ALP Nuneaton celebrates fourth consecutive Anaphylaxis UK Allergy Aware School Award

Last month, Anaphylaxis UK and Jodie Gosling, MP for Nuneaton, visited ALP Nuneaton Specialist Independent School to celebrate staff and pupils after the school achieved the Anaphylaxis UK Allergy Aware School Award for the fourth consecutive year. 

Around 8% of school children live with an allergy in the UK, with 20% of serious allergic reactions to food occurring while a student is in school. Alongside the risk of a serious physical reaction, many children also experience anxiety about having a reaction at school or being excluded from activities. Allergies can affect every aspect of everyday life, which is why recognising schools that go above and beyond to create safe, inclusive environments is so important. 

ALP Nuneaton’s continued commitment to supporting pupils with allergies is an incredible achievement. One of the criteria for achieving the award is completing our AllergyWise® for Schools training, which provides comprehensive and practical guidance for school staff on allergy management and responding to serious allergic reactions. The school also takes part in our Safer Schools Programme, helping ensure staff are confident and prepared to support students with allergies. 

This means students, parents and carers can feel reassured that staff have received thorough, specialist training on allergies and how to recognise and treat a serious allergic reaction. 

During the visit, Jodie Gosling MP praised the school’s inclusive approach:  

“It was great to acknowledge the hard work at ALP Nuneaton in relation to its inclusion of students with allergies. The creative solutions to meet needs (especially for students who are pre-verbal) are impressive and the school maintaining its Anaphylaxis UK Allergy Aware status for the fourth consecutive year is a worthy achievement.” 

Donna Hatcher, Assistant Headteacher at ALP Nuneaton, said: 

“As a Specialist independent school ensuring the safety of learners with a range of needs and allergies is at the heart of our provision. By integrating Widgit symbols into our school environment and allergy management.  We empower our learners to understand their world and stay safe.” 

Georgina Jones, Interim CEO of Anaphylaxis UK, said: 

“Congratulations once again on achieving the Allergy Aware School Award for the fourth-year running. This is a fantastic achievement and reflects the school’s strong commitment to advancing allergy management and keeping pupils safe.” 

Tracey Dunn, Education and AllergyWise Manager at Anaphylaxis UK, added: 

“ALP Nuneaton’s achievement of the Allergy Aware School Award demonstrates that every school regardless of their designation can be inclusive and keep their learners safe.”   

The award comes at an important time nationally. Recently it was announced that Benedict’s Law will be made statutory, meaning all schools in England will be required to follow strengthened guidance to help keep students with allergies safe. 

Donna Hatcher added: 

“We welcome this new DfE guidance, which highlights the vital importance of specialised teacher training and robust support systems in creating an inclusive ‘allergy-aware’ culture where every child can thrive.” 

Anaphylaxis UK is the UK’s only charity dedicated solely to supporting people living with serious allergies (anaphylaxis) at school, at work and in everyday life. The Allergy Aware School Award, launched in 2023, recognises schools that demonstrate best practice in allergy awareness and management. 

Schools achieving the award have completed high-quality, low-cost allergy training, published an allergy policy on their website, educated pupils about allergies, and taken advantage of the option to hold life-saving spare adrenaline auto-injectors. 

The programme supports all types of schools, including mainstream, specialist and independent settings, helping staff create safer and more inclusive environments for students with allergies. 

Find out more about our Allergy Aware School Award and training programmes: https://www.anaphylaxis.org.uk/education/allergywise-for-schools-information/