Department for Education publishes new allergy guidance
Many members of our community will be aware that families, professionals and PANS PANDAS UK contributed to the Department for Education (DfE) consultation on improving support for children and young people with medical conditions and allergy in education. We are grateful to everyone who took the time to share their experiences and help inform the consultation.
The DfE has now published new statutory guidance ‘Allergy safety in schools.’ This is an important development for children and young people living with allergies and for the schools supporting them. It is important to be clear that this is not the revised guidance on supporting pupils with medical conditions. The existing 2015 Supporting Pupils at School with Medical Conditions guidance remains in force, and the revised medical conditions guidance has not yet been published.
Whilst this new guidance is specific to allergy, there are several principles that we welcome and which may be relevant to children and young people with a range of health conditions. Many of these reflect issues that families and professionals affected by PANS and PANDAS identified as important during the consultation:
• Greater emphasis on support being based on a child or young person’s needs and the impact of their condition, rather than relying solely on a confirmed diagnosis.
• Recognition that support may need to be put in place while assessment, investigation or diagnosis is still ongoing.
• Stronger expectations around Individual Healthcare Plans, including greater consideration of the impact of a condition on a child or young person’s education, wellbeing and attendance. The guidance also places greater emphasis on need and functional impact when determining support arrangements.
• Recognition of the importance of air quality, ventilation and infection prevention measures in supporting children’s and young people’s health in education settings.
What happens next?
The revised medical conditions guidance has not yet been published, and the DfE has not announced a timetable for its release. We will continue to monitor developments and share a further update when the guidance is published.
You can also read the DfE’s consultation response on support for pupils with medical conditions and allergy in education settings here.
