Despite one in five serious food-allergic reactions happening at school, there’s still a worrying gap in allergy management awareness.
Research shows that 67% of teachers have had no allergy training and 60% aren’t sure if their school has an allergy policy.
In our 2025 School Meals Report, which surveyed more than 236,000 parents, only 21.6% said staff are trained to respond to allergic reactions. A further third admitted they don’t know how their school handles allergens.
With one or two children in every classroom living with a known food allergy, keeping pupils safe, and making sure they can participate fully in school life, depends on how well schools manage allergy risk.
That means taking a fresh look at current strategies, supporting staff with the right training, involving the whole school community, designing inclusive environments, and harnessing technology to help along the way.
Read on to explore ways to reduce food allergy risk in your school…
1. Review your allergy management strategy
Before making any big changes, it’s worth taking a step back and reviewing how your school currently manages allergies.
Begin by asking some key questions:
- Do all staff receive dedicated allergy training, not just basic first aid?
- Are parents and carers involved in conversations about their child’s specific needs?
- Is medication stored safely and easily accessible, and are there spare adrenaline auto-injectors on site?
Think about daily routines, from classroom activities and offsite trips to how food from home is handled, and whether staff and pupils understand how to keep everyone safe.
Even reviewing records of near misses can reveal opportunities to strengthen your approach. This kind of honest audit sets the foundation for a stronger allergy management strategy.
Not sure where to begin? Head to the Natasha Foundation’s Allergy School website to complete a self-assessment check list.
2. Empower staff
Empowering staff is one of the best ways to keep pupils with food allergies safe. When everyone knows what to look out for and how to respond, the whole school becomes a safer place.
The Natasha’s Foundation recommends:
- Ensuring all staff can recognise signs of anaphylaxis and have received training in how to act in an allergy emergency.
- Checking staff know how and when to use an adrenaline auto-injector (and can practice with a trainer pen to boost confidence).
- Keeping guidance engaging and visible in classrooms so teachers are empowered to act quickly and effectively in the event of an allergy emergency. Download your free posters from the Natasha’s Foundation here.
3. Get the whole school community involved
With 5%-8% of children living with a food allergy, it’s vital that everyone understands what allergies are and how serious they can be.
When pupils learn about food allergies through lessons, assemblies, or awareness days, they’re more likely to show empathy, avoid risky food sharing, and speak up if something doesn’t seem right.
Building that shared understanding helps create a culture of care and responsibility. It turns allergy management from a staff-only task into a whole-school effort.
Click here for lesson plan inspo to help boost whole school awareness.
4. Design inclusive environments
Reducing food allergy risk doesn’t have to mean excluding children with food allergies from certain aspects of school life.
There are lots of things you can do to lower risk without compromising inclusion.
Here are a few ideas to get started:
- Ensure cooking activities completely exclude allergens that effect pupils with food allergies
- Avoid food packaging for activities like junk modelling
- Remove food from reward systems—stickers are great alternatives
- Provide parents with a list of safe treats to bring in for birthdays and other celebrations
5. Lean on your EdTech
Technology can be a real game-changer when it comes to keeping children with food allergies safe at school.
Online meal-ordering can help parents and pupils easily see what’s on the menu and check ingredients before making a choice – helping everyone feel more confident about what’s being served.
It’s also a great way to stay in step with Natasha’s Law, making sure allergen information is always clear and accessible.
Smart parent engagement tools can play a role too by bridging the gap between home and school. Parents can update allergy details, share concerns, and feel reassured that their child’s needs are understood and catered for.
Plus, clever catering systems can act as a safety net by automatically flagging or blocking unsafe meal choices.
By harnessing tech in this way, schools can create dining experiences that are safe, transparent, and inclusive for every child.
For in-depth data and analysis on allergy management in schools, check out our 2025 School Meals Report. Download report.
Download your free copy of the 2025 School Meals Report
What parents really think. Insights from 236,000+ families across the UK—on the subjects that matter most—meal uptake, free school meals, allergens, school meals vs packed lunches, with expert commentary from LACA, The Natasha Allergy Research Foundation, and Juniper Ventures.
