There are many codes of practice, legislation and regulation which a teacher must be aware of and adhere to. Whilst many are generic to the teaching profession there are also others, which are specific to the subject matter being taught.
The Data Protection Act (2003); The Children Act (2004); Equality Act (2010); Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act (2006); Education and skills Act (2008) and Health and Safety at Work Act (1974) are examples of generic laws which have over the years been amended to reflect current practice.
The Data Protection Act (1998 amended 2003) provides the legal framework on how and when personal information should be obtained, processed and shared. The amendment covered the use of electronic data. This law is particularly relevant to my subject area of Marketing as data collection forms one of the richest forms of customer insight. However, marketers must ensure a customer knows they are collecting their data and that it is only used legitimately and within a reasonable timeframe.
The Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act (2006) was introduced to provide a vetting and barring mechanism to ensure anyone working with children of young adults is properly checked. Anyone looking to work with these groups should expect to the checked by the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB).
The Health & Safety at Work Act (1974) defines the obligations of an employer to ensure that all employees are not put at risk during their work and that all employees should oblige with the Health and Safety regulations imposed by the Employees. Risk assessments should be carried our where necessary.
As a teacher it is important to ensure the you are registered with the Institute for Learning (IFL) and adhere to their 8 desired behaviours which ensure that you treat the profession as well as learners with respect at all times and maintain your expertise knowledge in your subject matter through CPD and in