Pupil allergy policy: model and examples
Allergy is one of the most common chronic conditions in children. Download and adapt our model policy to help make your school 'allergy aware' and see examples from other schools.
- Put procedures in place to minimise the risk to pupils
- Make your school 'allergen aware'
- Download our model policy
- Examples of allergy policies
We worked with The Allergy Team to write this article.
Put procedures in place to minimise the risk to pupils
In the average classroom of 30 pupils, 1 or 2 of those children will have a food allergy.
A food allergy is an over-reaction of our immune system to certain types of food. A food intolerance is different to an allergy because it doesn't cause an immune response and is less serious.
Food allergies can vary in severity from mild to life-threatening. Dangerous allergic reactions are known as anaphylaxis and must be treated as a medical emergency. To treat anaphylaxis, you need to give an injection of adrenaline using an auto-injector (AAI).
Be particularly aware of individuals with known allergies, but also consider allergies as a risk to all pupils. This is because many children won't know they're allergic to something until they have a reaction.
Publish your allergy procedures on your school website.
You could:
- Create a specific allergy policy, or
- Incorporate your allergy response into your health and safety policy, school food policy, and/or your policy for supporting pupils with medical conditions.
Appoint an allergy lead
This should be a senior member of staff who takes lead responsibility for promoting and maintaining allergy awareness across your school community.
Make your school 'allergen aware'
Advocacy groups such as The Allergy Team and Allergy UK don’t support a total ban on allergens in schools. This is because:
- It's almost impossible to enforce it
- It's impractical to ban all allergens (for example, milk)
- It can create a false sense of security
Instead of banning allergens, The Allergy Team recommends making your school 'allergen aware'.
Get more advice in out article on communicating with pupils and parents about allergies.
Download our model policy
We worked with The Allergy Team to create this model policy that you can adapt to your context.
Approved by Forbes Solicitors, the policy takes into account relevant legislation, guidance and good practice.
Model policy: pupils with allergies
Examples of allergy policies
- The Anaphylaxis Campaign, Allergy UK and the British Society of Allergy and Clinical Immunology have created a model policy for allergy management at school (scroll down to where it says 'click here to read the policy in full')
- Co-op Academy Grange in Bradford has an allergy awareness policy
- Ben Johnson Primary School in London has an anaphylaxis policy
