- Benedict Blythe, a Mensa member, died at school in Stamford, Lincolnshire
The mother of a boy who died of a food allergy says schools are putting children ‘at risk’ by not doing enough to manage the dangers.
Benedict Blythe, five, who was allergic to dairy, eggs, peanuts, sesame and chickpeas, tragically collapsed at school in Stamford, Lincolnshire, just hours after ‘opening his advert calendar’ and going off to classes ‘happy and healthy’.
Now his mother Helen, who set up the Benedict Blythe Foundation in her son’s memory, has demanded stronger legislation, claiming that current measures to protect children with allergies are ‘not good enough’.
She told the BBC : ‘Measures need to be put in place to keep children with allergies in England safe.
‘What is in place now is not good enough.
‘Pupils and their families deserve better.’
Department for Education guidance says all schools have a duty to support children with medical conditions.
But Mrs Blythe said that this did not go far enough and warned parents that thousands of pupils were being ‘put at risk’.
She said: ‘Current legislation makes only modest requests of schools and falls far below the recommended good practice outlined by clinicians, allergy charities and coroners.’
The Benedict Blythe Foundation found that one in three schools do not have their own allergy policy set up while a quarter do not give any training on allergy symptoms or what to do in an emergency.
Just under half were found to rely on children having their own autoinjector pen.
The foundation urged the Government to pledge £5million towards introducing safety measures and checks.
Benedict, who had been a member of the high-IQ society Mensa since the age of four, died on December 1 2021 from anaphylaxis after eating a snack and his mother has described the tragic morning.
She said: ‘He woke up, it was the first of December.
‘He opened his advent calendar, went off to school happy and healthy and didn’t come home again.’
Around 680,000 school children have a known food allergy and one in four first-time anaphylactic reactions take place at school.
Professor Adam Fox, one of the UK’s leading paediatric allergy consultants, told The Times: ‘There is a clear need for a change in culture around how food allergies are managed in schools.
‘The UK lags behind other countries and children are suffering and even dying as a result.
‘By really educating the whole school community about food allergy we can turn things around.’
UK hospital admissions from food-related anaphylaxis have increased by an average of 5.7 per cent each year between 1998 and 2018 with peanuts the most common cause.
A Department for Education spokesperson said: ‘We understand the seriousness of severe allergies and we are clear that children with medical conditions should be properly supported to enjoy a full education and be safe at school.
‘All schools are required to make arrangements that ensure this is the case.’
An inquest into Benedict’s death continues.
Sarah Carter is a health and wellness expert residing in the UK. With a background in healthcare, she offers evidence-based advice on fitness, nutrition, and mental well-being, promoting healthier living for readers.
