The Rutland and Melton MP has appealed for more support for school children with allergies after a school child from Stamford passed away.

During a Westminster Hall Debate, on Thursday 30 November, on pupils with allergies in schools, Alicia Kearns MP called for mandatory regulations and more extensive protections for school children with allergies in the future.

Alicia is calling for all schools in Rutland and Melton to sign the Schools Allergy Code. This is a code of practice providing clear standards and guidance to help schools keep pupils with allergies safe.

Alicia raised the case of Benedict Blythe from Stamford, who was given a snack at school on 1st December 2021, causing him to have a severe allergic reaction and die later that day in hospital at the age of 5.

Benedict's parents, Helen and Pete Blyth, set up the Benedict Blyth Foundation in Benedict's memory to raise awareness of the risks facing children with allergies and to also better support children with unique approaches to learning.

13,027 people signed the petition to introduce new requirements to protect students with allergies in school. 282 of these signatures were from Stamford and Grantham and 81 were from Rutland and Melton.

Alicia is calling for the Government to:

• Replace voluntary advice for schools with mandatory regulations.
• Require every school to implement and maintain an allergy policy.
• Ensure conversations about allergies are standard in school education.
• Require every school to work with pupils' parents or guardians to create individual risk assessments for pupils with allergies.
• Ensure every school keeps a spare adrenaline auto-injector pen available to treat emergency cases.
• End the distinction drawn between minor and severe allergies: according to clinicians, this does not exist.
• Require all school staff and teachers to be fully trained in both allergy awareness and first aid response.

Alicia Kearns, Member of Parliament for Rutland and Melton, said: "My heart goes out to Helen and Pete Blythe, whose incredible work through the Benedict Blythe Foundation is keeping his memory alive, and doing everything they can to protect all children with allergies.

"Allergic reactions and deaths are avoidable with the right guidance and policy. I am urging the Government to take these few simple steps to protect pupils with allergies in the future, and in doing so honour Benedict Blythe's legacy."

"I was proud to speak in the debate, and hope that every school locally will sign up to the code and we can make more children safer when they go to school."

Under section 100 of the Children and Families Act 2014, schools have a duty to support pupils at their school with medial conditions.