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School Health and Safety Training: What Training Does Your Staff Need?
From teachers and teaching assistants to caretakers, cleaners and senior leaders, school staff face very different health and safety risks. That means health and safety training for schools isn't a one-size-fits-all exercise. What someone needs depends on their role, responsibilities and the risks they're exposed to.
So, what training should schools be providing and how do you make sure the right people get the right training? We explore the essential details in this specialist guide.
Is health and safety training mandatory for school staff?
Yes. Under Section 2(2)(c) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, your business must provide the information, instruction, training and supervision necessary to ensure staff health and safety. Department for Education guidance reinforces this, stating that schools should ensure staff receive training about the risks they may face and the measures in place to manage them.
This doesn't mean every employee needs identical training. Schools should consider:
An employee's role and responsibilities
Risks staff members are likely to encounter
Activities and equipment they use
Whether they hold specific health and safety responsibilities
Whether additional specialist preparation is required
The key is making training relevant to the risks people face, not applying a blanket programme. WorkNest's UK Health & Safety specialists can help schools identify training needs and ensure staff have the knowledge and skills required for their roles.
What should be covered in health and safety training for schools?
Requirements vary between schools, but common areas include:
General health and safety awareness: Understanding responsibilities and how to report concerns
General health and safety awareness: Helping all staff understand their responsibilities, key hazards and how to report concerns
Fire safety awareness: For all staff, covering emergency procedures and evacuation
Fire warden training: For staff with specific fire safety responsibilities
Risk assessments: For employees responsible for completing or reviewing assessments
First aid: Ensuring appropriate provision is in place
COSHH: For employees working with hazardous substances such as cleaning products or chemicals
Manual handling: Where employees regularly lift, carry or move loads
Asbestos awareness: Particularly for premises teams and those likely to encounter asbestos-containing materials
Work equipment: Where employees use machinery or specialist equipment
Accident and incident reporting: What needs to be reported, and when and to whom. And RIDDOR reporting procedures for those who require it.
Educational visits: For staff planning or leading off-site activities
Not every course is necessary for every member of staff, but you should always strive to enhance health and safety standards in your school. A training needs assessment helps schools determine who needs what, rather than taking a blanket approach.
Who needs health and safety training in a school?
Health and safety is everyone's responsibility, but some roles demand more detailed or specialist knowledge.
Health and safety training for school head teachers and governors
Senior leaders need enough understanding to oversee arrangements, allocate responsibilities and challenge whether risks are being managed effectively. For MAT leaders, this also means having confidence that standards are consistent across every academy.
Health and safety training for school staff
It should reflect the activities employees carry out. Staff supervising practical lessons, PE or school trips typically need different knowledge from office-based colleagues.
Premises and facilities teams
Caretakers, facilities teams and site managers are often exposed to higher-risk activities (maintenance work, hazardous substances, work equipment and asbestos etc.) and may need more specialist guidance as a result.
Employees with specific H&S responsibilities
Staff responsible for risk assessments, fire safety in schools, first aid or educational visits need the knowledge and training to carry out those duties competently.
Not sure whether there are gaps in your school's training? WorkNest can review your arrangements and help identify where additional guidance or specialist support may be needed.
How often should school health and safety training be refreshed?
We suggest annual training but there's no universal refresher period that applies across the board. Schools should consider the type of training, the level of risk, and whether knowledge needs updating. Retraining may be appropriate when:
An employee takes on new responsibilities
New equipment or processes are introduced
Risks or working practices change
An incident highlights a knowledge gap
Legislation or guidance changes
An employee's existing knowledge needs refreshing
Some qualifications and specialist courses also carry specific renewal requirements. Rather than relying solely on expiry dates, schools should regularly ask: do our people still have the knowledge and competence to work safely?
The challenge for Multi-Academy Trusts
For MATs, managing training across several academies can quickly get complicated. Different schools may run different guidance arrangements, records and renewal dates, making it hard for central teams to know whether requirements are being met consistently. Trust leaders should have visibility of:
What coaching employees have completed
Which roles require additional preparation
When refresher guidance is due
Where gaps exist
Whether the same standards apply across academies
A Trust-wide approach to health and safety training makes a real difference here.
Training is only one part of the picture
It matters, but it shouldn't sit in isolation. Schools also need appropriate policies, risk assessments, inspections, procedures and competent health and safety support. Preparing someone to carry out a risk assessment, for instance, won't solve the problem if the actions identified through that assessment are never completed.
WorkNest's education specialists support schools and MATs with the wider picture, from risk assessments and audits to competent-person support, ongoing advice and staff training. This helps schools move beyond ticking off courses and towards a genuinely consistent approach to managing health and safety.
Whether you need to strengthen staff awareness, develop employees with specific responsibilities, or improve consistency across a MAT, we can help. Our specialists work with education organisations to identify guidance needs and provide practical Health & Safety training for schools, alongside ongoing consultancy and competent-person support.
Speak to WorkNest's Education Health & Safety team to discuss your requirements and identify any gaps in your current approach.
