Australian school teachers and their experience with the law : what do practising school teachers know about the law and how it impacts them in the performance of their professional duties?

With the increasing legalisation of many professions, including school teaching, the need to possess a certain degree of legal knowledge in order to perform your professional responsibilities has changed. There is now an increased need to possess such knowledge and it is posited that there will be a further increase in this need. School teachers in Australia find themselves in a position where they need to posses a degree of legal knowledge because the world in which they operate has changed significantly. Reasons for this change are varied, but primarily include an increase in litigation and changes to expected social responsibilities. Whilst few may argue that school teachers require the same degree of legal knowledge as a professional accredited legal practitioner, it is submitted that there is an increasing legalisation of the teaching profession meaning that teachers require a significant grasp of both civil and criminal law in order to avoid potential litigation and to fulfill societal expectations of their roles. But what knowledge do school teachers currently possess? This study uses focus groups to assess the legal knowledge held by Australian school teachers in an endeavour to determine the adequacy of this knowledge.