applies to aspects of farming, manufacturing, distributing and the retailing of food.
Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations (1999) were introduced to reinforce the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974. They require an employer to undertake an assessment of the risks to the health and safety of their employees and others who may be affected by their work activity. For example, use of visual display screens, fire and emergency procedures, and access to first aid. Employees also have a duty to report any concerns.
Manual Handling Operation Regulations (1992) relates to the hazards of manual handling and risks of injury.
Privacy and Electronic Communications (EC Directive) Regulations (2003) applies to all electronic communications such as email and mobile phone messages.
Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences (RIDDOR) Regulations (2013) requires specified workplace incidents to be reported.
Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order (2005) places the responsibility on individuals within an organisation to carry out risk assessments to identify, manage and reduce the risk of fire.
The Special Educational Needs and Disability Regulations (2014) cover all learners who are aged up to 25 who have special educational needs or disabilities. It stresses the need to inform and involve others, such as parents, guardians and the learners themselves, throughout the learning process.
Activity
Research the regulatory requirements which will apply to the subject you would like to teach in your country. How will they impact upon your role? Take a look at the regulations listed here to check whether they have been updated and if so, what changes have taken place.
Codes of Practice
Codes of practice are usually produced by organisations, associations and professional bodies. They can be mandatory or voluntary and you will need to find out which are applicable to you.
Your organisation should have documented codes of practice such as:
• acceptable use of information technology
• behaviour
• code of conduct
• conflict of interest
• disciplinary
• dress
• duty of care to learners, including personal development, behaviour and welfare duty to prevent radicalisation
• environmental awareness
• lone working
• management of information and records
• misconduct
• sustainability
• timekeeping.
There will also be codes of practice which will apply if you belong to a professional association, for example, the Society for Education and Training (SET) in England. Please see the Introduction chapter for further information regarding other professional associations for teachers which might have a code of practice.
Society for Education and Training (SET) Code of Practice
The SET consists of a community of members, which includes: trainers, teachers, assessors, tutors, support staff, mentors, coaches and managers. If you are in England, you might like to join. The membership reaches across the rich diversity of settings in education and training. This includes colleges, independent training providers, adult and community learning, employer providers, the voluntary sector, the justice sector, and the armed services.
The SET Code of Practice sets out the professional behaviour and conduct expected of their members, including mandatory requirements which must be complied with to become and remain a member. It is an important statement of what it means to be part of SET, and the levels of professionalism that are required or encouraged of all of their members. Committing to the Code of Practice is a key part of becoming and remaining a member of the SET.
If you are a teacher who works in the schools sector, and you belong to SET, you are also bound by the Department for Education Teachers’ Standards.
Policies and procedures
There will be several policies and procedures in your organisation with which you should become familiar. Some might relate to your role and others will be there to support the learners. Think of a policy as a statement of intent, and a procedure as how the policy will be put into practice. Some of the previously listed codes of practice might be classed as a policy depending upon where you work and how they are interpreted.
Examples of policies include:
• access and fair assessment
• appeals and complaints
• confidentiality of information
• copyright and data protection
• equality and diversity
• health, safety and welfare (including Safeguarding and Prevent Duty)
• internal quality assurance
• plagiarism and cheating
• malpractice.
Policies and procedures should help guide your job role and should reflect the vision and mission of your organisation for the benefit of the learners. They don’t need to be long or complicated. They should provide a set of principles to help with decision-making and be reviewed regularly. Procedures should state who will do what and when, and what documentation should be used.
Extension activity
Identify the legislation, regulatory requirements and codes of practice which are relevant to your role, where you work and the subject you will teach. Summarise the key aspects of these and state how they might impact upon your role.
Self-assessment checklist
Do I know about the following?
If not, re-read this chapter, or research the texts and websites listed at the end.
□ The roles I will carry out as a teacher or a trainer
□ The responsibilities I have as part of my role
□ The boundaries of my role and how I can overcome them or work within them
□ What it means to be a professional
□ How to work with other professionals
□ How to remain professional when in contact with learners and others
□ How to lead by example and model good behaviour
□
