Preventing Harassment in Schools: What the New October 2026 Duties Mean for Leaders
preventing-harassment-in-schools-what-the-new-october-2026-duties-mean-for-leaders
Creating a safe, respectful, and inclusive environment has always been fundamental to effective school leadership. However, from 30 October 2026, schools and academy trusts face strengthened legal responsibilities to actively prevent workplace harassment, marking a significant shift in employer duties across the education sector.
While many schools already have robust policies in place, the new requirements go beyond responding to incidents after they occur. Leaders must now be able to demonstrate they have taken all reasonable steps to prevent harassment before it happens.
Why This Matters for Schools
Schools are unique workplaces where staff interact daily with a wide range of people, including pupils, parents, carers, contractors, visitors, governors, and members of the wider community.
The changes introduced through the Employment Rights Act 2025 extend employer responsibilities to include harassment by third parties. This means schools may need to consider and manage risks arising not only from colleagues, but also from interactions with parents, pupils, visitors, and contractors.
For leaders, this broadens the conversation from workplace conduct between employees to creating an environment where all interactions are conducted respectfully, whether they occur in person, online, by email, or over the phone.
A Shift from Reactive to Proactive
Perhaps the most significant change is the expectation that schools take a proactive approach.
Rather than focusing solely on investigating complaints after they arise, schools should be looking at prevention through:
Risk assessments
Staff training
Policy development and review
Incident monitoring
Leadership oversight
Clear behavioural expectations
Preventing harassment should become part of everyday school operations, rather than being viewed solely as an HR responsibility.
What Should Leaders Be Doing Now?
Many schools will already have elements of strong practice in place. The challenge is ensuring these measures are cohesive, documented, and effective.
Review Policies
Existing policies, including dignity at work, staff conduct, safeguarding, complaints, and anti-harassment procedures, should be reviewed to ensure they address both internal and third-party harassment clearly and consistently.
Strengthen Training
Training remains one of the most effective ways to build awareness and confidence. Staff and leaders should understand:
What harassment may look like in practice
How concerns can be reported
How incidents will be managed
What support is available
Their individual responsibilities
Assess Areas of Risk
Leaders should identify situations where inappropriate behaviour may be more likely to occur, such as:
Parent meetings
Reception and visitor areas
Community events
Online communications
Complaint investigations
Home visits
Documented risk assessments can help demonstrate that foreseeable risks have been considered and addressed.
Keep Clear Records
Accurate records of incidents, actions taken, policy reviews, and training activity will be increasingly important. Schools may need to evidence the reasonable steps they have taken to prevent harassment.
Culture Matters Most
Whilst policies and procedures are essential, culture will ultimately determine success.
The most successful schools are those where respect is part of the day-to-day culture, staff feel comfortable raising concerns, and leaders consistently model the behaviours they want to see across the organisation.
These new duties align closely with existing priorities around safeguarding, wellbeing, equality, inclusion, and staff retention. Investing in a positive workplace culture does more than support compliance; it helps create an environment where staff feel valued, supported, and able to perform at their best.
Final Thoughts
The October 2026 changes represent an important development for schools and academy trusts. The emphasis is now firmly on prevention, with leaders expected to take reasonable, proactive steps to protect staff from harassment, including harassment by third parties.
For school leaders, the takeaway is simple: don't wait for issues to arise. By putting the right policies, training, and support in place, schools can help build a culture where respect is expected, and staff feel confident, valued, and protected.
Comments