Examples of advice for members
- Schools in England and covid-19: your questions answered
Updated May 2021: a summary of the latest updates and advice in response to your frequently asked questions.
02/06/2021
- Parental complaints
Having a complaint raised against you can be very distressing and frustrating, and it can also be a time-consuming process. This advice note sets out NAHT's guidance for members.
06/05/2021
- Termination agreements
Termination agreements are agreements between an employee and employer that set out the conditions of termination of employment, often as a result of restructuring, a difference of opinion, a dispute, a dismissal or ill health, and this NAHT advice document is a guide to the process.
06/05/2021
- Dealing with Freedom of Information requests
People make Freedom of Information requests for various reasons, some legitimate and others not. This guidance looks in brief at some common scenarios and the key actions you need to take.
13/04/2021
- Academy complaints procedures - key points
We highlight the small but important differences between the complaints procedures guidance given by the ESFA for academies and that given by the DfE for maintained schools.
23/02/2021
- Advice following NEU's action
Find the answers to your questions following the NEU's advice to its members that it is unsafe to return to work on Monday
26/01/2021
- Sections 44 and 100 of the Employment Rights Act 1996
This advice note provides some suggested steps for members to take who are considering using the mechanisms set out in the Employment Rights Act where they have concerns regarding safety in their particular workplace.
03/01/2021
- Temporary school closures – a practical guide
This advice paper aims to provide a framework for dealing with these sorts of closures as smoothly as possible.
24/11/2020
- Single central record
A school leader's guide to the single central record
06/10/2020
- Covid-19 – supporting staff for the return to school
To help our members, we've developed the following advice as an approach to supporting vulnerable and concerned members of staff in their return to school.
21/09/2020
- Back to school
In the following advice, you'll find all the 'must-have' guidance you'll need to support you and your colleagues as you navigate through the autumn term and beyond.
16/09/2020
- Managing non-attendance, school refusers and those unwilling or struggling to return
We have put together some high-level advice and tips for school leaders to deal with the small minority of children who might be reluctant returners
07/09/2020
- Keeping children safe in education 2020
A school leader's and designated safeguarding lead's guide to keeping children safe in education and good safeguarding practice.
02/09/2020
- Parents and parental responsibility: when disputes arise
We look at a series of common scenarios and offer advice as to how to proceed in each case
01/09/2020
- Subject access requests and their 'weaponisation'
A school and school leader's guide to subject access requests
01/09/2020
- School breaks and lunchtimes
A thought piece for schools and school leaders on school breaks and lunchtimes
26/08/2020
- Home and flexi-schooling: an essential guide
A school's guide to home and flexi-schooling
26/08/2020
- Social media and mobile phones in schools: an essential guide
A school's guide to social media and mobile phones in school
26/08/2020
- Exclusion: when and when not to exclude
A school leader's guide to considering and excluding pupils
26/08/2020
- Budgets: the good, the bad and the deficit!
A practical guide to budgeting and managing a school's deficit
22/08/2020
- Looking after your Parent Teacher Association (PTA)
A guide to getting the best out of your PTA
22/08/2020
- Managing sickness absence – FAQs
A healthy and fit workforce is essential for the effective operation of any school. We've pulled together some of the key questions that school leaders raise on sickness absence management, and provide some answers and approaches that we hope you'll find helpful.
27/02/2020
- Identifying and preventing homophobic, biphobic and transphobic bullying
Our advice aims to provide a high-level overview of this area and links to best practice resources from Stonewall to help you build a school that is inclusive and supports its pupils.
04/02/2020
- Transition to consultancy
Here, we consider some key questions and transitional factors that you should address ahead of making that move.
30/01/2020
- Pregnancy and maternity discrimination
This piece of advice provides high-level guidance on the rights and protections available to pregnant women and new mothers.
21/01/2020
- The menopause
This advice looks at the ways employers can support working women and their managers to discuss and consider ways to manage the impact of the menopause at work.
03/12/2019
- An essential guide on public sector equality duty and British values
In the first of our essential guides, we take a closer look at these vital aspects of equality policy to ensure our members are equipped to address the key issues.
27/11/2019
- Use of schools as polling stations
A school leaders' guide to the use of schools as polling stations
12/11/2019
- A model dignity at work policy for school leaders
A school leader's guide to managing cases of bullying, harassment and victimisation
24/09/2019
- Resignation dates
If you decide to resign from your post, you need to ensure you do so in accordance with your contract. This piece of advice sets out the most common approaches to resignations and the prescribed notice periods.
09/09/2019
- A model complaints procedure
A model complaints procedure and guidance to support you
30/07/2019
- As one year ends, another begins - a prompt to take action
A prompt for school leaders to develop a tailored planner for term-related actions.
