Who owns risk in your school?

In education, the pace, the complexity of stakeholders, and the unique cultures are challenging. Schools are managing a far wider and more interconnected universe of risk than many outsiders (and even some insiders) appreciate.

A Complex and Expanding Risk Landscape

From safeguarding and child protection to reputational harm, student, staff, campus and housing security, occupational health and safety, travel risks with school trips, financial exposure, data breaches, and compliance, the risk landscape is as expansive as it is dynamic. While some regions mandate risk managers across districts, and large independent schools have dedicated roles, most schools don’t have that luxury. So, who really owns risk in schools?

Blurred Lines and Fragmented Responsibilities

In many schools, risk management is implicitly shared across roles, heads of school, principals, principals for student behaviour and safety, IT for data security, HR for employment related risks, facilities and operations for hazard, business offices for legal risks, school nurses for health and hygiene risks. But unless these roles are formally defined and coordinated, fragmentation and vulnerabilities become inevitable. 

Governance vs. Ownership on the Ground

Many industries would point directly to the board, which ultimately holds fiduciary accountability. However, in most schools, where boards are made up of parent volunteers with varying levels of oversight, that can be challenging, often leaving the question of ownership unanswered.

“Everyone’s Responsibility” Isn’t Enough

In many spaces you will hear the term “ safety and safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility.” While technically and culturally correct, this sentiment can sometimes act as a substitute for defining clear ownership and process. When everyone owns something, too often no one really does.

Responsibility vs. Ownership

What becomes clear in all of this is that there is a clear distinction between responsibility and ownership: If accountability for standards and process doesn’t fall clearly on someone’s shoulders, things will fall through the cracks. In other words, naming risks is not enough, assigning them is critical. This is especially true in large, diverse, high-pressure school environments where leaders are already stretched thin.

From Assumptions to Structures

The challenge, and opportunity, is to move from informal, assumed responsibilities to explicit ownership structures with practical policies and procedures. This doesn’t mean centralising everything into one office or person. It means mapping your school’s “risk universe”, identifying risk owners for each area, and creating structures to support the implementation of effective risk management programs, accountability, clear reporting lines, monitoring systems, and collaboration between departments.

Time to Ask the Question

Ultimately, schools aren’t just places of learning, they’re living organisations subject to laws and legislations, with duty-of-care responsibilities across thousands of daily interactions. Having risk management models in place that reflect the complexity of that duty means fewer sleepless nights.

So, who owns risk in your school? If the answer isn’t clear… maybe it’s time to ask.