Staff Code of Conduct
The aim of having a Staff Code of Conduct is to ensure that everyone working in a school, staff and pupils alike, feels safe, happy and treated with respect.
Typically, Staff Codes of Conduct will set expectations for staff conduct in the following areas:
- Maintain high standards in their attendance and punctuality
- Never use inappropriate or offensive language in school
- Treat pupils and others with dignity and respect
- Show tolerance and respect for the rights of others
- Uphold fundamental British values, including democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, and mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs
- Not express personal beliefs in a way that exploits pupils’ vulnerability or might lead them to break the law
- Understand the statutory frameworks within they must act
- Adhere to the Teachers’ Standards or other professional standards
- Use technology in an acceptable way
- Maintain confidentiality at all times unless required to disclose certain information
- Maintain high standards of honesty and integrity, especially when dealing with pupils, handling money, claiming expenses and using school property and facilities
- Not bring the school, or the teaching profession, into disrepute. This covers conduct including but not limited to relevant criminal offences, such as violence or sexual misconduct, as well as negative comments about the school on social media.
Where schools have a Staff Code of Conduct, it should be reviewed at agreed intervals. When creating a code, it’s good practice to engage all staff in teaching and non-teaching roles and share the code with the schools’ recognised trade unions – it’s also ideal material for an Inset Day.
If your school doesn’t have a Staff Code of Conduct, what better time to create one now in readiness for the new school year!