28/08/2026
New allergy safety guidance for schools in England includes positive developments for pupils with coeliac disease. 🧡
Coeliac UK has been closely involved throughout the development of the new statutory guidance, advocating for the needs of children with coeliac disease to be recognised.
In July, the Department for Education (DfE) published new statutory guidance, Allergy Safety in Schools, FOLLOWING THE INTRODUCTION OF A legal requirement for maintained schools, academies and pupil referral units to have, publish and regularly review an allergy safety policy.
Page 6 & 7 of the guidance "Section 100 of the Children and Families Act 2014 places a duty on governing bodies of maintained schools, proprietors of academies and management committees of PRUs to make arrangements for supporting pupils at their school with medical conditions. Section 34 of the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026 amends this by placing a further requirement on LA-maintained schools, academies and PRUs to have allergy safety policies, publish them and keep them under review. Schools must also have regard to statutory guidance on allergy safety.
The guidance includes several positive developments for pupils with coeliac disease, including:
• Recognition that coeliac disease is an autoimmune condition.
• The importance of managing the risk of [gluten] cross contamination.
• Inclusion of coeliac disease within staff training.
The guidance is the first to be published ahead of the revised statutory guidance 'Supporting Pupils with Medical Conditions at School,' which covers the wider management of medical conditions, including coeliac disease.
What does this new guidance mean for pupils with coeliac disease?
Find out more: https://f.mtr.cool/c24h2pf1ro
