Three items of legislation

Identify and explain three items of legislation that are relevant to managing behaviour in the learning environment. Provide examples of how you adhere to these laws. 300-400 words.

The Equality Act 2010 was put in place to group together over 116 pieces of legislation in order to prevent discrimination, harassment and victimization and to promote equality for all. There are new protected characteristics to prevent discrimination on the grounds of: age, being or becoming a transsexual person, being married or in a civil partnership, being pregnant or having a child, disability, race (including colour), nationality, ethnic or national origin, religion, belief or lack of religion/belief, sex and sexual orientation.

I adhere to these laws by treating everyone equally and ensuring that no one is at a disadvantage. If I feel that a student is disrupting lessons because they have a learning difficulty, which has not been addressed, I will refer them to ALS for assessment. They may receive extra help in or out of class. They may have access to voice activated software, note-takers, readers, scribes or extra exam time. A hearing impaired student should be given the same equal opportunity. This could mean providing a communicator and note-taker. Stairs should not restrict a wheelchair user. A lift should be in place or the class taken on the ground floor.

Behaviour management, discipline and reward are given equally, regardless of gender, age, race, disability etc. Allowances should be made for mental health issues. For example, one of my students is on strong medication and may be hyperactive at times and drowsy on other occasions. Allowances are made for this. If he needs to take a break to calm down, I allow this. Sometimes he needs to sit by an open window. He has extra in-class support to meet his needs. Everyone should be given an equal opportunity to learn and achieve.

Safeguarding of Children, Young People and Vulnerable Adults groups together legislation in order to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and vulnerable adults. Anyone in contact with young people and vulnerable adults should have a current DBS check for previous convictions and should be trained in safeguarding to identify any issues and understand how to deal with them.

If a student disclosed to me that they were being bullied in college, or abused at home, it would be my duty to listen carefully, and explain that it would have to be reported to appropriate staff. I would then inform a member of the safeguarding team, write an account of what was said and hand it in person to relevant staff. Safeguarding also includes being aware of boundaries such as not revealing personal information to students such as mobile numbers or Facebook details. It is about ensuring students are protected in their environment, and able to enjoy achieving, whilst maintaining a healthy, positive lifestyle. Health & Safety at Work Act 1974 requires employers, local authorities and governing bodies to ensure the health and safety of pupils, teachers and all other staff.

There is a lot of legislation under this act and the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 is more explicit in defining what must be done to comply with health & safety regulations. It also identifies how to carry out risk assessments and how to record, evaluate and manage these risks. I conduct my own risk assessment in the classroom by looking for any hazards such as risk of slip or trip from a wet floor or trailing wires. I would not use any faulty equipment and would report anything that could present risk of accidents or ill health, such as: damaged plugs or computers, inadequate heating or lighting, broken window locks or furniture and inadequate fire prevention/fire exits. I always ensure that my students are aware of fire evacuation procedures, exits and meeting points.

I have previously taught ‘Interior Design’, ‘Preparation of Working Design’ & ‘Paint Effects’ courses which required me to apply knowledge of PPE (personal protective equipment) such as ensuring students wore masks and gloves, RIDDOR (Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations) in the case of using craft knives etc., COSHH (Control of Substances Hazardous to Health) storing chemicals such as white spirit in correctly labelled containers and working in a ventilated area with adequate work space. I also take into account any learning difficulties, which may present a risk to students or others.

References and bibliography

Health & Safety Executive. 2014. The Equalities Act 2010. [Online] Available at: http://www.hse.gov.uk/equality-duty/equality-act-2010.htm [Accessed March 2014].

Learning and Skills improvement Service. 2013. Safeguarding. [Online] Available at: http://www.excellencegateway.org.uk/safeguarding [Accessed March 2014]. Health & safety Executive. 2003. Health & Safety Regulation. [Online] HSC13(rev1), revised 08/03 Available at: http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/hsc13.pdf [Accessed March 2014].