Allergy cards for kids in school: what teachers need

Sending an allergic child to school for the first time is a stress test. The first hot lunch, the first birthday party in class, the first sports day picnic — every familiar parent-controlled environment gets replaced by something you can’t supervise directly.

The single most useful tool for that handover is a clear, printed allergy card kept somewhere a teacher will actually look. Not a hand-scribbled note that gets lost. Something the school can keep on file, copy into care plans, and refer back to.

This is a practical guide to allergy cards for children — what to put on them, how to brief teachers, and how to handle EpiPens at school.

What the school is legally required to do

In the UK, schools have duties under the Equality Act 2010 to make “reasonable adjustments” for pupils with food allergies. This includes:

• Maintaining an allergen register for pupils with known food allergies
• Working with parents to create an Individual Healthcare Plan (IHP) for severe allergies
• Training key staff to recognise anaphylaxis and use auto-injectors
• Ensuring catering teams can produce safe meals or work with the parent on packed lunches

Most state schools have well-developed processes for this. Independent schools, nurseries, and after-school clubs are often less consistent — which is where a parent-prepared allergy card makes the biggest difference.

For background on the UK legal framework, see our post on whether allergy cards are legally required in the UK.

What to put on a child’s allergy card

A useful child’s allergy card includes substantially more than an adult’s. Aim to cover:

Identification

• Full name in clear large print
• Photograph if possible — a card with a small photo prevents the wrong child being matched to the wrong allergen
• Year group or class

Allergens

• Every allergen to avoid — major allergens, less common ones, additives, and any specific ingredients that have caused reactions
• Hidden sources that often catch staff out — e.g. “avoid lecithin (usually soy)”, “avoid casein (milk derivative)”
• Cross-contamination risk level — particularly for severe allergies

Reaction information

• Severity — clearly label as anaphylaxis-risk if applicable
• Typical reaction signs — hives, swelling, breathing difficulty, vomiting, etc.
• Time to symptoms — some children react within seconds, others over 30+ minutes

Emergency response

• EpiPen or auto-injector indicator — yes/no, and where it’s stored
• Step-by-step what to do — “Use EpiPen → call 999 → call parent”
• Parent / guardian phone numbers — primary and secondary
• GP or allergy clinic contact
• Hospital preference if relevant

For a printed card, two-sided is often best — identification and allergens on the front, emergency response on the back.

Where the card should live

A child’s allergy card should be in multiple places, not one:

• In their lunchbox, clearly visible — for catering teams and lunch supervisors
• In their school bag, easily findable — for teachers and on trips
• With their EpiPen, in the school medical room or designated storage — paired with the auto-injector and a copy of their healthcare plan
• Held by class teacher, ideally laminated — for in-class snack times and parties
• Updated each school year — children’s allergies change, and a card from two years ago can be dangerously out of date

Printed plastic chef cards are particularly useful here because they survive lunchboxes, washing machines, and rough school-bag treatment. We recommend ordering a small pack so you can place copies in all the right spots.

Briefing the teacher

A first-day conversation with the class teacher covers more ground than the card alone. Useful topics:

• What the reaction looks like — describe symptoms specifically
• What triggers it — including hidden sources teachers might not think of (e.g. craft supplies that contain wheat-based glue, play-doh with milk derivatives)
• What snacks are safe — bring known-safe alternatives the teacher can keep in a desk drawer for unexpected parties
• EpiPen location and use — show the teacher how to administer it on a trainer pen if possible
• Birthday / event policy — agree how you want to handle classroom birthday treats (separate safe option, parent-supplied alternative, etc.)
• Communication channel — how you want to be contacted if a reaction starts

For severe allergies, ask if the school can adopt a whole-class allergen restriction for serious peanut/tree-nut allergies. Many schools will, especially in early years. Anaphylaxis UK has template letters parents can use to request this.

EpiPens at school

Key things to organise:

• At least two EpiPens — one carried by the child or in the classroom, one in the medical room. Two is non-negotiable for severe allergies.
• Spare in-date training — staff need refresher EpiPen training annually. Most schools manage this; ask to verify.
• The 2017 emergency adrenaline change — UK schools can now hold a generic stock of adrenaline auto-injectors for emergency use even without a prescription specifically for the child. Confirm your school has them.
• Trip and outing planning — EpiPens go on every trip, every time. Confirm before each event.

The NHS has more detail on anaphylaxis and emergency adrenaline for parents and schools.

Older children — carrying their own card

From around age 8-10, many allergic children can start carrying their own card. A few habits to teach:

• Always check labels themselves before eating new packaged food
• Show the card to teachers or supervisors at any new activity
• Know where their EpiPen is at all times — and how to use it
• Tell their friends about their allergy and what to do if something happens

Teenagers are statistically the highest-risk group for fatal food allergy reactions, often because they take risks adults wouldn’t. A wallet card, a phone-based AllergIQ digital allergy card, and a habit of always carrying EpiPens are critical.

When the school is the catering provider

For schools that provide hot lunches, the catering team (often a contractor like Chartwells or ISS) is legally required to handle the 14 major allergens — but the practical quality varies. Ask:

• Who is the allergen officer for the catering contract?
• Do they hold an allergen register that matches the school’s pupil records?
• Are they trained to handle the specific allergens your child has, including less common ones (e.g. lupin, alpha-gal, severe additives)?
• What’s the escalation path if a meal is served wrongly?

For children with severe or unusual allergies, a packed lunch is often safer than relying on catering. If you go that route, include the allergy card in the lunchbox itself so anyone supervising can verify before opening containers.

Birthday parties and class events

This is where most accidental exposures happen. A few practical strategies:

• Stock the teacher with safe treats the school can keep in a sealed container for surprise occasions
• Pre-screen birthday invitations — politely ask other parents about menu plans
• For severe allergies, consider providing a safe alternative the child can bring to every event, rather than hoping each host accommodates
• Use the allergy card when sending the child to someone else’s house — let the other parent see it on arrival

The takeaway

A child’s allergy card is more than information storage — it’s a way of making your child’s allergy visible to every adult they encounter without you being in the room. The information should be:

• Detailed enough to handle every realistic scenario
• Visible enough that no adult has to dig for it
• Updated yearly as the child grows and their allergies evolve
• Backed up with EpiPens, conversations with teachers, and an Individual Healthcare Plan

Combine the card with proper EpiPen storage, trained staff, and clear emergency contacts and you’ve removed most of the day-to-day risk. The rest — teaching your child to advocate for themselves as they grow — is the long game.

Create a free child’s allergy card or order printed plastic cards for school bags, lunchboxes, and the medical room.