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England

Health and safety policy

Official wording, responsibilities and review duties.

Evidence link

Back to School Policy Checker

Requirement and scope

Choose the governance type; academy and maintained duties differ. Choose a phase; confirm age and provision conditions.

Maintained school

Statutory policy [1]

not stated in the source. Website publication: not stated in the source. Check access and disclosure duties separately.

Source-established phases
Primary, Secondary, All-through, Special
Source-established school types
Mainstream school, Special school
EYFS condition
No separate EYFS condition stated
Accountable
Employer or proprietor [1]
Approval
not stated in the source
Operational owner
not stated in the source
Review cycle
Regularly; assess procedures after incidents and make necessary changes [1]

Independent schools and pupil referral units are outside this catalogue’s supported governance mapping.

Academy or free school

Statutory policy [1]

not stated in the source. Website publication: not stated in the source. Check access and disclosure duties separately.

Source-established phases
Primary, Secondary, All-through, Special
Source-established school types
Mainstream school, Special school
EYFS condition
No separate EYFS condition stated
Accountable
Employer or proprietor [1]
Approval
not stated in the source
Operational owner
not stated in the source
Review cycle
Regularly; assess procedures after incidents and make necessary changes [1]

Independent schools and pupil referral units are outside this catalogue’s supported governance mapping.

Employer responsibility does not establish a local board approver or site-lead owner.

Official wording

2. Leadership

Schools must have a health and safety policy in place. This should be an integral part of the school’s culture, values and performance standards.

Health and safety: responsibilities and duties for schools · Reviewed 2026-10-26

1. Responsibilities

The employer or, in the case of independent schools, the proprietor, is accountable for the health and safety of school staff and pupils. The day-to-day running of the school is usually delegated to the headteacher and the school management team. In most cases, they are responsible for ensuring that risks are managed effectively. This includes health and safety matters. Schools must appoint a competent person to ensure they meet their health and safety duties. A competent person is someone with the necessary skills, knowledge and experience to give sensible guidance about managing the health and safety risks at the school. This can be someone appointed directly by the school, one or more of its staff, or the employer can arrange support from outside the school. In most schools, the senior leadership team can manage risks. HSE’s guidance on sensible health and safety management in schools has more information. The Association for Physical Education (AfPE) can offer advice on insurance for PE teachers.

Health and safety: responsibilities and duties for schools · Reviewed 2026-10-26

13. Review and evaluation

All schools should regularly monitor and review their health and safety policies to ensure they are reducing risks.

Health and safety: responsibilities and duties for schools · Reviewed 2026-10-26

13. Review and evaluation

Where there is a health and safety incident at the school, the competent person and others with health and safety responsibilities, should assess the effectiveness of the school’s procedures and its response. They should make necessary changes to policies and procedures.

Health and safety: responsibilities and duties for schools · Reviewed 2026-10-26

Sources and updates

Official evidence reviewed 2026-10-26. Check the source edition and conditions before acting.

  1. Health and safety: responsibilities and duties for schools

    Reviewed edition matches. Source text matches the reviewed edition.

    Reviewed on
    2026-10-26
    Reviewed version
    2022-04-05T15:56:40+01:00
    Last checked
    2026-10-27T11:00:36.203Z
    Reviewed text digest (SHA-256)
    f3373f2ea6552b6e76b8aa366930822aa964de3a15392c6b0009dd4a7521f58d
    Official content identity
    c8c70481-26a7-490e-8dc9-c46d510bc9de
    Official content digest (SHA-256)
    407a6726bb0bd120e78a62aa882c68cefcf1b8e1ba4d59948e9e08bd9b963e0f

    https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/health-and-safety-advice-for-schools/responsibilities-and-duties-for-schools

    Track updates in the Roundup

  2. Health and safety: advice for schools

    Reviewed edition matches. Publication version matches the reviewed edition.

    Reviewed on
    2026-10-26
    Reviewed version
    2022-04-05T15:56:40+01:00
    Last checked
    2026-10-27T11:00:36.203Z
    Reviewed text digest (SHA-256)
    7b9e00c88af370fe8255688d1de39de45e95e700cefe5c49b83286d8545ad5cb
    Official content identity
    5ef59c86-7631-11e4-a3cb-005056011aef
    Official content digest (SHA-256)
    260aba155d2f68866e47a12c074629a70251330939d09208486cf8ee9ba7f18b

    https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/health-and-safety-advice-for-schools

    Track updates in the Roundup

Guidance, not legal advice. Local checks are not a compliance judgement; other duties may apply.