Course Details

CPD COURSE

Allergy Awareness Training

Meeting the New 2026 School Requirements

Jurisdiction: England and Wales · Content current to August 2026

CPD HOURS

ACCREDITED BY

CPD Standard Office

JURISDICTION

England & Wales

COURSE MODULES

PPT Slides

80+ teaching slides across 8 modules

Video Lesson

Key points in video form

Audio Podcast

Listen to each module on the go

Audio Quiz

Practice questions in audio form

Quiz

20-question knowledge check

Infographics

Key information at a glance

Overview

The death of five-year-old Benedict Blythe at school in December 2021, and the campaign led by his family, produced the biggest change to school allergy law in a generation. In February 2026 the Government committed to Benedict’s Law; revised statutory guidance takes effect in England on 1 September 2026. Allergy safety in schools has moved from voluntary good practice to expected compliance.

This course takes practitioners through what the new framework requires and how to deliver it in a real school: the legal map for England and for Wales; how allergies work and who is at risk; how to recognise a deteriorating child; the emergency sequence and the spare AAI scheme; the systems layer — policy, Individual Healthcare Plans, the allergy lead, near-miss reporting; food and catering practice under Natasha’s Law; and the inclusion and wellbeing duties that make allergic pupils full participants in school life.

Every module ends with an apply-and-reflect task designed for the CPD log, and signposts free videos and resources from official and charity sources.

Who this course is for

Written for practitioners already working in education, it assumes familiarity with schools but no allergy expertise:

▸
Teachers, tutors and cover supervisors in primary, secondary, special and alternative provision

▸
Teaching assistants, lunchtime supervisors, catering, office and site staff — the whole workforce the 2026 guidance covers

▸
Allergy leads, first aiders, pastoral and SEND staff formalising their role before September 2026

▸
Senior leaders and governors accountable for the policy, training log and spare AAI scheme

▸
Wraparound care, breakfast/after-school club and supply staff, who are explicitly within the training expectation

▸
Early years and FE practitioners, for whom the guidance is advisory but the practice is directly transferable

It is not an entry-level qualification for working with children, and it is not clinical training. Where a role requires paediatric first aid or practical device training, those must be completed separately.

Learning outcomes

By the end of the course, learners can:

01.
State the five core requirements of the 2026 England statutory guidance and the date they take effect

02.
Explain which legal instruments apply in England, in Wales, and UK-wide — and describe the key differences

03.
Distinguish allergy from intolerance, name the 14 regulated allergens, and identify non-food triggers relevant to schools

04.
Recognise the ABC signs of anaphylaxis, including atypical presentations in children, and apply the when-in-doubt defaults

05.
Describe the emergency sequence — adrenaline first, 999, correct positioning, the five-minute second-dose rule — at awareness level

06.
Explain the spare AAI scheme: the 2017 purchasing power, kit governance, accessibility expectations and scope of use

07.
Contribute to whole-school systems: the allergy policy, IHP cycle, risk assessment, training records and near-miss reporting

08.
Apply Natasha’s Law and allergen-control principles to school food operations

09.
Support inclusion and wellbeing: trips without barriers, allergy bullying as a safeguarding issue, family partnership and staged self-management

Career path

This course strengthens practice and evidence of CPD; it does not by itself qualify anyone for a new role. It sits naturally alongside these steps.

If you are…	This course helps you…	Typical next steps
Classroom or support staff	Meet the annual whole-workforce training expectation and act confidently in an emergency	Practical AAI training with trainer devices; paediatric first aid
Aspiring or new allergy lead	Understand the full system you will run: register, IHPs, kit, training, reporting	Allergy-lead training; school-nurse liaison
First aider / medical-needs staff	Put device skills in their statutory and whole-school context	FAW/EFAW or paediatric first aid renewal; device-specific updates
Middle / senior leader	Prepare the setting for September 2026: policy, budget, audit trail	Governance training; safeguarding leadership CPD
Governor	Ask evidence-based assurance questions and receive near-miss reports intelligently	Nominated-governor briefings; safeguarding governance training
Catering staff / manager	Connect kitchen controls to the whole-school system and the law	Level 2/3 food allergy training; FSA free allergen modules

Course structure

Eight modules, each with an apply-and-reflect task, plus a 20-question knowledge check.

MODULE 01

The 2026 Requirements

Benedict’s Law, the five pillars, England–Wales differences

MODULE 02

Allergy Fundamentals

mechanisms, the 14 allergens, non-food triggers, risk factors

MODULE 03

The Legal Framework in England and Wales

CFA 2014 s.100, 2026 statutory guidance, Welsh guidance 215/2017, the Equality Act

MODULE 04

Recognising Allergic Reactions and Anaphylaxis

ABC signs, atypical presentations, high-risk moments

MODULE 05

Emergency Response and the Spare AAI Scheme

the emergency sequence, kit governance

MODULE 06

Whole-School Allergy Management

policy, the IHP cycle, the allergy lead, near-miss reporting

MODULE 07

Food, Catering and Natasha’s Law in Practice

labelling duties, allergen control, cross-contact

MODULE 08

Inclusion, Wellbeing and Working with Families

inclusion duties, allergy bullying, family partnership

Frequently asked questions

Q. Is this course mandatory training under the new law?

No single commercial course is ‘the’ mandatory training. From September 2026, schools in England are expected to provide annual allergy awareness training for all staff, and this course is designed to serve as that awareness layer.

Q. Will I be qualified to administer an adrenaline auto-injector?

This course teaches recognition and the emergency sequence at awareness level. Competence with devices comes from practical training with trainer pens, which this course does not replace.

Q. Is this a licence to practise, or an accredited qualification?

This course is offered as CPD accredited by the CPD Standard Office (35 CPD hours). Completing it does not licence you to do anything you could not already do, and it confers no professional status.

Q. Does it cover Wales as fully as England?

The 2026 statutory changes apply to England. Welsh requirements under ‘Supporting Learners with Healthcare Needs’ (2017) are covered and differences are flagged throughout, but the course’s centre of gravity is the new England framework.

Q. Is it suitable for early years or FE?

The content transfers well and the guidance is intended to assist those settings, but the statutory duties described attach to schools. Early years settings also have separate requirements, such as paediatric first aid under the EYFS.

Q. Will it be out of date quickly?

Parts of it will date — that is the nature of a course built on brand-new guidance. Treat ‘content current to August 2026’ as a use-by label, and re-verify statutory references before each delivery.

Q. Can the quiz be used for formal certification?

The questions and rationales are sound for self-assessment and trainer-led checking. Any certificate or CPD-hours claim attached to it is the provider’s responsibility.

PLEASE NOTE

This is CPD awareness training, not a licence to practise. It does not replace practical adrenaline auto-injector device training or paediatric first aid.

Free

Course Features

Lectures 10
Quizzes 2
Duration Lifetime access
Skill level All levels
Language English
Students 3
Certificate Yes
Assessments Self