Educational establishments must adhere to a particularly stringent list of rules and regulations. After all, when the well-being of children is at stake, it’s only understandable that the protections are more restrictive. This presents a particular challenge to school administrators, whose job it is to keep a school on the right side of these rules.
Let’s consider some of the key responsibilities for these individuals, and how those responsibilities might be met.
Health, Safety, and Safeguarding Regulations
Schools have a legal responsibility to keep pupils safe, whether or not education is taking place on school premises. To do this, they must appoint a competent person to oversee this aspect of the school’s operations. This person should have the right skills, knowledge and experience.
According to government guidelines, health and safety in school should be built around four key steps. These are to plan the direction of health and safety management, to introduce the appropriate systems and practices, to check that these systems are functioning, and to review these processes with the help of management.
Working with a consultant specialising in education will help you to stay on the right side of ever-changing regulations, and to protect yourself against legal action.
Data Protection and Privacy in Schools
Like any business, schools have a legal responsibility to protect the data they collect. This means keeping student records, among other things, in a secure location, and releasing those records only to parties with a right to view them.
In some cases, third parties, like other schools, local authorities, and medical bodies, might request information about a given student. It is vital that processes are put in place to establish whether the data is being sent to the right place.
Images are also protected by data protection. If you don’t have permission to put an image of a student on a public website, for example, then you could be breaching privacy law by doing so. This goes even if there doesn’t appear to be any harm in sharing the image.
Equality and Non-Discrimination Laws
Schools have a duty to ensure that every student, as is reasonably practicable, has access to education of the same quality. This means protecting everyone against bullying, and providing the same treatment regardless of religious or ethnic background.
Making sure that the premises are actually accessible might be critical. That might mean introducing ramps and lifts into new buildings, and modifying existing ones to meet the needs of wheelchair users.
Funding Compliance and Financial Responsibilities
Dealing with money in the educational sector comes with certain legal obligations. School officials have to make sure finances are distributed in conformity with funding rules and honestly. This involves following government financing policies, correctly tracking grants, and keeping thorough financial records. Inappropriate use of money or mismanagement could have serious legal repercussions and harm the institution’s standing. To avoid disparities, schools should do frequent financial audits and apply strong checks and balances. Moreover, managers should keep updated about changes in financing regulations to guarantee that the institution stays qualified for necessary.
Parental Rights and Student Discipline Policies
Schools that are maintained by a local authority have a duty to devise a behaviour policy, which governs the behaviour of students. This will set out the circumstances in which students can, for example, be searched (or even physically restrained) and the extent to which discipline extends beyond the school gate.
Parents might legally object to a given aspect of a policy – but if the policy is sufficiently robust, and it’s been created in collaboration with parents, students and teachers, disputes tend to be rare.