Pupil wellbeing, behaviour and attendance

Safeguarding pupils. First aid, bullying, exclusions, alternative provision and pupil referral units.

General information and guidance

  1. Mental health and behaviour in schools

    How to identify and support pupils whose behaviour suggests they may have unmet mental health needs.

  2. School uniform

    Find out about help with buying uniform, what happens if your child breaks the rules, and what to do if you think the uniform should change

Alternative provision and pupil referral units

Funding, reports, evaluation.

  1. Alternative provision

    Statutory guidance for local authorities, as well as headteachers and governing bodies of settings providing alternative provision.

  2. SEND: guide for schools and alternative provision settings

    A guide for schools on the support system for children and young people with special educational needs and disability.

Health, safety and wellbeing in schools

Risk, first aid, counselling, school trips, emergency planning.

  1. Automated external defibrillators (AEDs) in schools

    How schools can buy, install and maintain an automated external defibrillator.

  2. Counselling in schools

    Guidance for schools about setting up and improving counselling services for pupils.

  3. Emergency asthma inhalers for use in schools

    Guidance for schools in England on using emergency inhalers.

  4. Emergency planning and response

    How schools and other educational settings should plan for and deal with emergencies, including severe weather and floods.

  5. Fire risk from school maintenance or building works

    Supporting schools to manage fire risks when undertaking construction or maintenance activities involving hot works such as roof repairs

  6. First aid in schools

    Guidance on first aid provision.

  7. Health and safety for school children

    Schools are responsible for your child's safety while they're at school or on a school trip

  8. Health and safety: advice for schools

    Departmental advice on health and safety covering activities that take place on or off school premises, including school trips.

  9. Illness and your child's education

    What happens if your child can't go to school for health reasons - responsibilities of the local council and school and how medical needs are handled at school

  10. Mental health and behaviour in schools

    How to identify and support pupils whose behaviour suggests they may have unmet mental health needs.

  11. Promoting children and young people’s emotional health and wellbeing

    Guidance for head teachers and college principals on the 8 principles for promoting emotional health and wellbeing in schools and colleges.

  12. School security

    Guidance on access to, and barring of individuals from, school premises.

  13. Supporting pupils with medical conditions at school

    Statutory guidance about the support that pupils with medical conditions should receive at school.

  14. The link between pupil health and wellbeing and attainment

    This briefing offers head teachers, governors and school staff a summary of the key evidence that highlights the link between health and wellbeing and educational attainment.

  15. Unregistered schools: Ofsted advice notes

    Advice notes from Sir Michael Wilshaw HMCI to the Secretary of State for Education on unregistered schools.

Safeguarding pupils

DBS checks, radicalisation, best practice for schools, inspections.

  1. Child abuse concerns: guide for practitioners

    Guidance to help practitioners identify the signs of child abuse and neglect and understand what action to take.

  2. Designated teacher for looked-after children

    Statutory guidance for local-authority-maintained schools carrying out duties for looked-after children.

  3. Keeping children safe in education

    Statutory guidance for schools and colleges on safeguarding children and safer recruitment.

  4. Protecting children from radicalisation: the prevent duty

    Guidance for schools and childcare providers on preventing children and young people from being drawn into terrorism.

  5. Tell Ofsted about a serious childcare incident: online form for local authorities

    Notification form for use by local authorities to tell Ofsted about serious childcare incidents for children living at home or in care.

  6. Unregistered schools: Ofsted advice notes

    Advice notes from Sir Michael Wilshaw HMCI to the Secretary of State for Education on unregistered schools.

  7. Working together to safeguard children

    Statutory guidance on inter-agency working to safeguard and promote the welfare of children.

School attendance and absence

Punctuality, improving outcomes, school leaving age and school closures.

  1. Children missing education

    Statutory guidance for local authorities and advice for other groups on helping children who are missing education get back into it.

  2. Education and attendance information from your council

    How your council encourages attendance at school - truancy, unauthorised absences, education welfare officer

  3. Parental responsibility measures

    Local authority data on penalty notices, parenting orders and parenting contracts (for unauthorised absence).

  4. Parental responsibility: guide for schools and local authorities

    Guidance for local authorities and schools dealing with adults who have legal rights and responsibilities for children at their school.

  5. Pupil absence statistics: guide

    How we produce statistics on pupil absence.

  6. School attendance and absence

    You can be prosecuted if your child has unauthorised absence from school - truancy, help with getting your child to school, and legal action to enforce school attendance

  7. School attendance: guidance for schools

    Guidance on using pupil registers and attendance codes, as well as setting school hours and term dates.

  8. School behaviour and attendance: parental responsibility measures

    Statutory guidance for schools, local authorities and the police on dealing with poor attendance and behaviour in school.

  9. School closures

    School closures happen because of an emergency like severe weather - check whether your child's school is closed on your local council website

  10. School leaving age

    The age you can leave school in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland

  11. School term and holiday dates

    Find your child's school term, half term and holiday dates on your local council's website

School bullying

Types of bullying, cyberbullying, homophobia.

  1. Bullying at school

    Bullying at school and the law - what your school and the police must do about bullying and how you should report it

  2. Homophobic, biphobic and transphobic bullying review

    Review reports of what works in preventing homophobic, biphobic and transphobic bullying among school-age children and young people.

  3. Preventing bullying

    Guidance for schools on preventing and responding to bullying.

School discipline and exclusions

Behaviour, drugs, statistics, searching, use of force, isolation rooms.

  1. Behaviour and discipline in schools

    Guidance for school leaders and staff on developing a school behaviour policy, and a checklist of actions to take to encourage good behaviour.

  2. Behaviour and discipline in schools: guide for governing bodies

    Guidance for school governing bodies on their role in creating their school's behaviour policy.

  3. Drugs: advice for schools

    Guidance for school leaders and staff on managing drugs, drug-related incidents within schools and pastoral support for pupils.

  4. Exclusions statistics guide

    How the Department for Education (DfE) publishes permanent and fixed-period exclusions statistics for schools in England.

  5. How Ofsted inspects school exclusions

    Guidance for schools on what to expect when inspectors look at their use of exclusion.

  6. School behaviour and attendance: parental responsibility measures

    Statutory guidance for schools, local authorities and the police on dealing with poor attendance and behaviour in school.

  7. School discipline and exclusions

    Schools can punish (discipline) pupils or exclude them - find out what schools are allowed to do, like search pupils for knives or drugs

  8. School exclusion

    Statutory guidance on the exclusion of pupils from local-authority-maintained schools, academies and pupil referral units.

  9. Searching, screening and confiscation at school

    Guidance explaining the powers schools have to screen and search pupils, and to confiscate items they find.

  10. Use of reasonable force in schools

    Guidance about the use of physical restraint in schools for governing bodies, headteachers and school staff.