Working with pupils

Receiving an allegation from a pupil and facing an impending investigation can be a distressing time when teaching. Your school should ensure it provides effective support, conducts a fair investigation and provide you with a named member of staff if you are suspended from work.

Behaviour in schools is an issue which school staff have to contend with on a daily basis. The Department for Education (DfE) has published ‘Behaviour and Discipline in Schools’ which provides an overview of the powers and duties for school staff.

British values are required to be promoted in all maintained schools, independent schools and academies in England. The announcement was made originally in 2014, in response to the Trojan Horse scandal

You may teach a class or specific pupils which provide you with behavioural difficulties. This might have a detrimental impact on your health and well-being. You are entitled to work in an environment free from violence and disruption and to appropriate access to training and support.

Designated safeguarding lead might be a role you have heard of but you might be unsure of what their responsibilities are at school. You might need to seek their support if you have concern about a pupil or a pupil makes a disclosure to you.

Home schooling is a topic where many teachers might not be fully aware of the numbers of children being home educated. Even before coronavirus occurred, around 60,000 children were home educated in England.

Managing classroom behaviour effectively can be a difficult skill to master, especially in schools where high expectations are not consistently applied.

You could have over 30 pupils in your class and wonder if there is a legal limit to the amount of pupils you can teach in a class. You might have also read the following BBC article which highlighted a primary school in Devon with a year 6 class of 63 pupils.

LADO might be a term you have heard of but might be unsure of who they are or when you should contact them.

The Prevent strategy published by the Coalition government in 2011 aims to reduce the threat to the UK from terrorism by preventing people becoming terrorists or supporting terrorism. It is still the most current duty where schools have a legal responsibility to “have due regard to the need to prevent people from being drawn into terrorism.”

Reasonable force in the classroom can be a subject which may cause confusion. You may be involved in situations where you have to physically move pupils due to safety concerns for yourself and others. You might be apprehensive to do so and might be unsure about what you are allowed to do.

School proms, year 11 celebrations and sixth-form leavers events are becoming increasingly popular in schools and colleges across the UK.

There may be some situations where you might have to search a pupil due to safety concerns. The Department for Education (DfE) has issued powers to schools which allows school staff to search pupils with or without their consent.

The Department for Education (DfE) has published draft non-statutory guidance for schools and colleges in England on the topic of ‘Gender Questioning Children’. This guidance does not apply to the rest of the United Kingdom.

What is an EHC plan and what are the responsibilities for different school staff? GOV.UK explains that an education, health and care (EHC) plan is for children and young people aged up to 25 who need more support than is available through special educational needs support. 

You may have heard of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) but might be unsure of what it is and what you should do if you suspect a pupil is at risk. FGM includes procedures that intentionally alter or cause injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons.

The EYFS framework sets standards for the learning, development and care of your child from birth to 5 years old. The EYFS framework came into force in April 2017.

In the unfortunate event you have been physically assaulted by a pupil you will want to know how to proceed at your school. You will most likely feel shaken and may be apprehensive to continue teaching the same pupil, class or to return to teaching. Your school should have policies and procedures in place to ensure that you can teach safely and not be at risk of assault or intimidation by pupils.