Guidance

The risk protection arrangement (RPA) for schools

How public sector schools can join the risk protection arrangement (RPA), an alternative to commercial insurance, which may save time and money.

Applies to England

Join the RPA

If your school is classified as a public sector school, you can join the RPA using your DfE Sign-in account.

Converter academies and church schools

If your school is a converter academy, it will have been signed up to the RPA automatically, but you can opt out if you want to.

If your school is a church school and a church organisation allows the school to occupy their property, under RPA membership rules, its trustees:

  • are covered for losses and liabilities they may incur through you occupying their property
  • can make claims on your behalf for those losses and liabilities
  • can have those claims paid directly to them
  • can use the complaints and arbitration procedures with regard to those claims

Create or use a DfE Sign-in account

Follow the steps in this section. Each step also includes a video tutorial.

Step 1: Create a DfE Sign-in account if you do not have one

  1. Go to create a DfE Sign-in account and enter your name and work email address.

  2. Copy the code we have emailed you and paste it into the box on the verification page.

  3. Create a memorable password.

If you need further help, you can watch a video tutorial.

Step 2: Request access to the RPA

  1. Request access to your organisation and the RPA form.

  2. Ask your approver to approve your access to the RPA and the online collection service.

You can view who your organisation’s approvers are after you’ve added your organisation to your DfE Sign-in account. There’s more information about what approvers need to do in step 3.

If you need further help, you can watch a video tutorial.

Step 3: Give access to the RPA form (for approvers)

  1. Add the RPA to the online collections service.

  2. Go to the ‘manage users’ page and add a role to each user’s account.

  3. Choose ‘add services’ from the right-hand list. If a user already has access to the online collections service, choose this on the user’s page and add role ‘RPA’.

  4. Choose the services, roles and forms you want the user to have access to and save your changes.

If you need further help, you can watch a video tutorial.

Annual costs

Academies

The annual costs are:

  • £23 per pupil
  • £23 per place for special and alternative provision academies, special schools and pupil referral units

This covers the school for the current academic year, 1 September 2023 to 31 August 2024.

The cost will increase to £25 for the next academic year, 1 September 2024 to 31 August 2025.

Local-authority-maintained schools

The annual costs are:

  • £23 per pupil
  • £23 per place for special and alternative provision academies, special schools and pupil referral units

This covers the school for the current financial year, 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024.

The cost will increase to £25 for the next financial year, 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025.

Summary of cover

This table summarises what the RPA covers. You should read the membership rules for full details of your school’s cover.

Type of risk Limit
Material damage Reinstatement value of the property
Business interruption £10 million for any one loss
Employers’ liability Unlimited
Third-party liability Unlimited
Governors’ liability £10 million for any one loss and in any one membership year
Professional indemnity Unlimited
Employee and third-party dishonesty £500,000
Money Various, including cash on premises or in transit, £5,000
Personal accident Death and capital benefits, £100,000
United Kingdom travel Baggage and money, £2,000 per person; cancellation, £1,000 per person
Overseas travel, including winter sports Includes baggage, £2,000 in total per person (inner limits apply); money, £750 per person; medical expenses, £10 million; cancellation, £4,000 per person.
Legal expenses £100,000 for any one loss and in any one membership year
Cultural assets £10,000 for any one cultural asset or £250,000 for any one multiple loss
Cyber cover £250,000 for any one loss and in any one membership year.

Where a member is part of a group network with other RPA members, the maximum aggregate liability is £750,000 in any one membership year for the group network.

Full details of cover

These membership rules detail the full cover and provision of the RPA:

Additional cover and buying help

If there’s something you need cover for that’s not included in the RPA, use the DfE-approved frameworks to save time and money on the goods and services you buy for your school.

You can also use Get help buying for schools, which has links to sources of free and impartial guidance from procurement specialists.

Advice and training

On joining the RPA, you’ll have access to free risk management advice, training and best-practice guidance from Willis Towers Watson.

Email RPACover@wtwco-gsp.com

Call 0117 976 9361

Make a claim

Use this webpage to make a claim.

For emergencies and urgent incidents (excluding overseas travel)

Email RPA.CM@davies-group.com

Call 03300 585566

For overseas travel emergencies and urgent incidents

Call 020 3475 5031

Independent reports

We’ve published RPA summary provisioning analyses since 2014. From 2023 the March and August provisioning timeline has been revised to June and December to allow the department additional time to review findings prior to the new membership year.

Contact

If you have any queries, including about opting in or opting out of the RPA, email RPA.DFE@education.gov.uk.

Published 8 April 2014
Last updated 19 December 2023 + show all updates
  1. 'Independent reports' section updated with revised RPA summary provisioning analyses report publishing timelines.

  2. Added RPA membership costs for 2024 to 2025 for academies and local-authority-maintained schools in 'Annual costs'.

  3. Replaced 'Academy trusts: RPA membership rules' and 'Church academies: RPA membership rules' with updated versions that will come into effect on 1 September 2023. Updated the 2023 to 2024 cost information, removed the 'Statutory inspections' section, and included links to the 'Get help buying for schools' service in the 'Additional cover and buying help' section.

  4. Local authority maintained schools cost information and RPA membership rules updated.

  5. Updated to reflect change in RPA membership costs for 2023 to 2024 for academies and local authority-maintained schools.

  6. 'Academy trusts: RPA membership rules' and 'Church academies: RPA membership rules' updated for September 2022. Also updated RPA costs for academies to reflect price increase from £19 to £21.

  7. Updated to reflect change in RPA costs for local authority maintained schools from April 2022.

  8. Updated ‘Local authority maintained community schools: RPA membership rules’, ‘Voluntary aided, foundation and foundation special schools: RPA membership rules’, and ‘Voluntary controlled schools: RPA membership rules’ for 2022 to 2023.

  9. Updated the information on what cyber cover the RPA offers.

  10. Updated to reflect the new RPA pricing per pupil for academies from 1 September 2022 and for local authority maintained schools from 1 April 2022. Updated 'What RPA covers' with information about cyber cover.

  11. Updated contact emails for free advice and training and making a claim for emergencies and urgent incidents (excluding overseas travel).

  12. Updated email address for a contact and updated 'Academy trusts: RPA membership rules'.

  13. Updated with renewed RPA membership rules for September 2021.

  14. Updated to reflect the new RPA pricing per pupil for local authority maintained schools from 1 April 2021.

  15. Updated 'Local authority maintained community schools: RPA membership rules', 'Local authority maintained community schools: RPA membership rules', and 'Voluntary controlled schools: RPA membership rules'.

  16. Updated the general queries section with the new email address.

  17. Updated risk protection arrangement membership costs 2021 to 2022 for academies and local authority maintained schools.

  18. Added 'Academy trusts: RPA membership rules' and 'Church academies: RPA membership rules' for September 2020.

  19. Added videos explaining how to access the RPA form using a DfE sign in account. Added a link to the summary provisioning analysis reports.

  20. Added information to 'Cost' about future pricing for the RPA.

  21. Updated 'join' section to clarify that the RPA is only available to schools which are classified as being in the public sector.

  22. Added more details on how to join the RPA using DfE sign on, and links to buying for schools and school procurement guidance.

  23. Definition of buildings updated in 'Voluntary controlled schools: RPA membership rules' and 'Voluntary aided, foundation and foundation special schools: RPA membership rules'.

  24. Updated information on how to join the RPA.

  25. First published.