Defining duty of care
Schools have a duty of care to all pupils, including:
- Pupils who are on the school's roll part time (dual registered)
- Pupils with special educational needs (SEN) or disabilities
- Pupils with medical needs
The DfE told us this.
While there are no absolute duties under legislation or common law, school staff must take all reasonable steps to ensure children are not exposed to unacceptable risks.
A teacher’s duty of care was historically often described as the teacher acting 'in loco parentis'.
Read more about teachers' duty of care in guidance on education law from the National Education Union (NEU).
Start and end of duty of care
Your school is responsible for pupils during:
You're not responsible for pupils once the specified school day is over and once pupils have left the premises, except on specifically
