Benedict's Law to overhaul school allergy training

Benedict's Law to overhaul school allergy trainingImage source, Family handoutImage caption, Benedict Blythe died after having an anaphylactic reaction to cow's milk at Barnack Primary School near Stamford, LincolnshireByHolly Phillips and Jessica Lane, East Yorkshire and LincolnshirePublished7 minutes agoLife-saving allergy pens will be stored in all UK schools from September following a campaign by the parents of a five-year-old boy who died after drinking contaminated milk. Under Benedict's Law, schools will also need to have a whole-school allergy policy, provide training to all staff and ensure individual healthcare plans for pupils with allergies, the Department for Education said.Benedict Blythe died after an accidental exposure to an allergen - cow's milk protein - while at Barnack Primary School, between Stamford and Peterborough, in December 2021.Benedict's mother, Helen Blythe, said children would be "stepping into an education system far safer than the one that has come before".Image source, Jessica Lane / BBCImage caption, Helen Blythe has spent years campaigning for Benedict's LawShe added: "We think this is something that will keep not just children safe, but people who work in schools as well. It will give them [staff] the confidence to know what to do in an emergency."Benedict, from Stamford, Lincolnshire, had asthma and a number of allergies, including eggs, nuts and milk.His mother said she had worked with the school to put together an allergy action plan, but an inquest heard that process had not been followed.Statutory guidance, which sets out what schools must do to adhere to the law, will come into force into September. According to research by Benedict Blythe Foundation, external, 50% of schools in England do not have any spare medication, a third have no allergy policy and 70% do not have all the measures now being introduced. While the statutory guidance - government advice outlining how sch...