Staff in schools interact with third parties every day as part of their jobs. Employers have had a duty to take reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment in the workplace since October 2024, but, from 30 October, the employment rights act extends the duty to requiring employers to take all reasonable steps to prevent discriminatory harassment of their employees by third parties. After that date, an employee will be able to bring a claim if they can establish that they were harassed by a third party (eg a pupil or parent) and that their employer failed to take all reasonable steps to prevent that harassment from happening. Harassment includes sexual harassment and harassment related to protected characteristics such as race, age and sexual orientation. What constitutes reasonable steps depends on several factors, including the risk profile of an organisation. Academy trust leaders, headteachers and governing bodies should consider the following steps. 1. Carry out a risk assessment Identify the high-risk areas in your school or academy trust by considering when and where staff may be most at risk of harassment by third parties. 2. Put training in place Train staff and school leadership in assessing risk, how bystanders should intervene, and how to record and manage incidents. 3. Update existing policies Schools and academy trusts will have a range of relevant policies. Review your internal policies and see where these need to be updated. Make sure that your policies set out how staff should report harassment and what you will do to monitor, record and act on incidents. 4. Communicate with the community Make your expectations clear to the wider school community. Check that your school or academy trust’s codes of conduct for parents/carers and pupils make it clear that harassment of staff will not be tolerated. Consider signs in high–risk areas, notices on the school or academy trust website and other ways of communicating your expectations to any third parties who may come into contact with your staff. Update your terms and conditions with suppliers to make sure that their staff have been appropriately trained. 5. Get advice Schools and academy trusts can’t control how every pupil, parent or member of the public behaves, but they now have a clear obligation to take considerable positive steps to try to prevent harassment of their staff by these third parties. If you need help reviewing your school or trust’s approach, or in handling an employee’s claim of harassment, seek expert advice.