Safer Schools Programme

Our Safer Schools Programme aims to provide schools with the
knowledge and expertise to safely manage pupils with allergies and
adhere to their statutory duty.

About the Safer Schools Programme: Comprehensive Allergy Management for UK Schools

With 20% of severe allergic reactions to food occurring while students are in school, it’s critical for UK schools to have robust allergy management systems in place. The Safer Schools Programme is designed to support schools in fulfilling their statutory duties to safeguard students with medical needs, including allergies. This programme provides free downloadable resources to assist schools in auditing and developing essential policies and procedures that ensure student safety.

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Allergy Management and Inclusion in Education

The Safer Schools Programme by Anaphylaxis UK offers comprehensive guidance for schools to effectively manage pupils with allergies. The programme provides free downloadable resources to assist schools in auditing and developing essential policies and procedures that ensure student safety.

The programme is led by Tracey Dunn, B Ed (Hons), a qualified teacher and headteacher with 16 years of experience. Tracey has worked with Local Authorities, Trusts, and CCGs to develop training offers for schools. She combines her extensive educational knowledge with personal experience as a parent to children with food and non-food allergies, some of which require adrenaline auto-injectors.

The Safer Schools Programme encourages a whole-school allergy awareness approach, ensuring all staff and pupils are educated about allergies. It offers the AllergyWise® for Schools online training course, which includes lesson resource packs to help educate pupils about allergies.

By implementing the Safer Schools Programme, educational establishments can create a safer environment for children and young people with allergies, ensuring they are fully included in every aspect of school life.

Led by Tracey Dunn, B Ed (Hons)

The Safer Childcare Programme is led by Tracey Dunn, B Ed (Hons), a qualified teacher and former headteacher with 16 years of leadership experience. Tracey has collaborated with Local Authorities, Trusts, and the NHS to develop training programmes for schools. Her extensive experience ensures that the training and education packages offered through the programme equip individuals with the knowledge and understanding needed to create safe, inclusive, and welcoming environments for those living with serious allergies and those supporting them.

With over 30 years of teaching experience, including more than 15 years as a primary headteacher, Tracey has worked across a variety of school settings, including both large and small primary schools with mixed-age classes. Most recently, she served as the Executive Head of two schools before retiring earlier this year.

On a personal level, Tracey is the mother of two teenagers with allergies. Her son has food allergies requiring adrenaline auto-injectors, while her daughter is undergoing immunotherapy for grass and pollen allergies. Her son’s educational journey has presented challenges, requiring Tracey to advocate for better awareness and support—a role she understands deeply.

Tracey maintains up-to-date safeguarding training and holds an Enhanced DBS check. She combines her professional expertise with personal insights as a parent of children with food and non-food allergies, some requiring adrenaline auto-injectors, ensuring her approach is both informed and compassionate.

We are proud to partner with organisations who all share the commitment
to making educational establishments safer for children and young people.

Guidance for Schools

The resources and information on this section are tailored to support UK schools in managing serious allergies and developing effective policies and procedures that ensure the safety of students with allergies. By adopting a whole-school allergy awareness approach, schools can create safe, inclusive, and allergy-aware environments for all pupils. The section offers essential guidance on allergy management, including best practices, risk assessments, and the development of clear allergy policies.

Allergy Support for Primary Schools

Comprehensive resources to assist primary schools in effectively managing serious allergies among pupils. It provides essential advice on best practices, risk assessments, and the development of clear allergy policies, aiming to create a safe, inclusive, and allergy-aware environment. The page also highlights the AllergyWise® for Schools online training course, designed to educate school staff on allergen management and emergency response.

Primary School Support

Allergy Support for Secondary Schools

Comprehensive resources to help UK secondary schools develop effective policies and procedures for managing student allergies. It emphasises a whole-school allergy awareness approach, offering tools such as the AllergyWise® for Schools online training course, which includes downloadable lesson plans and assembly resources to promote allergen awareness throughout the school community.

