Chalkford

Is this actually required of me?

Chalkford answers that question one page at a time, for teachers and leaders in state schools in England — and says which authority the answer actually rests on, including when the answer is that your school decided it.

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104 cards 148 primary sources England onlylast checked 31 Jul 2026

Force

Every card carries one chip, naming what is behind the demand. The chips are ordered by how much they bind you, and told apart by weight rather than colour, so the distinction survives a printout on a staffroom wall.

  • Law Statute or regulation. You must. 21
  • Statutory guidance Must have regard; deviate only with good reason, and be able to justify it. 34
  • Ofsted actually says What the inspection toolkit really states. 4
  • DfE advice Non-statutory. Suggested, not required. 8
  • Not required Explicitly disavowed by DfE or Ofsted as a requirement. 34
  • Your school's choice No external requirement exists. Someone decided this locally. 3

37 of 104 cards — more than a third — end in “not required” or “your school’s choice”. This reference corrects teachers in their school’s favour about as often as it tells them they are bound.

A school can lawfully require things the law does not — teachers’ contracts permit reasonable direction. Knowing where a demand comes from is not permission to refuse it.

“This is a school choice, not a legal duty” is a better sentence in a workload conversation than “this isn’t required”.

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