Allergy Safety

This policy aligns with the Department for Education (DfE) statutory guidance on supporting children and young people with medical conditions. We are proactively integrating the principles of Benedict’s Law to ensure robust, whole-college allergy policies and emergency readiness tailored specifically to our SEN environment.

All students have the right to a safe environment and equal participation in college life, free from the threat of severe allergens. Adjustments will be made to ensure students with allergies are never excluded from educational activities or college meals.

Purpose:

To mandate strict allergy management protocols, define clear staff responsibilities, and ensure rapid emergency responses to suspected anaphylaxis. The College operates as an Allergy Aware environment to minimise the risk of serious, life-threatening allergic reactions to all allergens.

Scope:

This policy applies to all college staff, SEN students, and on-site educational activities.

Out of Scope:

Allergy safety for catering lessons and commercial environments serving food to paying customers (such as Breward’s Coffee Shop) is explicitly out of scope. These operations are governed entirely by the separate Commercial Education Settings Allergy Safety Policy. The college’s Community Learning provision is also outside of scope and is governed by a separate Community Learning Allergy Safety Policy.

1.Named Allergy Trustee

2. Named Allergy Lead (Head of Therapies)

3. Deputy Allergy Leads (Behaviour, Health & Care Co‑ordinator and Health and Safety Co-ordinator)

4. Site Supervisors

5. Staff

All Staff:

Must complete baseline Anaphylaxis and Allergy awareness training, covering common allergens, symptom recognition, and emergency response procedures.

Governance & Leadership:

The Named Allergy Trustee, Named Allergy Lead, and Deputy Allergy Leads are required to complete specific, advanced training tailored to their advanced governance, oversight, and leadership responsibilities provided by the third-party training provider.

The Behaviour, Health & Care Co‑ordinator will create an Individual Healthcare Plan for each student with specified allergies or intolerances. Students with allergies who require an Epi pen will have an Allergy Action plan produced for them in line with the BSACI guidelines from the GP or prescribing clinician. Staff must store these care plans securely on Databridge for easy access. Staff must be vigilant during break times to ensure food suitability and prevent snack sharing. All plans are accessible through databridge under live documents.

Spare adrenaline auto-injectors (AAIs) will be securely stored and immediately accessible at a central location on ALL college sites, next to the First Aid Box on the ground floor. Site Supervisors will inspect the AAIs as part of their monthly first-aid supply inspections for their sites. 217 Loughborough roads storage is at the top of the firsts.

Strict and safe disposal arrangements will be followed for any used, damaged, or expired autoinjector devices. The initial UK will act as the nominated contractor and collect and replace the sharp boxes biannually in line with hazardous waste legislation.

Only trained staff are authorised to issue medication but ANYONE can administer an Epi pen in an emergency situation. This is lifesaving medication. Medication must be stored securely, and regular monitoring must be conducted. Emergency rescue medication, such as an auto-injector, must be easily accessible, and staff must be aware of its location.

Emergency treatment for suspected Anaphylaxis information will be displayed in all college sites adjacent to the spare AAIs, including the safe disposal of the autoinjectors (Appendix 2).

The college will conduct routine emergency practice drills termly, simulating anaphylaxis scenarios to guarantee staff readiness and rapid response. This will include the action to take if allergen cross-contamination is suspected (Appendix 3).

Designated First Aiders will receive specific, hands-on training for administering various brands of adrenaline auto-injectors as part of their Emergency First Aid at Work training course (e.g., EpiPen, Jext, Emerade). All staff will have completed the mandatory training which includes the administering of adrenaline auto injectors.

Staff must ensure users have their emergency medication and sign it out if needed. For any trip, staff must verify that the venue’s emergency procedures and medical response times align with the student’s specific needs. All medication must be kept by the student on them at all times or by the allocated staff member in the bumbag where a student lacks capacity.

Spare auto injectors are not to be taken from the main sites for any trip. For large trips staff are to liaise with the Health and Safety Co-ordinator for 2 pens to be made available where possible.

Any event involving food must be thoroughly risk-assessed. Staff must check all ingredients and prevent the introduction of known allergens. External providers must be briefed on the College Allergy Policy and are to ensure correct labelling and compliance with all food items. We ask that no nut products are brough onto site by staff, students or visitors.

When events or meetings are held at external venues (e.g., hotels or conference centres, sports venue), and food is provided by them:

Safe food options and rigorous allergen tracking must be guaranteed for all qualifying students receiving free college meals.

Comprehensive risk assessments and strict cross-contamination protocols will be enforced during sessions in which SEN students cook and consume their own food, embedding vital allergy awareness into the Life Skills curriculum and considering all 14 main allergens (Appendix 4).

To prevent accidental exposure and cross-contamination, the consumption of food is strictly prohibited on all college vehicles. Student’s emergency medication (AAIs) must travel with them at all times. It must be easily accessible, not stored in a luggage compartment.

All drivers must be briefed on the specific allergies of the students on board and be trained to recognise and respond to anaphylaxis. The Transport team must ensure vehicles are regularly cleaned, with particular attention to high-touch areas such as handrails and armrests, where allergen residue may linger.

For third-party transport, the college will provide the provider with essential medical alerts while ensuring data protection standards are met.

All student medical information, Individual Healthcare Plans, and allergy declarations will be stored securely on the college system. Data will only be shared with relevant staff to ensure student safety and with emergency medical personnel as required.

The Named Allergy Lead will formally review this policy annually. Emergency drill outcomes and any allergy-related incidents will be reviewed termly to ensure continuous improvement of our safety protocols.

Last updated: April 2026

Staff Lead: Designated Allergy Lead