Secondary School Support

Whole School Allergy Awareness

Every school class is likely to have at least one pupil with allergies. The most serious allergic reaction (anaphylaxis) usually begins within minutes and is potentially life-threatening. Unfortunately, there have been cases of fatal anaphylaxis happening when a child is at school. Lessons learnt from these tragic cases emphasise the need for all school staff to be able to recognise the signs of an allergic reaction and have the confidence to manage this.

We encourage a whole school allergy awareness approach where all staff and pupils are allergy aware. Our AllergyWise® for Schools online training course for all school staff includes lesson resource packs to help educate your pupils about allergies.

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Take an AllergyWise® Course

Our new and improved AllergyWise® courses will help you understand the common causes of an allergic reaction, how to recognise and manage anaphylaxis, how to use adrenaline auto-injectors, and provides practical tips for safely managing pupils with allergies.

The course takes ~1 hour and includes quizzes, practical scenario videos, optional narration, final assessment and downloadable digital certificate of completion. Additional benefits include our allergy awareness lesson resource packs and the opportunity to achieve our AllergyWise® School award!

AllergyWise® for Schools

This course for all school staff covers common causes of allergic reactions, symptoms of anaphylaxis, how to use adrenaline auto-injectors (EpiPen® and Jext®), and how to manage pupils with allergies in school, including responsibilities, risk assessment, Allergy Action Plans, allergy bullying, storage of adrenaline auto-injectors and practical scenarios.

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AllergyWise® for Early Years Settings

This course for all early years providers covers common causes of allergic reactions, symptoms of anaphylaxis, how to use adrenaline auto-injectors (EpiPen® and Jext®), and how to manage children with allergies in early years settings, including allergen avoidance, responsibilities, risk assessment, Allergy Action Plans, storage of adrenaline auto-injectors and practical scenarios relevant to early years settings.

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Essential Guidance on Adrenaline Auto-Injectors (AAIs) in Schools

Managing serious allergies in schools requires clear procedures and access to emergency medication. Adrenaline auto-injectors (AAIs) are a vital part of a school’s emergency response plan for students at risk of anaphylaxis. Below are key questions and answers about AAIs, providing clarity on storage, administration, and legal requirements.

How Many Adrenaline Auto-Injectors Should a Child with Allergies Have at School?

Children with a known allergy and a prescription for adrenaline must carry or have access to two adrenaline auto-injectors at all times. This is essential because one device may misfire or malfunction, and a second dose may be required due to the severity or duration of symptoms.

Schools should ensure students have their devices with them at all times, especially when moving around the school premises or during off-site activities such as trips or sports events.

Where Should Adrenaline Auto-Injectors Be Stored?

Younger children, such as those in early years or primary school, who cannot manage their own medication should have a dedicated emergency kit. This kit must be accessible at all times, not locked away, and its location should be known to all staff so they can act quickly in an emergency.

Older children and teenagers are encouraged to carry their own adrenaline auto-injectors where possible, with the support and guidance of parents and school staff. However, as anaphylaxis symptoms can escalate rapidly, staff should be trained to administer adrenaline if the child is unable to do so.

Spare adrenaline auto-injectors should be stored centrally in a location that is not locked away, can be accessed within 5 minutes, and is known to all staff to ensure there is no delay in treatment.

Who is Allowed to Administer Adrenaline in an Emergency?

According to Regulation 238 of the Human Medicines Regulations 2012, adrenaline can be administered by anyone to save a life in an emergency, not just medical professionals. In a school setting, any member of staff can administer adrenaline if required, even if they are not a trained first aider. Best practice recommends having multiple designated members of staff trained to administer adrenaline. This approach ensures there is no delay in treatment if staff are absent or unavailable. Additionally, anaphylaxis training for all staff is strongly advised to build confidence in administering adrenaline and recognising the signs of an allergic reaction.

Can All Schools Buy Spare Adrenaline Auto-Injectors?

Yes, schools in England, Wales, and Scotland (including local authority-maintained nurseries, academies, and independent schools) can legally purchase spare adrenaline auto-injectors. In Northern Ireland, the legislation applies to grant-aided and independent schools as defined in the Education and Libraries (NI) Order 1986.

The legal change enabling schools to purchase spare AAIs is part of The Human Medicines (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations 2014.