18/07/2019
- A word from our members
Over an academic year, NAHT's advice team will typically take 15,000 calls from members who need our support, advice and guidance. We'll usually be able to help them during their first call or by booking them in to speak to one of our specialist advisers. Occasionally, a member we speak to agrees to be a case study, which is helpful for other school leaders. However, two members recently hit the headlines with their pioneering new publications – and here you can find our more about their books.
16/07/2019
- Disqualification by association – some final clarity
Many of our members have asked us to provide further clarity around the practice of disqualification and disqualification by association.
In this advice piece, we confirm that while 'disqualification by association' has been abolished, disqualification has not - all the details you need to know are set out in our advice. If in doubt, please get in touch and we can provide further support for you.
08/07/2019
- Diversity and inclusion – what to do when things go wrong
In your position as an employer, if a member of staff says you or another member of staff has unlawfully discriminated against them at work, you have a responsibility to deal with the complaint in a way that establishes if there has been unlawful discrimination, and, if there has, puts the situation right. This NAHT advice outlines what if you face this situation. Getting this process right will support all employees involved, ensure they are treated fairly and protect the school from legal claims.
05/07/2019
- Ways to reduce workload in your school - a 'green light' for action
Take the opportunity to deploy the Department for Education's documentation to make workload reduction a strategic priority for your school.
20/06/2019
- Dismissals
This advice outlines the detail of the procedures that should be followed to avoid a dismissal being unfair.
31/05/2019
- Supporting diversity and inclusion
This NAHT advice considers what leaders as employers can do that goes above and beyond the legal minimum to promote diversity and inclusion in their school.
13/05/2019
- Dealing with protests at school
A school leader's guide to handling protests at school.
04/04/2019
- Knife crime - what school leaders can do to support children at a time of crisis
NAHT's practical advice for school leaders on how to deal with the growing incidents of knife crime and how best to support children at a time of crisis
19/03/2019
- Diversity and inclusion - the basics
Complying with equality legislation not only ensures that you are meeting minimum legal requirements but sets the tone for the culture of a school.
19/03/2019
- Being a witness in formal proceedings
If you are called to be a witness in formal proceedings this advice provides some practical tips to help you prepare.
12/02/2019
- Pensions - issues for academies
In this guidance we explain some of the issues for schools converting to academy status and for those schools that have become academies and are now operating on a 'business as usual basis' in relation to pensions.
06/02/2019
- Updated government guidance on school complaints 2019
The best practice guidance for school complaints procedures in maintained schools was updated in January 2019, with several significant changes, including how difficult complainants should be dealt with. Here are the key features you should know about.
05/02/2019
- CCTV in schools
This advice provides an analysis of the legislative background to the use of CCTV and provides practical tips for compliance.
05/02/2019
- Dealing with low attendance
A guide on how best to deal with low pupil attendance.
28/01/2019
- Mixed-age years: planning and managing expectations
A school leader's guide to teaching practice across mixed-age year groups.
21/01/2019
- Early Years settings in Wales
A head teacher's guide to Early Years settings in Wales.
28/11/2018
- Gender separation in mixed schools
When can boys and girls be separated in a mixed school? Where separation occurs what steps need to be taken to ensure that this is lawful?
20/11/2018
- The case for staffrooms
NAHT makes a case for protecting the staffroom
13/11/2018
- Teacher's pet: having a dog in the school
In this advice document, we look at the considerations and the merits of bringing a dog into the school and draw on an example where the introduction of a dog into the school has only had positive impacts.
29/10/2018
- Political campaigning: advice for schools
A school leader's guide to campaigning safely
08/10/2018
- Health and safety FAQs
We set out the frequently asked questions school leaders get in contact with us about on this tough topic.
02/10/2018
- GDPR FAQs update
We have set out some additional frequently asked questions that are being asked by our members now GDPR is live.
02/10/2018
- Paternity leave
Paternity leave is granted for the purposes of caring for a child or supporting the child's
mother, or for the purposes of caring for an adopted child or supporting the child's adopter.
06/08/2018
- School classroom temperatures
A school leader's guide to the effective management of school classroom temperatures.
27/06/2018
- Shared parental leave
Parents expecting babies or those who are adopting and have been placed or matched with a child on or after the 5 April 2015 can split up to 50 weeks of shared parental leave (SPL) between them. (Where reference is made to mothers and fathers the same principles will apply to same sex couples)
16/04/2018
- Adoption leave
The Employment Act 2002 introduced new statutory rights to leave and pay for adoptive parents subject to meeting the criteria. The statutory scheme does not extend to stepchildren adoptions or foster care adoptions.
16/04/2018
- Investigation meetings and how to approach them
A short guide to investigation meetings and what to do if you are invited to one
16/01/2018
- TUPE – a guide to the regulations
This advice note sets out the purpose of the regulations, what's covered by the regulations and the respective employer and employee positions in a typical TUPE transfer.
12/09/2017
