Safer Schools Programme

Best Practice Resources

Schools have a legal duty to make arrangements for supporting children with medical conditions, including allergies. Statutory guidance is available for England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland on supporting children at school with medical conditions (see the UK Guidance Useful Links section).

The following best practice resources are designed to support schools to safely manage allergic pupils.

• Model policy for allergy management at school

  Anaphylaxis UK and Allergy UK have worked with the British Society for Allergy and Clinical Immunology (BSACI) and the Medical Conditions in Schools Alliance, to develop a Model Policy for Allergy Management at School guide. It is designed to support schools to develop a ‘Gold Standard’ policy to manage children’s allergies safely, so that children and their parents feel reassured that a robust policy is in place.

  The guide has been reviewed by Professor Adam Fox, Paediatric Allergist at Guy’s & St Thomas’ Hospitals, London, Dr Paul Turner, MRC Clinician Scientist in Paediatric Allergy & Immunology at Imperial College and the BSACI Standards of Care Group.

  Click here to view the model policy for allergy management at school guide

  Click here for an example, editable template model policy

• Allergy action plans

  Allergy action plans are designed to function as individual healthcare plans for children with food allergies, providing medical and parental consent for schools to administer medicines in the event of an allergic reaction, including consent to administer a spare adrenaline auto-injector.

  We recommend that all parents and schools use the British Society of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (BSACI) Allergy Action Plan to ensure continuity. This is a national plan that has been agreed by the BSACI, Anaphylaxis UK and Allergy UK. These plans have been designed to facilitate first aid treatment of anaphylaxis, to be delivered by people without any special medical training or equipment apart from access to an adrenaline auto-injector. Please note, the plans are medical documents and should be completed by a child’s health professional (and not by parents or teachers, for example).

  There are four plans available; a generic plan for individuals assessed as not needing an adrenaline auto-injector, and a personal plan for individuals prescribed an EpiPen, Jext or Emerade.

  Click here to download the four different Allergy Action Plans here

• Annual risk assessment and allergy protocol checklist

  Tracey Dunn, primary school headteacher and Education Ambassador for Anaphylaxis UK, has produced a detailed Annual Risk Assessment and an Allergy Protocol Checklist that your school can use to help ensure pupils with allergies are kept safe.

  Click here to download the Annual Risk Assessment

  Click here to download the Allergy Protocol Checklist

• Template allergy awareness letters

  We have developed two template letters for you to adapt to your school’s needs.

  Click here to download the Starting Reception Template Allergy Letter

  Click here to download the School Template Allergy Letter

• FAQs in schools factsheet

  This factsheet will help answer some of the questions frequently asked by schools. These include questions such as ‘How many adrenaline auto-injectors should an allergic pupil in school have?’ ‘How do I administer an adrenaline auto-injector’ and outlines the responsibilities of the school, the family and the pupil.

  Find our FAQs in Schools factsheet here

• Webinars

  Watch our webinars for school staff here

Frequently asked questions about spare pens in schools

From 1st October 2017, schools in the UK can buy adrenaline auto-injectors without a prescription to use in an emergency on children who are at risk of a serious allergic reaction but whose own adrenaline auto-injectors are not available or not working. This could be because their auto-injectors are broken, or out-of-date, for example.

For further guidance about spare adrenaline auto-injectors in school, see the UK Guidance Useful Links section.

• Does the change in legislation apply to all schools? E.g. nursery schools, primary and secondary schools, independent schools?

  The change in legislation applies to local authority-maintained nurseries, primary, secondary and special schools, academies, pupil referral units and independent schools in England, Scotland and Wales. In Northern Ireland this applies to grant aided schools and independent schools as defined in the Education and Libraries (NI) Order 1986. The ‘Human Medicines (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations 2014’ defined what the term ‘school’ means. This definition can be found here.

• How does my school purchase spare adrenaline auto-injectors?

  Schools can purchase adrenaline auto-injectors from a pharmaceutical supplier, such as a local pharmacy, without a prescription, provided the general advice relating to these transactions are observed: i.e. small quantities on an occasional basis and the school does not intend to profit from it.

   

  A supplier will need a request signed by the principal or head teacher stating:
  •the name of the school
  •the purpose why the adrenaline auto-injector is/are required
  •the total number required

  A template letter which must be complete on headed school paper can be downloaded here. It is also available on the website www.sparepensinschools.uk.

• How much do adrenaline auto-injectors cost?

  Pharmacies are not required to provide adrenaline auto-injectors(s) free of charge to schools, your school must pay for them as a retail item. They cost around £35 each, but most pharmacies will add an additional handling charge of £10-£15 each.

• What brands are available to purchase?

  The adrenaline auto-injectors prescribed in the UK are EpiPen®, Jext® and Emerade®. The decision as to how many and what brands to purchase will depend on the individual circumstances within your school. However, the Department of Health guidance advises:

  “Where all pupils are prescribed the same device, the school should obtain the same brand for the spare adrenaline auto-injector. If two or more brands are currently held by the school, the school may wish to purchase the brand most commonly prescribed to its pupils.”

  The place where the adrenaline auto-injector is administered is the same for Emerade®, EpiPen® and Jext®; they are injected into the muscle in the front quarter of the outer thigh. However, there is some variation in operating each one and training on each device should be given to all school staff who might be required to administer adrenaline in an emergency.

• Where should the spare adrenaline auto-injectors be stored?

  They should be stored in a central location (not locked away). They must be accessible and available for use at all times, and not located more than 5 minutes away from where they may be needed. The location must be known to all staff members.

• Who are spare adrenaline auto-injectors for?

  Spare adrenaline auto-injectors should only be used on pupils known to be at risk of anaphylaxis and for whom both medical authorisation and written parental consent for use of the spare injector has been provided. The school’s spare auto-injector can be administered to a pupil whose own prescribed device cannot be administered correctly without delay.

  If a child is having anaphylaxis but does not have a plan with medical authorisation and parental consent, schools should immediately call 999 and seek advice. If spare adrenaline auto-injectors are available, mention this to the call handler/emergency medical dispatcher, as they can authorise use of the spare injector if appropriate.

• Who can administer adrenaline auto-injectors?

  Any member of staff may volunteer to take on this role. In many schools, it would be appropriate for there to be multiple designated members of staff who can administer an adrenaline auto-injector to avoid any delay in treatment and ensure cover when staff are on leave.

  Regulation 238 of the Human Medicines Regulations 2012 allows for adrenaline to be administered by anyone for the purpose of saving life in an emergency.

• Can after school clubs, such as girl guides or scouts, purchase spare adrenaline auto-injectors?

  Where clubs occur on school premises as part of official school activities, they can have access to the school’s spare adrenaline auto-injectors.

  Any other organisations or clubs outside of school, cannot purchase spare adrenaline auto-injectors. Children at risk of anaphylaxis must have their own prescribed adrenaline auto-injectors with them at all times.