Which Brands of Spare Adrenaline Auto-Injector Can a School Buy?

The two most common brands of adrenaline auto-injectors in the UK are:

EpiPen®
Jext®

The choice of brand for the school’s spare devices should be guided by:

The most common device prescribed to students.
Consistency of devices used by the majority of students within the school.

Both EpiPen® and Jext® are administered in the same place — the upper, outer thigh. However, their operation methods differ slightly, so staff should be trained in the use of both devices if the school has multiple brands on-site.

How Much Do Spare Adrenaline Auto-Injectors Cost?

Spare adrenaline auto-injectors are not supplied free of charge to schools. Instead, schools must purchase them from pharmacies at a retail price. The cost includes:

Approximately £80 per device.

Schools can purchase adrenaline auto-injectors without a prescription, but they must provide a formal request on headed school paper. A template request letter is available from resources such as Spare Pens in Schools.

Schools FAQ's

Who are spare adrenaline auto-injectors for?

Spare adrenaline auto-injectors are primarily for pupils known to be at risk of anaphylaxis and for who both medical authorisation and written parental consent for use of the spare auto-injector has been provided. The school’s spare auto-injector can be administered to a pupil whose own prescribed device cannot be administered correctly without delay.

A schools’ spare adrenaline auto-injector can also be used for any pupils or other person not known by the school to be at risk of anaphylaxis in an emergency. Written permission is not required in these exceptional circumstances where the reaction could not have been foreseen.

Further information on the use of spare adrenaline auto-injectors can be found in this Clarification of adrenaline autoinjector guidance for schools
Should schools ban nuts?

We don’t typically recommend complete nut bans because they are very difficult to enforce and can lead to a false sense of security. Children can be allergic to other common food allergens, for example milk and egg, and it would be impossible to ban them all. We recommend a whole school allergy awareness approach of all allergens. Settings should carry out an individual risk assessment for any child with an allergy and put appropriate measures in place to reduce the risks as far as possible. Every setting is different, but this may include extra cleaning measures or adjustments of the timings and locations of meals and snacks if necessary.

See our ‘Should schools go nut-free?’ podcast with Dr Adrian Sie here.
What about foods with precautionary allergen labels (PALs) for nuts?

We don’t recommend a complete ban of any foods, including foods with precautionary allergen labels. A large variety of foods have nuts as an ingredient or ‘may contain’ warnings for nuts. Nuts are also not the only allergen, and it would be impossible to ban them all.

See our ‘Should schools go nut-free?’ podcast with Dr Adrian Sie here.
Is there a risk for children with allergies from cosmetics, such as sun cream?

Some cosmetics contain food ingredients, for example, some creams contain nut oils. It’s difficult to determine the level of risk posed by cosmetic products containing food ingredients, however, unless the allergic child accidentally ingests the cream it’s likely to be very low. Anaphylaxis from skin contact with the product alone is extremely unlikely, however, contact reactions such as a skin rash/hives could occur. Nut oils are made from the fats of the nut, so likely have very little amounts of nut protein in, reducing the risks further as the proteins cause allergic reactions.

Further information about food ingredients in cosmetics can be found in our factsheet.
Could children kissing each other be a risk?

Kissing can be risky if someone eats a food that the other person is allergic to. Allergens can remain in saliva for several hours – anywhere between 2 and 24 hours, and even brushing teeth may not get rid of them effectively. If, for example, a child eats something then kisses a child allergic to that food on the cheek, this is unlikely to cause anaphylaxis, but a contact reaction such as a skin rash/hives could occur.

Kissing on the lips is more risky for someone with a food allergy, and could cause anaphylaxis if they kiss someone who has eaten their allergen. Our ‘Take the Kit‘ video, aimed at older students, highlights the importance of always carrying your adrenaline auto-injectors with you and the potential risk from kissing.
Can we hold cake sales?

Cake sales to raise money for charity are a common feature of school life. There’s no reason why these shouldn’t go ahead, provided the activity is risk assessed and food allergies are considered. The more information that can be provided about the ingredients in the food, the better it is, so that those with allergies can make safe choices. The Food Standards Agency has further information about providing food at community events, such as school fetes.

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