Education's big three: Employee rights, pay equity, and safeguarding in 2025

What school leaders and HR teams need to prioritise this year

With multiple employment law reforms either already in place or fast approaching, school and trust leaders are under growing pressure to keep up and act. Among all the noise, three areas are emerging as the most critical to get right: employee rights, pay equity, and safeguarding staff.

These aren’t abstract legal ideas. They’re active compliance risks. They’re also the foundation of a fair, stable and resilient workforce.

Here’s a closer look at what’s changed, what’s coming, and what your school should be doing now.

Posted 08/08/2025

Employee rights: More protection, sooner

Historically, schools have had some flexibility with probation periods, casual staffing and employment protections. That’s changing fast.

What’s changed:

Flexible working requests can now be made from day one of employment

From 2026, staff will be entitled to Statutory Sick Pay, paternity leave, and unpaid parental leave from day one

By 2027, day-one protection from unfair dismissal is likely to become law

What it means for schools:

Informal or inconsistent probation practices won’t hold up

Schools will need better documentation, clearer performance management, and fairer dismissal procedures

Internal policies must reflect statutory rights, even for fixed-term and support staff

Example: A teaching assistant on a 3-month contract requests unpaid parental leave after one week. Under the new rules, you’ll be legally required to allow it. Denying it could trigger a claim.

Pay equity: Pressure beyond gender

Pay equity isn’t just a matter of fairness. It’s quickly becoming a compliance issue.

What’s changing:

Pay gap reporting is expected to expand beyond gender, potentially including ethnicity, disability and other protected characteristics
Unions and campaign groups are calling for more transparency in MATs and larger schools
Internal disparities between schools in the same trust are already raising questions

What it means for schools:

Scrutiny will increase, from staff, unions, and external regulators
MATs and LAs may need to justify pay variations across schools and departments
Historic decisions like offering higher salaries to recruit to harder-to-fill schools may need revisiting or documenting more clearly

FAQ: “Do we need to report our ethnicity pay gap?”
Not yet. But if you collect the data and spot a disparity, you’ll be expected to act. The EHRC encourages voluntary reporting, and legislation may soon make it mandatory.

Safeguarding for staff: A legal duty, not just good practice

From October 2024, all employers will face a legal duty to prevent sexual harassment in the workplace. This includes harassment from third parties such as pupils, parents and carers.

What’s required:

A documented commitment to preventing workplace harassment

Evidence of training, reporting procedures and leadership awareness

Responses to incidents that are timely, proportionate and well-logged

Why this matters in education:

Staff wellbeing is already under strain, especially among women and early-career teachers

Failure to act could result in tribunal claims, reputational damage, and Ofsted scrutiny under staff welfare provisions

Parents and carers are explicitly included in the scope of this law

Example: A parent makes repeated inappropriate comments to a teacher via school communication platforms. If the school doesn’t step in, it could be liable under the new law.