New statutory rules known as "Benedict's Law" have come into force in England, requiring every school to stock adrenaline auto-injector pens (EpiPens), provide allergy awareness training to all staff and maintain a dedicated allergy policy. The measures follow the death of five-year-old Benedict Blythe, who suffered a fatal allergic reaction after being given cow's milk by a teacher at his primary school in Stamford, Lincolnshire, in December 2021, despite his parents having helped draw up an allergy plan for him.

An inquest found multiple failings behind Benedict's death, including delays in administering adrenaline, inadequate staff training and poor communication of his allergies to those caring for him. The reforms, campaigned for by his parents Helen and Peter Blythe through the Benedict Blythe Foundation, will see around 1.5 million adults trained to recognise and respond to allergic reactions; foundation research had found half of schools kept no spare adrenaline pens and a third had no allergy policy at all. A wider legal duty extending the training requirement to independent and fee-paying special schools is due to take effect in 2027.