What are ‘spare pens’?
In 2017 it was made legal for schools to buy their own backup supply of adrenaline pens under the Spare Pens in Schools initiative. Spare pens are for use in an emergency and should be held by the school in addition to pupils carrying their own, prescribed, adrenaline pens.
Schools can buy spare pens from a pharmacy without the need for a prescription, using this template letter.
To save you shopping around for the cheapest deal, we are working with Simple Online Pharmacy to give schools access to cost-price EpiPens and Jext pens. Just download the step-by-step instructions and our voucher code.
Frequently asked questions
When can schools use spare pens?
Spare adrenaline pens can be used on:
- People who have been prescribed adrenaline pens but whose own devices are not available. For example, they are broken, out of date, can’t be accessed or have misfired*.
- People with allergies who have not been prescribed with adrenaline pens*.
- People with no history of allergy or anaphylaxis.
*Medical authorisation and parental consent must have been obtained.
What if the school doesn’t have medical and parental authorisation?
If you don’t have medical and parental authorisation to use spare pens on someone who has their own prescribed devices, call 999 and inform the call handler you suspect anaphylaxis. Explain that you have spare adrenaline pens available and the emergency services can authorise use.
In exceptional circumstances, where someone experiences anaphylaxis unexpectedly, spare adrenaline pens can be used on anyone for the purpose of saving their life.
This was emphasised by The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) in March 2023. Read the MHRA’s clarification in full.
Can any member of staff use a school’s spare pens?
Teachers and other non-healthcare professionals are allowed to administer adrenaline pens if they are competent to do so.
These videos will take you through how to deliver adrenaline to someone else, using EpiPen or Jext auto-injectors. (Please note that in May 2023, Emerade adrenaline pens were recalled and should be replaced with a different brand.)
You should practice using a trainer pen so you feel confident if you are ever faced with an emergency. Trainer pens can be obtained via the EpiPen and Jext websites.
Does it matter if our spare pens are a different brand to those prescribed to our pupils?
In an emergency, you can use a spare pen which is a different brand to that prescribed to a pupil. However, it is important that you give the correct dose of adrenaline – this is determined by a person’s weight (see below).
Each brand of adrenaline pen is administered slightly differently so make sure you watch our videos to familiarise yourself with how to use your spare pens.
How do we know which size/adrenaline dose we need when we buy spare pens?
“The Resuscitation Council (UK) recommends that healthcare professionals treat anaphylaxis using the age-based criteria as follows:
- For children age under 6 years: a dose of 150 micrograms (0.15 milligram) of adrenaline is used (e.g. using an EpiPen Junior (0.15mg) or Jext 150 microgram device).
- For children age 6-12 years: a dose of 300 micrograms (0.3 milligrams) of adrenaline is used (e.g. using an Epipen (0.3mg) or Jext 300 microgram device).
- For teenagers age 12+ years: a dose of 300 [as above] can be used.
In the context of supplying schools rather than individual pupils with AAIs for use in an emergency setting, using these same age-based criteria avoids the need for multiple devices/ doses, thus reducing the potential for confusion in an emergency.
Schools should consider the ages of their pupils at risk of anaphylaxis when deciding which doses to obtain as the spare AAI. Schools may wish to seek appropriate medical advice when deciding which AAI device(s) are most appropriate.”
For expert advice about holding spare pens, listen to our Q&A with Professor Paul Turner, the clinician who championed the spare pens in schools legislation.
Page updated January 2026