Terms of use
By using Chalkford you accept these terms. They are short, and the two that matter most are the two about not treating this site as your final answer.
What Chalkford is
Chalkford answers one question — is this actually required of me? — for people working in state schools in England. Each card gives a verdict, a verbatim quotation from the primary source, a paragraph reference and a link to that source. It is maintained with the help of AI systems and reviewed by a human; the sources it quotes are published by the Department for Education, Ofsted and legislation.gov.uk.
England only. Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have different law and different guidance, and nothing here is written for them.
It is not legal advice
Chalkford is a reference tool, not legal, employment or professional advice, and using it creates no professional relationship of any kind. It cannot know your contract, your school's policies or the facts of your situation — all of which can change the answer.
Read the source before you rely on a card. Every card links the document it quotes, and where the two differ, the document governs. Guidance in this field moves: KCSIE is reissued every September, the pay and conditions document is annual, and inspection guidance changes when Ofsted decides it does. We work to keep cards current and to say which edition they quote, but we do not warrant that any card reflects the position on the day you read it. For a decision that matters, check the primary source and, where appropriate, take advice from your union or a qualified adviser.
Safeguarding
Chalkford's safeguarding material is documentary only: what the guidance says, and what changed between editions. It is not a route for reporting anything, and it must never be used to seek help with a live case. If you are concerned that a child is at risk, follow your school's safeguarding procedures and speak to your designated safeguarding lead. If a child is in immediate danger, call 999.
Access codes
While the site is in closed beta, some pages need an access code. A code is issued to you personally — please don't post it publicly or pass it around. We can withdraw a code at any time, and codes expire. Access is free; there is nothing to pay and nothing to cancel.
Acceptable use
You agree not to:
- try to get round the access gate, or to reach content you have not been given a code for;
- scrape, crawl or bulk-download the site, or republish the corpus wholesale as your own;
- use the site to store, transmit or discuss information about an identifiable pupil;
- disrupt the site or the systems it runs on, or use it for anything unlawful.
Copyright and reuse
The legislation, statutory guidance and inspection guidance quoted here is Crown copyright and is reproduced under the Open Government Licence v3.0. That licence is what makes verbatim quotation lawful, and it is why each card names its source and links to it. Some quoted material is published by other bodies under their own terms; the citation on each card says who published it.
Chalkford's own work — the questions, the verdicts, the editorial framing, the glossary, the structure of the corpus and the design of the site — is © Mynightoff Limited. You are welcome to quote a card, print one, and share it with colleagues, a union rep or a line manager, with attribution and a link. Republishing the corpus at scale, or building a product on it, needs our permission first.
If you think something here infringes your rights, tell us at privacy@chalkford.com and we will look at it promptly.
Availability
The site is provided free and as-is. We give no guarantee of uptime, and we may change, suspend or discontinue it — or any part of the corpus — at any time.
Liability
To the fullest extent the law allows, Mynightoff Limited is not liable for any loss or damage arising from your use of, or reliance on, this site — including any decision taken, or not taken, on the strength of a card. Since the service is free, our total liability to you is limited to £100. Nothing here limits liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence, for fraud, or for anything else that cannot lawfully be excluded. If you use Chalkford in the course of your work, nothing in it displaces your employer's own policies or your professional obligations.
Changes and governing law
We may update these terms; the version and date at the top will move, and continuing to use the site means accepting the current version. These terms are governed by the law of England and Wales, and the courts of England and Wales have exclusive jurisdiction.
Contact
Mynightoff Limited, company number 06129966, registered in England and Wales. privacy@chalkford.com. See also the privacy policy.