How to review your staff code of conduct

megaphone icon updated on 22 May 2023
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Statutory/mandatory for: Maintained schools Academies Free schools Independent schools Sixth-form colleges Pupil referral units Non-maintained special schools

Be confident when reviewing your staff code of conduct. Know what it should include and get suggestions of questions to ask to make sure your school's or trust's code is compliant and robust.

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Contents

  1. Key facts
  2. What this policy needs to do
  3. 3 key questions to challenge the policy
  4. Model code of conduct
  5. Examples from schools 

Key facts

  • This policy is statutory for all school types
  • Approval:
    • Maintained schools – the full governing board must approve
    • Academies can delegate the approval of the policy to a committee of the board, an individual governor or the headteacher
  • It’s recommended that you review it annually
  • The headteacher and senior leadership team will write and be responsible for the implementation of this policy
  • It's best practice to consult with unions represented at your school when you implement changes to this

What this policy needs to do

Your staff code of conduct should clearly set out the standards of conduct that you expect staff to follow. This includes inside and outside of the school.

Governing boards of maintained schools must establish procedures for the regulation of staff conduct, under regulation 7 of the School Staffing (England) Regulations 2009.

Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE), which is statutory guidance for all schools, says that schools should have a staff code of conduct or behaviour policy.

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