Schools across England will soon be required to introduce mandatory allergy awareness training for all staff under new statutory guidance announced by the Department for Education. The updated measures also require schools to keep spare adrenaline auto-injectors on site so that children experiencing severe allergic reactions can be treated quickly, even if they have not previously been diagnosed with an allergy.

The new guidance forms part of wider efforts to improve safety for children with allergies and to create consistent standards across the education system. Allergy-related illnesses and medical appointments are believed to cause significant disruption to learning each year, with hundreds of thousands of school days lost. Officials hope the new approach will both protect pupils and help reduce unnecessary absences from school.

Under the proposed rules, schools will need to ensure staff understand how to recognise the signs of allergic reactions, including anaphylaxis, and how to respond appropriately in an emergency. The Department for Education says many schools already follow similar practices but making them compulsory will ensure every school meets the same safety expectations.

While the plans have been broadly welcomed, school leaders have warned that implementing the requirements will involve additional costs for training, equipment and staff time. Education leaders say the measures are important for pupil safety but have emphasised that adequate funding will be needed to support schools in putting the guidance into practice before it comes into effect in September.