The risk protection arrangement (RPA) for schools
Public sector schools can join the risk protection arrangement (RPA), an alternative to commercial insurance, which may save time and money.
Applies to England
Join the RPA
Schools which are classified as public sector schools can join the RPA using your DfE sign in account to join.
Get help using or creating a DfE sign in account for the RPA.
Joining information for converter academies and church schools
Converter academies will be signed up automatically but you can opt out if you want to.
If a church organisation allows your school to occupy their property then under the rules those trustees:
- are covered for losses and liabilities they may incur through you occupying their property
- can make claims on your behalf for those losses and liabilities
- can have those claims paid directly to them
- can use the complaints and arbitration procedures about those claims
Get help using or creating a DfE sign in account for the RPA
Follow the steps in this section. Each step also includes a video tutorial.
Stage 1: Create a DfE sign in account if you do not have one
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Go to create a DfE Sign-in account and enter your name and your work email address.
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Check your emails, copy the code we’ve sent you and paste this into the box on the verification page.
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Create a memorable password.
Use DfE sign in help if you have any problems creating a DfE sign in account.
You can also watch a video tutorial.tutorial.
Stage 2: Request access to the RPA
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Request access to your organisation and the RPA form.
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Ask your approver to approve your access to the RPA and the online collection service.
You can view who your organisation’s approvers are after you’ve added your organisation to your DfE sign in account. There’s more information on what approvers need to do in stage 3.
You can also watch a video turorialtutorial.
Stage 3: Give access to the RPA form (for approvers)
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Add the RPA to the online collections service.
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Go to the ‘manage users’ page and add a role to each user’s account.
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Choose ‘add services’ from the right-hand list - if a user already has access to the online collections service, choose this on the user’s page and add role ‘RPA’.
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Choose the services, roles and forms you want the user to have access to and save your changes.
You can also watch a video tutorial.
Cost
The RPA costs for academies:
£19£21 per pupil, per year£19£21 per place, per year for special and alternative provision academies, special schools and pupil referral units
For academies, this covers you for the current academic year (1 September 2021 to 31 August 2022). The cost for the next academic year (1 September 2022 to 31 August 2023) will increase to £21.
The RPA costs for local authority maintained schools:
- £21 per pupil, per year
- £21 per place, per year for special and alternative provision academies, special schools and pupil referral units
What RPA covers
This table summarises what RPA covers.
You should also read the membership rules for full details of your cover.
| Type of risk | Limit |
|---|---|
| Material damage | Reinstatement value of the property |
| Business interruption | £10 million any one loss |
| Employers’ liability | Unlimited |
| Third party liability | Unlimited |
| Governors’ liability | £10 million any one loss and any one membership year |
| Professional indemnity | Unlimited |
| Employee and third party dishonesty | £500,000 |
| Money | Various, including cash on premises or in transit £5,000 |
| Personal accident | Death and capital benefits £100,000 |
| United Kingdom travel | Baggage and money £2,000 per person. Cancellation £1,000 per person. |
| Overseas travel including winter sports | Includes: baggage £2,000 in total per person (inner limits apply), money £750 per person, medical expenses £10,000,000, cancellation £4,000 per person. Check the full details of your cover for more information. |
| Legal expenses | £100,000 any one loss and any one membership year |
| Cultural assets | £10,000 on any one cultural asset or £250,000 any one multiple loss |
| Cyber cover | £250,000 any one loss and any one membership year. Where a member is part of a group network with other RPA members the maximum aggregate liability shall be £750,000 in any one membership year for the group network. Cover applies from 1 April 2022 to 2023 membership year for local authority maintained schools and from 1 September 2022 to 2023 membership year for academies. |
Full details of your cover
These membership rules detail the full cover and provision of the RPA:
Additional cover and buying help
If there’s something you need cover for that’s not included in the RPA, you can get it from Crescent Purchasing Consortium (CPC). They also offer a legal services helpline. You’re free to choose a different provider if you want.
Statutory inspections
The RPA does not cover statutory inspections, often known as engineering inspections. By law, you must make sure that statutory inspections are done. You can procure this through Crescent Purchasing Consortium (CPC), or another insurer or body with authorisation to carry out these inspections.
Get help with buying for schools
You can use DfE-approved frameworks to save time and money on things you buy for your school.
There’s separate guidance on buying for schools and buying procedures and procurement law.
Free advice and training
On joining, you’ll get free risk management advice, training and best practice guidance from Willis Towers Watson.
Contact them if you need advice about the arrangement and the rules:
Email rpaadvice@willistowerswatsonsecure.com
Phone 0117 9769 361
Make a claim
Use this webpage to make a claim.
Emergencies and urgent incidents (excluding overseas travel)
Email RPA.CM@davies-group.com
Phone 03300 585566
Overseas travel emergencies and incident claims
Phone 020 3475 5031
Independent reports
We have published an RPA summary provision analysis since 2014.
General queries
Contact us if you have any questions, including about opting in or opting out - RPA.DFE@education.gov.uk.
Last updated
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'Academy trusts: RPA membership rules' and 'Church academies: RPA membership rules' updated for September 2022. Also updated RPA costs for academies to reflect price increase from £19 to £21.
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Updated to reflect change in RPA costs for local authority maintained schools from April 2022.
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Updated ‘Local authority maintained community schools: RPA membership rules’, ‘Voluntary aided, foundation and foundation special schools: RPA membership rules’, and ‘Voluntary controlled schools: RPA membership rules’ for 2022 to 2023.
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Updated the information on what cyber cover the RPA offers.
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Updated to reflect the new RPA pricing per pupil for academies from 1 September 2022 and for local authority maintained schools from 1 April 2022. Updated 'What RPA covers' with information about cyber cover.
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Updated contact emails for free advice and training and making a claim for emergencies and urgent incidents (excluding overseas travel).
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Updated email address for a contact and updated 'Academy trusts: RPA membership rules'.
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Updated with renewed RPA membership rules for September 2021.
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Updated to reflect the new RPA pricing per pupil for local authority maintained schools from 1 April 2021.
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Updated 'Local authority maintained community schools: RPA membership rules', 'Local authority maintained community schools: RPA membership rules', and 'Voluntary controlled schools: RPA membership rules'.
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Updated the general queries section with the new email address.
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Updated risk protection arrangement membership costs 2021 to 2022 for academies and local authority maintained schools.
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Added 'Academy trusts: RPA membership rules' and 'Church academies: RPA membership rules' for September 2020.
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Added videos explaining how to access the RPA form using a DfE sign in account. Added a link to the summary provisioning analysis reports.
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Added information to 'Cost' about future pricing for the RPA.
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Updated 'join' section to clarify that the RPA is only available to schools which are classified as being in the public sector.
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Added more details on how to join the RPA using DfE sign on, and links to buying for schools and school procurement guidance.
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Definition of buildings updated in 'Voluntary controlled schools: RPA membership rules' and 'Voluntary aided, foundation and foundation special schools: RPA membership rules'.
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Updated information on how to join the RPA.
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First published.