School policies: consulting staff, unions and parents

Learn what policies you should open a consultation on, and how to best consult with staff, unions and parents.

Last reviewed on 6 December 2022
School types: All · School phases: All
Ref: 38030
Contents
  1. Consulting with staff and unions
  2. Consulting with parents

Consulting with staff and unions

The union ASCL provided us with the advice in this section. Other unions may have different stances, so check with the unions represented at your school.

What to consult on

You must consult with union representatives or employees about policies related to health and safety matters. This is set out in Acas' guidance on when consultation is legally required.

There are no other policies you must consult on, but you should consult on changes to:

  • HR policies like pay, appraisal and anything that affects your staff's terms and conditions of employment
  • Policies that directly impact the work of teachers, such as behaviour management

How to consult

There are no hard and fast rules on what a consultation should look like. These are the general guidelines.

Your unions may set