training is expected for all staff, not just designated first aiders. That means teachers, teaching assistants, lunchtime supervisors, office staff, caretakers and minibus drivers all need a working understanding of how to recognise a severe allergic reaction and respond quickly.
While the guidance itself is aimed at schools, the same principle applies just as strongly wherever young people or the wider public are in someone else’s care — colleges, universities, and day care centres all carry the same duty of care, and staff there benefit from exactly the same training and confidence.
If your setting is thinking about how to fit this training in before September, I’d like to make it as straightforward as possible.
I’m offering two ways for staff to complete this training, and it’s entirely up to you which suits your organisation better:
Online — staff can work through the course at a time that fits around the working day, completing it in around two hours.
In person — I can come to your premises and deliver the course face to face, also in around two hours, which works well for INSET days, staff training days, or any other convenient slot.
Both routes cover the same ground: recognising the signs of a severe allergic reaction, understanding what to do in an emergency, and building the confidence to act without hesitation.
Training is only one part of what Benedict’s Law asks of schools, alongside things like allergy policies and having emergency medication on site, but it’s an important piece I can help you tick off with minimum disruption to your term.
Worth noting too — if you’re due a refresh on your wider first aid provision, my Paediatric First Aid course also covers anaphylaxis recognition and response as part of the full syllabus, so it’s worth a mention if your setting is looking at both at once.
If you’d like to talk through which option would work best for your staff, get in touch via vitalsignsfirst.co.uk or call 0300 303 0724 — happy to answer any questions, whether you’re a school, college, university, or day care centre.