New UK guidelines require schools to stock allergy pens and train staff
The UK government has issued new guidelines mandating that schools stock adrenaline auto-injectors (allergy pens) and provide staff training, effective from September.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
The UK government has issued new guidelines requiring schools in England to stock adrenaline auto-injectors, commonly known as allergy pens, and to provide staff training on how to use them. The changes take effect from September and follow a campaign by the family of Benedict Blythe, a five-year-old who died from an allergic reaction while at school.
Under the new rules, schools must keep spare allergy pens on site for emergencies. Staff will receive training so they can respond quickly if a pupil has an allergic reaction. Schools are also expected to put in place formal policies and individual healthcare plans for children with known allergies.
Helen Blythe, Benedict's mother and a campaigner for the changes, said the guidelines would save lives. She acknowledged that some schools already have these measures, but pointed to evidence from a Freedom of Information request sent to 20,000 schools in 2024. That survey found that half of schools do not have spare life-saving medication or allergy pens available. She said it became clear that relying on individual parents and schools to fix the problem was not working fast enough.
The new guidance marks a significant shift in how schools manage allergies, moving from a patchwork of local arrangements to a national standard. The government has not yet announced funding for the pens or training, but the requirement is now mandatory from the start of the next school year.
On screen
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Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, mapped by channel. Ordered by how many channels carried each claim.
| Claim | BBC One |
|---|---|
| A 2024 FOI request to 20,000 schools found that half do not have spare allergy pens. | |
| From September, new government guidelines will require schools to stock allergy pens and train staff. | |
| The campaign for allergy pen guidelines was prompted by the death of five-year-old Benedict Blythe from an allergic reaction at school. |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
BBC One West focused on the human story behind the policy, leading with the death of Benedict Blythe and his mother's campaign. It highlighted the gap between public perception and reality by quoting the FOI data showing half of schools lack spare pens. The tone was factual and sympathetic, with a clear call to action from the campaigner. The report then moved on to an unrelated story about phone-free environments, indicating this was a brief segment within a broader lunchtime bulletin.
- “There'll be a lot of people sat on the sofa this morning watching this and saying, well, my school already has this in place. This isn't news. But actually, our evidence showed and we did a Freedom of Information that we sent out to 20,000 schools in 2024. It showed us that half of schools don't have life-saving medication, they don't have allergy pens available as spares. It became really clear this wasn't something that parent by parent and school by school, we could close it out quickly enough.”
- “Now, how schools in England deal with allergies will be overhauled under new government guidelines from September. It follows campaigning by the family of Benedict Blythe, who died aged five from an allergic reaction when he was in school.”
Broadcast Timeline
News broadcasts tracked for this story, in time order.