Making schools food allergy-safe

For children with food allergies, school can be a place of anxiety rather than learning. Now, a pioneering education initiative from The Natasha Allergy Research Foundation is helping transform how education settings understand and manage food allergies so pupils feel empowered and protected

The growing number of children with diagnosed food allergies in schools means that food allergies are a significant issue in the classroom. 

School should be a place where every child feels safe, confident and able to take part in all aspects of learning. 
Yet with around two pupils in every UK classroom living with a diagnosed food allergy, that sense of security is not always guaranteed. Research shows around 20 per cent of food-allergic reactions and 30 per cent of first-time anaphylactic reactions occur in schools.  

The challenges of keeping pupils with food allergies safe in school was recently dramatised in the BBC series Waterloo Road; a pupil with a severe dairy allergy experienced an anaphylactic reaction in the TV drama after eating food containing the allergen. Developed in collaboration with The Natasha Allergy Research Foundation, the UK’s food allergy charity, the storyline highlights the real risks pupils with food allergies face and how quickly they can become life-threatening. 

Yet recent data published in the journal Archives of Disease in Childhood revealed that less than half (44 per cent) of school-age children in England at risk of food anaphylaxis have been prescribed an adrenaline auto-injector (AAI), medication which can save a life in a food allergy emergency. 

This is despite UK and European regulators recommending that at-risk pupils should always have access to two AAIs, as some reactions need more than one dose or a backup.  

A safeguarding must

Managing food allergies is now a key safeguarding priority for schools, which have a duty of care to protect pupils’ health and respond appropriately to emergencies. Government guidance also requires caterers to provide allergen information, work with parents, train staff to prevent cross-contamination, and ensure safe, inclusive meals, up-to-date healthcare plans, and clear procedures for allergic reactions. 

Jan Parnell, director of education at The Natasha Allergy Research Foundation, says: “For leadership staff, food allergies bring a significant responsibility. Schools aren’t just places of learning they’re where children spend most of their waking hours. Ensuring allergy management and policies are handled properly is no longer just about health and safety; it’s about building confidence and wellbeing for pupils and parents alike.” 

Despite this, food allergy awareness in schools is variable. Research carried out by the NASUWT teachers’ union in collaboration with Natasha’s Foundation revealed that while 95 per cent of teachers have pupils with food allergies in their schools, 67 per cent have never received any formal allergy-awareness training. 

Sixty-nine per cent of schools do not have all the recommended safeguarding in place such as a policy, medication, and training, and nearly half do not hold their own life-saving adrenaline auto-injectors. 

One in five teachers has never been taught how to administer an adrenaline auto-injector which could save a life in a food allergy emergency, and 60 per cent are unsure whether their school even has an allergy policy. These gaps have real consequences. It is estimated that around half a million school days are lost to allergies every year, according to the Allergy team Parent Survey (2024), while 80 per cent of parents of allergic children report feeling anxious about their child’s safety at school. 

Furthermore, while a legislation change in 2017 allows schools to obtain, without a prescription, ‘spare’ AAI devices for use in emergencies – when the pupil’s own AAI is not readily available or they haven’t been prescribed one – only around half of schools have done this, possibly because of the prohibitive cost, which often exceeds £100 a device, when the subsidised NHS tariff is around £10 for two devices. 

An education programme to help

To help schools become more food allergy aware, Natasha’s Foundation has launched a new £1million educational programme called Allergy School. This pioneering national initiative is designed to transform how early years, nurseries, primary and secondary schools, and out-of-school settings understand and manage food allergies, so pupils feel empowered, included, and protected. 

Resources for primary schools have been developed with The King’s Foundation, St John Ambulance, the education charity Coram Life Education, and Tesco Stronger Starts, providing a comprehensive suite of free, practical materials. This includes five films for pupils and teachers – featuring Arlo the Armadillo, a puppet with food allergies – as well as quizzes, first-aid advice, lesson plans, assembly packs, a self-assessment tool to help schools gauge how food allergy inclusive they are, and City & Guilds accredited allergy training for teachers. 

Since the launch in February 2025, more than 10,000 teachers and school staff have engaged with Allergy School or completed its training.  

The programme has now been extended to early years and secondary schools, offering a free self-assessment and best practice guidance to help these settings strengthen policies and safeguards, to better empower, protect and include students in their care.

There is also online certified allergy and anaphylaxis training for school staff, and a short film for secondary staff and students showing how to respond in a food allergy emergency. 

Together, these create a resource framework to build upon, and the charity is actively consulting students, teachers, and early years staff to understand what additional tools and information they need to support children with food allergies. 

Allergy School is also partnering with the youth-led i-MATTER programme to explore the social and emotional impact of food allergies on young people, from anxiety and exclusion to bullying, and is co-creating new resources with students and educators that promote empathy, confidence, and understanding. 

Allergy School’s primary and secondary school resources are mapped to the National Curriculum to make them easy to use, and the early years materials are aligned with the new Eary Years and Foundation Stage statutory framework 2025. All are endorsed by the Department for Education. The aim is to raise awareness and education about food allergies, so that children with food allergies feel safe, empowered and included at school. 

Born from tragedy

Tanya Ednan-Laperouse OBE founded Natasha’s Foundation with her husband Nadim after their daughter Natasha died aged 15 in 2016 from a severe allergic reaction to undeclared sesame seeds. Through medical research, policy change, and education, the Foundation’s mission is to create a safer world for people living with food allergies. Their campaigning led to the introduction of “Natasha’s Law” in 2021, transforming food labelling across the UK, and the Foundation now focuses on making schools safer through education. 

Tanya said: “Our Allergy School programme has and continues to transform awareness and understanding of food allergies so that all children are safe and able to participate fully in school life. When schools understand the realities of food allergies, they can help protect lives of every pupil.” 

Educators and policymakers have welcomed Allergy School, with Stephen Morgan MP, former Minister for Early Years Education, stating: “The safety of our children, both in and out of school, is paramount. I welcome the important work of The Natasha Allergy Research Foundation and encourage all educational settings to make use of engaging programmes like this, alongside taking the necessary steps to manage allergy risks in line with government guidance.” 

Allergy School resources have been designed with flexibility in mind so that every school can adopt it at its own pace. Early-years settings can access simple tools to help staff recognise allergic reactions, manage risk during meal or play times, and communicate effectively with parents. Secondary school resources focus more on empowering older pupils to take responsibility for their own allergy management, supported by well-trained staff and strong policies. 

For leadership teams, Allergy School offers reassurance and practical support. Its self-assessment checklists, model policies and best-practice guides help schools meet national safeguarding and health obligations, while ensuring pupils with allergies are included in every aspect of school life. The programme also supports the preparation and review of individual healthcare plans, so that every allergic pupil’s needs are clearly understood and updated. 

Jan Parnell adds: “We recognise that early years, nurseries, schools and out-of-school settings are seeing more children with food allergies than ever before. There is still a lack of understanding about how serious food allergies can be. We want to end the challenges these children face so they can be fully involved in all school activities, and we urge all schools to use our free resources.”  

Free Allergy School resources are available at www.allergyschool.org.uk