These requirements apply to all business activities in this division.
compliance
Great_Britain
Ongoing
Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 — general duties
Enforced by:
HSE
Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974
General duty to protect employees and others affected by the business — pupils, students, learners and visitors on education premises, plus staff. Covers premises safety, supervision, trips and practical/workshop activities.
insurance
Great_Britain
Annual
Employers' Liability Insurance
Enforced by:
HSE
Employers' Liability (Compulsory Insurance) Act 1969
Required for any business employing at least one person.
registration
Uk
Annual
UK GDPR + Data Protection Act 2018
Enforced by:
ICO
Data Protection Act 2018; UK GDPR (retained EU law)
Education providers hold extensive personal data — pupil/student records, attendance, assessment, SEND and safeguarding files, plus staff data. Much of it is special-category (health) or relates to children, so the ICO's age-appropriate-design and children's-data expectations apply. ICO data protection fee payable unless specifically exempt.
compliance
Great_Britain
Ongoing
Equality Act 2010 — protected characteristics
Enforced by:
EHRC
Equality Act 2010
Schools, colleges and other education providers have specific duties under Part 6 of the Act (no discrimination in admissions, the way education is provided, exclusions or access to benefits) plus the reasonable-adjustments duty for disabled pupils/students, alongside the employment and public-services duties. Applies in Great Britain; Northern Ireland has its own equality legislation enforced by the Equality Commission for NI.
compliance
England_Wales
Ongoing
Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005
Enforced by:
LOCAL_FIRE_AUTHORITY
Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005
The 'responsible person' for any education premises (schools, nurseries, colleges, training centres) must carry out and maintain a fire risk assessment. Premises with sleeping accommodation (boarding schools, residential colleges) carry heightened duties. Devolved variants: Fire (Scotland) Act 2005; Fire and Rescue Services (NI) Order 2006.
compliance
Scotland
Ongoing
Fire (Scotland) Act 2005 — fire safety duties
Enforced by:
LOCAL_FIRE_AUTHORITY
Fire (Scotland) Act 2005
The Scottish equivalent of the Fire Safety Order: the duty holder for any education premises (schools, nurseries, colleges, training centres) in Scotland must carry out and maintain a fire risk assessment and put in place appropriate fire safety measures under Part 3 of the Act. Enforced nationally by the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service rather than local fire authorities. Premises with sleeping accommodation (boarding schools, residential colleges) carry heightened duties.
certification
England_Wales
On_Change
DBS checks and safeguarding (regulated activity)
Enforced by:
DBS
Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006
Where staff or volunteers carry out 'regulated activity' with children or vulnerable adults (which most teaching, childcare, coaching and instructing roles do), the provider must obtain an enhanced DBS check with a barred-list check before they start, must not knowingly employ a barred person, and must refer anyone who harms or poses a risk to the DBS. Schools and colleges follow the statutory 'Keeping Children Safe in Education' (KCSIE) safeguarding framework. This requirement applies only to roles that meet the regulated-activity test — purely administrative, adult-only or one-off roles may fall outside it. Devolved schemes: PVG scheme run by Disclosure Scotland (Scotland); AccessNI (Northern Ireland).
certification
Scotland
On_Change
PVG Scheme membership and safeguarding (regulated work)
Enforced by:
DISCLOSURE_SCOTLAND
Protection of Vulnerable Groups (Scotland) Act 2007
Scotland's equivalent of the DBS regime: where staff or volunteers carry out 'regulated work' with children or protected adults (which most teaching, childcare, coaching and instructing roles do), the provider must ensure they are a member of the Protection of Vulnerable Groups (PVG) Scheme, run by Disclosure Scotland, before they start, and must refer anyone who harms or poses a risk. This requirement applies only to roles that meet the regulated-work test. Disclosure Scotland is referenced as a string code as it is not a canonical regulator in the local graph.