For Stephanie Kerr’s five-year-old son Caolán many foods come with a serious risk.

“Caolán’s allergic to milk, egg, wheat, oat, cumin, tuna, strawberry,” she said.

“We have a running joke that it would be quicker listing what he’s not allergic to so that’s just some of them.”

Kerr is one of a number of parents calling for new mandatory measures in schools to keep pupils like Caolán safe.

In England, Benedict’s law came into force in September, requiring all schools to follow strengthened allergy guidelines including training for staff and storing equipment like life-saving allergy pens.

It was named after Benedict Blythe, who died aged five after accidental exposure to cow’s milk protein while at Barnack Primary School, near Peterborough, in December 2021.

The Education Minister, Paul Givan, has committed to a consultation on a similar change in Northern Ireland to introduce stronger allergy guidance for Northern Ireland schools.

At present though, the onus is mainly on parents and individual schools to ensure safety measures for pupils are in place.

Stephanie Kerr was one of several parents and experts in Regent House School in Newtownards on Friday training teachers about safety for pupils with severe allergies.

And that meant confronting some fears.

“I find it difficult as well sometimes talking about the reactions that Caolán has had in the past and what could potentially happen in the future,” she said.

But she was not alone.