There are two main acts that relate to the role of teachers and staff acting in loco parentis: firstly, the Children’s Act of 1989, states that teachers have a duty of care towards the children under their supervision, as well as promoting the safety and welfare of the children in their care. The second act is the Health and Safety at Work Act of 1974 These are both UK legislations not South African which puts a further obligation on the school as a whole to safeguard the wellbeing and safety of pupils in its care by providing and implementing safety procedures and instructions in harmful …show more content…
Schools are required to have a safety plan of action that is in writing and distributed to all staff within the campus and also have to demonstrate that they are progressing through point on the safety plan. Schools are required to keep records of their activities and the students of the schools activities and show in due time plans for events. Documentation of all accidents and injuries must also be kept up to date as well as records of prior activities. Schools also have to conduct regular inspections of work area, where they must identify potential problems, hazards or risks and must inform supervisors of problems so they can correct and eliminate them before possible adverse consequences. If a school is seen as negligent in any of these areas or fails to comply with any of these requirements then the school is fully responsible for any injury or incident that takes place on the property. Schools are at risk for being sued for millions of rand if any of these procedures are transgressed and can be taken to court by the guardians of the child