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Supporting pupils with medical conditions and allergies: consultation summary

The DfE is consulting on changes to statutory guidance about supporting pupils with medical conditions and allergies. Read our summary of the proposals, and find out how to respond to the consultation which you'll need to do by 15 May.

Last reviewed on 1 May 2026See updates
School types: All•School phases: All•Ref: 53170
Contents
  1. Greater focus on allergies
  2. Changes to individual healthcare plans (IHPs)
  3. New expectations around incident recording and reporting
  4. New expectations for governors
  5. Other proposals
  6. Next steps

The DfE has launched a consultation on draft statutory guidance that will replace the current guidance on supporting pupils with medical conditions.

The consultation will run until Friday 15 May 2026, and the updated guidance will come into force in September 2026.

Below, we've set out the steps you might need to take if the proposed guidance comes into force as drafted, but you may want to wait until the final guidance is published before making any changes to your policies or procedures. 

Greater focus on allergies

The draft guidance places a greater focus on supporting pupils with allergies. The updated guidance will likely replace the existing non-statutory allergy guidance for schools. 

Under the draft guidance, schools and early years settings would need a separate allergy safety policy in addition to your medical conditions policy. This is due to the specific risk anaphylaxis can pose. 

How you'll