Guidance

Searching, screening and confiscation in schools

Guidance explaining the powers schools have to screen and search pupils, and to confiscate items they find.

• From: Department for Education
• Published: 14 February 2014
• Last updated: 19 July 2023 — See all updates

Applies to England

Documents

Searching, screening and confiscation: guidance for schools

PDF, 233 KB, 21 pages

Details

This guidance is for:

• school leaders
• school staff
• governing bodies
• local authorities

It applies to:

• local-authority-maintained schools
• academies and free schools
• pupil referral units
• non-maintained special schools

It covers:

• how to safely search or screen children in schools
• the prohibited items schools can search for
• schools’ powers to confiscate items found during searches

Guidance on behaviour in schools and keeping children safe in education is also available.

Published 14 February 2014
Last updated 19 July 2023 + show all updates

1. 19 July 2023

   Removed references to guidance that has since been updated.

2. 13 July 2022

   Updated 'Searching, screening and confiscation: advice for schools' guidance and added further resources.

3. 18 January 2018

   Updated the advice to reflect changes made in the preventing and tackling bullying advice.

4. 23 September 2016

   Added link on p.13 to the UK Council for Child Internet Safety’s advice on responding to ‘Sexting in schools and colleges’.

5. 14 February 2014

   First published.