Frequently Asked Questions

The first phase of our education programme has concentrated on nursery and primary-aged children. However, we will be moving on to our next phase soon which will support young people with food allergies and staff working in secondary and tertiary education, as well as in the workplace. Watch this space!

In the meantime, our existing resources for staff and children contain information that is equally applicable and useful for secondary schools. Please take a look at them – we’d love to hear your thoughts.

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) provides the following guidance on Natasha’s Law for schools: https://www.food.gov.uk/business-guidance/prepacked-for-direct-sale-ppds-allergen-labelling-changes-for-schools-colleges-and-nurseries

Natasha’s Law does apply to schools, but it depends on the circumstances that the FSA outlines in the guidance above.

Department for Education (DfE) guidance to schools states that allergy is classed as a medical condition and schools have a duty to support pupils at their school with medical diets and should make reasonable adjustments so children can participate fully and safely – and remove barriers to participating in school life.

Natasha’s Foundation is campaigning to strengthen the guidance and this area of legislation, as too much is left to negotiate between the parent and the school.

Here is a link to the guidance for England (this also applies in Wales and Northern Ireland):

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-food-standards-resources-for-schools/allergy-guidance-for-schools

Here is a link to the guidance for Scotland:

Become Familiar with School Policies | Right Decisions (scot.nhs.uk)

Use our template letter to request that your child’s nursery, primary school or out-of-school club or group access our free Allergy School resources, which they can map into their curriculum and staff development plan.

Request that your child be included in any nurturing groups or support services offered in your school. Speak with the class teacher about your concerns and, if necessary, escalate your concerns to senior staff. 

Report what happened to your child in writing to the Headteacher and cc the Chair of Governors.

Ask that they record the near miss as part of their standard reporting to the governing body and communicate to all staff.

You may consider letting the Director of Education, CEO of the Academy or Director of Public Health at the local authority know about the near miss.

However, please note, that there are currently no legal requirements to do so.

Step 1: Speak with the class teacher to outline your concerns.

Step 2:  If you are not satisfied with the response, speak with the designated safeguarding lead or staff member in charge of medical conditions at the school.

Step 3: If your concerns need escalating, request by email to speak with the Headteacher and cc the Chair of Governors outlining your concerns. 

Step 4: If the issues are unresolved, raise them with the Chair of Governors and the governor in charge of safeguarding, and ask that the outcome be recorded. 

Step 5: If your concerns are still not met, consider writing to the Director of Education in your local authority. If your child attends an academy chain, report to the CEO, and if your concerns remain unresolved, report to Ofsted.

DfE guidance states that allergy is classed as a medical condition and schools have a duty to support pupils at their school with medical diets and should make reasonable adjustments so children can participate fully and safely – and remove barriers to participating in school life.

DfE guidance states that allergy is classed as a medical condition and schools have a duty to support pupils at their school with medical diets and should make reasonable adjustments so children can participate fully and safely – and remove barriers to participating in school life. 

Schools could consider becoming water-only schools. This is not only a healthy option, but removes an avoidable risk to children with cow’s milk allergies. 

Schools that do provide milk to pupils, should consider providing alternative options for children with food allergies. 

However, currently, there is no legal requirement for schools to provide alternatives other than lactose-free milk for children with lactose intolerance, which is not the same as an allergy to cow’s milk.

DfE guidance states that allergy is classed as a medical condition and schools have a duty to support pupils at their school with medical diets and should make reasonable adjustments so children can participate fully and safely – and remove barriers to participating in school life. 

The ideal and most inclusive solution would be for all children to take part in a cooking activity that does not include any ingredients that any children in the class are allergic to.

It is likely that the risk is low whilst the nuts remain in their shells. However, it’s important that children with tree nut allergies are taught and reminded not to touch or eat the nuts. Schools should bear in mind the possibility of children walking on the nuts, and inadvertently carrying oils/particles back into classroom and carpeted areas which children with tree nut allergies might then sit on.

