18/08/2026
In 2021, Benedict’s school clothes were neatly labelled and ready for his first days at school.
We had written a detailed individual healthcare plan. We had packed his adrenaline pens. We had checked that the school had an allergy policy and that staff would be trained. We had agreed a process to keep him safe when milk was served at break time.
We did everything parents are told to do.
But it wasn’t enough.
Our plan was not shown to the teachers responsible for Benedict’s care. The allergy policy was not communicated to staff before he started. Staff had not been properly trained and did not know how to recognise his symptoms, when to treat his allergic reaction or how to respond.
The agreed process for serving milk was not followed.
And the medication we had packed to save Benedict’s life was used too late to save him.
Over the next few weeks, homes will fill with labelled uniforms, polished shoes and school bags waiting by the door. Among them will be the belongings of children with allergies, whose parents have written the plans, supplied the medication and trusted their schools to keep them safe.
These are Benedict’s things.
The clothes he would never wear again. The boots he would never grow into. The school bag he would never bring home.
The new statutory guidance requires schools to have allergy policies, individual plans, medication and trained staff. But their existence alone will not protect a child.
A policy must be understood. A plan must reach everyone caring for that child. Training must be comprehensive and practical. Medication must be immediately available—and used without delay.
Whether this guidance saves lives or becomes another tick-box exercise depends on what schools do next.
Please make it matter in yours.
Because no other family should be left with clothes their child will never wear.
Benedict’s Law must not live in a folder. It must live in every classroom.
Tag your school
