Protecting school staff from harassment at work

Having worked with schools across the country for a number of years, Precept understand the particular complexities that come from dealing with HR matters in an education setting. During this session, we’ll be breaking down the big changes in the Employment Rights Act 2025 and talking you through how they impact the education sector and what we should be doing to deal with these.

One big area of change is around harassment in the workplace, particularly with the reintroduction of claims for “third-party harassment”.

Harassment claims under the Equality Act 2010 are on the rise and really have a sting in the tail. More often than not, these claims come from what some people see as harmless “banter.” So, when does “banter” cross the line? Can you as an employer rely on this as a defence? Well, we’re starting to see a growing trend in employers relying on banter at work as a defence to harassment claims.

But what exactly is harassment, how do we define “banter” and how effective is it as a defence to these often complex and sensitive claims? In this session we’ll take a look at the law of harassment, focussing particularly on where and when the defence of banter might be used and how effective that defence might be (spoiler alert: it's not that effective!) We will also give you some really useful practical tips on how to protect your people from harassment generally and banter gone wrong!

We will pass on our wealth of experience to you, in our usual no-nonsense and relaxed style. As Precept always say, the aim is to give you those useful “nuggets” of information, and not baffle you with case law.

Timings: Registration starts at 9:00am with a 9.30am start. The event will finish at 11.00am.

How much does it cost? The event is free.

Location: Leadership & Training Centre, Walbank Grove, Shenley Brook End, Milton Keynes, MK5 7ZT