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There is no legal requirement for nurseries, schools or out-of-school clubs and groups to be nut-free, and practice on this issue varies across the UK.  Even in a “nut-free” school, it can be difficult to enforce a nut ban because children often bring in packed lunches, snacks and treats from home.  

Banning nuts may also provide a false sense of security for everyone within the school. For those with additional or different food allergies, banning nuts provides no reassurance.  

A whole school approach to food allergy management provides a more robust and effective way to manage any food allergy.

Our free Allergy School resources will help schools achieve this whole-school awareness.

Guidance from the British Society of Allergy and Clinical Immunology states that: “Parents may request that a total of four AAIs are prescribed, two for school and two for other times. This can be reduced back to two once the child is able to administer and allowed to carry their own AAIs at school.”

Many parents/carers hand over their children’s medication, including their 2 AAIs, when dropping their child off at school and collect both children and medication at pick-up time. This avoids having to leave a set of medication at nursery/school when the child is not there. This can be a useful approach to reinforce to the child that medication stays with them at all times.

Nurseries/schools need to be sure that children’s medication can always be accessible without delay.

Depending on the age of your child and the layout of the school, the nursery/school should consider whether medication is kept within each child’s classroom and moves around the school site with them, or whether a central/reception area that can be quickly accessed by everyone would be better.  Some schools request that one AAI be kept with the child/in the classroom and the other be kept in a central, easily accessible location.  Whichever option is implemented in your child’s school, there must always be 2 AAIs within easy reach of your child, and everyone must know where the AAIs can be found.

As a backup, schools can use the Spare Pens in Schools scheme to purchase spare AAIs to hold in an easily accessible central area.  Further information about this scheme can be found here for England, here for Northern Ireland, here for Scotland and here for Wales.

Ensure the medication is labelled with the child’s name/photo, and includes their Allergy Action Plan inside so it’s easy to identify.​ 

Staff are not obligated to use AAIs if they do not wish to. However, as many staff as possible should be trained in how to administer AAIs. Schools should ensure there are a reasonable number of designated members of staff to provide sufficient coverage, including when staff are on leave.

Designated members of staff should be trained in:

• recognising the signs and symptoms of allergic reactions.
• responding appropriately to a request for help from another member of staff.
• recognising when emergency action is necessary.
• administering AAIs according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
• making an appropriate record of allergic reactions.

It is recommended that schools should also ensure that:

• a named individual is responsible for overseeing the protocol for the use of the “spare” AAI, monitoring its implementation and maintaining the allergy register.
• at least two individuals are responsible for the supply, storage, care and disposal of the AAI.

As part of the medical conditions policy, the school should have agreed arrangements in place for all members of staff to summon the assistance of a designated member of staff, and collect the spare AAI(s) in the emergency kit.

These arrangements should be proportionate, and flexible – and can include:

• phone calls being made to another member of staff.
• responsible secondary school-aged children being asked to request the assistance of another member of staff and/or collect the AAI device(s) (but not checking the register).
• procedures for supporting a designated staff member’s class while they are helping to administer an AAI.

Schools and out-of-school clubs and groups can’t support children with food allergies well without input and communication from a range of individuals, including parents/carers.  

Check if your school/out-of-school club is signed up for Allergy School. If not, encourage them to do so at www.AllergySchool.org.uk to access our free resources. We have produced a handy, template letter to help you do this. 

Also, check out Top Tips for Parents and Carers of Children Starting School for further information.  

DfE guidance states that allergy is classed as a medical condition and schools have a duty to support pupils at their school with medical diets and should make reasonable adjustments so children can participate fully and safely – and remove barriers to participating in school life. 

To help schools feel confident and understand how to do this in practice, we encourage all nurseries and schools to use our free Allergy School self-assessment, films, lesson plans and assembly packs to encourage whole-school awareness of food allergies.  

The self-assessment is a simple series of questions, after which the nursery or school receives an indication of its red/amber/green status. They can then use our ‘Top Tips’ to help them better support children with food allergies. Allergy School points them towards key sources of information and template documents.