Headteachers & principals
Responsible for staff safety day to day, and first in line when a complaint is made.
Employment Rights Act 2025 · now in force
“Reasonable steps” is no longer enough.
From 30 October, schools and trusts must take all reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment of their staff, and can be liable when staff are harassed by parents, contractors or visitors. Role-based training is one of the first things you’ll be asked to show.
⏱All staff: 19 minutes · Managers: +38 minutes · Online, any device
- CPD Certification Service accredited
- Certificate for every learner
- Completion tracked by school
Now in force
since 30 October 2026
Most schools break for half term before 30 October. Assign training now and you’ll have completion records when staff return.
- 19 min
- All staff
- +38 min
- Leaders & managers
- 37 min
- Everyone (all harassment)
Who is affected?
If you employ staff in a school, this applies to you
Trust leaders & CEOs
For academies the trust is the employer, so the duty sits with you across every school.
HR & business managers
You’ll own the policy, the training records and the evidence a tribunal will ask for.
Governors & trustees
Oversight bodies need assurance that all reasonable steps are being taken.
What’s changing
The Employment Rights Act 2025, in plain English
Two sections come into force on 30 October 2026. Both amend the Equality Act 2010, and both apply to every employer, including maintained schools, academies and multi-academy trusts.
Section 20 · amends Equality Act s.40A
“All” reasonable steps
The duty introduced in October 2024 asked for “reasonable steps”. It now requires all reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment of employees. Doing some of the obvious things is no longer enough.
Section 21 · amends Equality Act s.40
Harassment by third parties
You can be liable when staff are harassed by people you don’t employ, such as parents, contractors, suppliers or visitors, if you haven’t taken all reasonable steps. This covers any protected characteristic, not only sexual harassment.
Equality Act s.124A
Up to 25% more compensation
If a sexual harassment claim succeeds and the tribunal finds the duty was breached, compensation can rise by up to 25%. The EHRC can also take enforcement action.
Brought into force by the Employment Rights Act 2025 (Commencement No. 6 and Transitional and Saving Provisions) Regulations 2026. The government can later make regulations setting out specific steps; none have been published yet.
Employer checklist
Five things to do this week
A quick starting point for heads, HR leads and trust business teams.
Get help with this- 1Review and update your anti-harassment policy, including third parties
- 2Run a risk assessment covering parents, contractors and visitors
- 3Assign awareness training to all staff, and manager training to leaders
- 4Make reporting routes clear and record every complaint
- 5Keep evidence: completion records, policy sign-off and reviews
What “all reasonable steps” looks like
The EHRC’s eight steps, and where flick helps
The law doesn’t give a fixed checklist. Tribunals are likely to look to the Equality and Human Rights Commission’s guidance. flick covers the steps that take longest to evidence.
flick training and policy sign-off Your school’s own process
- 1flick
Develop an effective anti-harassment policy
Clear, specific and covering third parties.
- 2
Engage your staff
Ask where risks lie, including from parents and visitors.
- 3
Assess and reduce risk
A written risk assessment for your settings.
- 4
Make reporting easy
More than one route, including anonymous.
- 5flick
Roll out training
For all staff, with separate training for managers.
- 6
Deal with complaints effectively
Fair, prompt and well recorded.
- 7flick
Address harassment by third parties
Parents, contractors and visitors know what’s expected; staff know how to respond.
- 8
Monitor and evaluate
Review what’s working, with data to back it up.
Role-based training
The right course for every role
Three CPD-accredited courses, all included in a flick subscription. Each ends with an assessment and a certificate, so you have a record for every member of staff.
All staff
Sexual Harassment Awareness
Level 2 · 19 minutes · Certificate
- What sexual harassment is, and its forms
- Legal protections for staff
- How to respond, report and complain
Leaders and managers
Sexual Harassment Awareness for Managers
Level 3 · 38 minutes · Certificate
- What the law expects of managers
- Spotting risk in a team
- Handling disclosures, complaints and records
- Building a zero-tolerance culture
Everyone
Preventing Bullying and Harassment in the Workplace
Level 2 · 37 minutes · Certificate
- Harassment related to all protected characteristics
- Recognising and responding
- What employers should do
For safeguarding leads: Healthy Relationships (Level 2, 38 minutes) helps staff spot the signs of unhealthy and controlling relationships and respond to disclosures from children and adults.
Assign in minutes
By school, role or team, with deadlines.
Host your policy
Read-and-understood sign-off from every member of staff.
Automatic reminders
Chase the gaps without the chase emails.
Reports by school
Show governors and trustees who’s done what.
6,000+
“flick has transformed the way the Trust delivers statutory learning.”
Talk to us
Get your staff trained before 30 October
Elliott Jones
Head of Sales, flick learning
In 15 minutes, Elliott will:
- Map the right course to each role in your school or trust
- Show you policy sign-off and completion reporting
- Get you set up so staff can start before half term
Already a flick customer? All three courses are in your subscription. Log in and assign them today.
Questions
What schools are asking
Does the new duty apply to schools and academy trusts?
Yes. It applies to every employer, whatever the size or sector. For a maintained school the employer may be the local authority or the governing body, depending on the school type. For an academy, it’s the trust.
Is training a legal requirement?
The Act doesn’t name specific steps. The EHRC’s guidance lists training as one of eight steps employers should take, with separate training for managers, and tribunals are likely to look to that guidance when deciding whether all reasonable steps were taken.
Who counts as a third party in a school?
Anyone who isn’t your employer or a fellow employee: parents and carers, contractors, suppliers, visiting professionals and members of the public.
What should we do about contractors and visitors?
Make your expectations clear. Share your anti-harassment policy with contractors, include it in visitor sign-in and parent communications, and make sure staff know how to report harassment by a third party.
What happens if we haven’t acted by 30 October?
The duty applies from that date. If a claim succeeds and a tribunal finds you didn’t take all reasonable steps, compensation can be increased by up to 25%. It’s never too late to start, and records of what you’ve done matter.
Are these courses in our flick subscription?
Yes. All three courses are included. They can also be licensed to host on your own learning management system.