Pttls Legislation and Codes of Practise

Summarise the key aspects of current Legislation requirements and Codes of Practice relevant to your subject and the type of organisation within which you work

In education there are certain Legislation requirements and Codes of Practice that must be abided by. In this essay I will be looking at some of the general Legislation and Codes of Practice; I will also relate this to my specialist area of Physical Education. Legislation requirement is enforced by the courts and is ‘a duty to act according to the law as defined in an Act of Parliament.’ A Code of Practice, on the other hand, is a set of rules which outline how a person in a profession is expected to behave. As a Learning Support Assistant (LSA) in a sixth for College, I have to ensure that I am aware of key generic Legislation, as well as knowing how it relates to my subject.

Some of the key Legislation includes: • Health and Safety at Work Act 1974. - This act is very important within Physical Education as safety plays a key factor especially in practical sessions. The act protects individuals from risks to their health. It is important for the teacher to create risk assessments on equipment and the area the activity is conducted in, in order to provide a safe learning environment. This must be done prior to the activity (Health and Safety at Work Act 1974). It is the teachers’ responsibility to ensure that students are aware of the health and safety procedures with in the educational establishment; such as fire procedures. • Equality Act 2006.
- The Acts main provisions:

1. Promote equality of opportunities between men and women. I feel that it is important within sport to not stereotype sports and allow male and female participation in all sports, if chosen.
2. Enable provision to be made for discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation and race. There is also the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000.
3. Make unlawful discrimination on the grounds of religion.

• Protection of Children Act 1999 - This act ensures that those deemed unsuitable to work with students are prevented gaining access to them through their work.

• Disability Discrimination Act 1995 and 2005 (DDA). - This act aims to protect disabled people and prevent disability discrimination. The correct code of practice must be followed by the teacher to ensure inclusion of all students. Especially in PE, practical activities must be planned carefully to include the whole group.

• Data Protection Act 1998. - This act states that there are legal obligations to protect personal information, in the case of education, the students.

• IFL Code of Practice for Teachers (2008). - This code of practice was developed by the profession for the profession. It outlines five behaviour types that are expected by the members for the benefit of the learners, employers, the profession and wider community. The five behaviours are:

1. Integrity- professional responsibilities should be consistent and professional judgement used wisely within education.
2. Respect- it is important in education that there is respect on both parts of the learner and educator in order to have a successful student/ teacher relationship, which is essential for learning to flourish.
3. Care – care should be taken to ensure the safety and welfare of students.
4. Disclosure
5. Responsibility

• Special Educational Needs and Disability Act 2001
- This act was developed to make further provision against discrimination on the grounds of disability within schools and other educational establishments. In conclusion, this essay has outlined some of the key Legislation that must be abided by, by the teachers in an educational establishment. It is important to follow certain codes of practice to ensure an effective environment is created that is inclusive of all learners.

References:

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/DisabledPeople/RightsAndObligations/DisabilityRights/DG_4001068 accessed on 8/2/2012

http://www.hse.gov.uk/enforce/hswact/index.htm accessed on 6/2/2012

http://www.ico.gov.uk/for_organisations/data_protection.aspx accessed on 8/2/2012

http://www.ifl.ac.uk/membership/professional-standards/code-of-professional-practiceaccessed on 8/2/2012

http://lx.iriss.org.uk/content/protection-children-act-1999-practical-guide-act-all-organisations-working-children accessed on 8/2/2012

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2006/3/notes/division/2 accessed on 8/2/2012

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2001/10/introduction
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References: http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/DisabledPeople/RightsAndObligations/DisabilityRights/DG_4001068 accessed on 8/2/2012 http://www.hse.gov.uk/enforce/hswact/index.htm accessed on 6/2/2012 http://www.ico.gov.uk/for_organisations/data_protection.aspx accessed on 8/2/2012 http://www.ifl.ac.uk/membership/professional-standards/code-of-professional-practiceaccessed on 8/2/2012 http://lx.iriss.org.uk/content/protection-children-act-1999-practical-guide-act-all-organisations-working-children accessed on 8/2/2012 http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2006/3/notes/division/2 accessed on 8/2/2012 http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2001/10/introduction vgh