Set clear behaviour standards for students in your education business

Enrolment terms and a code of conduct usually do different jobs. Enrolment terms tend to deal with payment, access, cancellations and course rules at a contract level, while a code of conduct sets behavioural expectations for students across classes, forums, live sessions, messaging channels and other interactions. If those standards are unclear, it can be harder to respond consistently to harassment, disruptive conduct, misuse of materials or unsafe behaviour. A separate code can also help your team explain expectations in a student-facing way rather than relying only on legal terms buried in enrolment documents.

That depends on how your courses operate, but common sections include respectful behaviour, attendance expectations, online classroom etiquette, use of chat or forum tools, bullying and harassment, academic honesty, misuse of course content, privacy-related expectations, complaint or reporting pathways, and what may happen if the code is breached. Some businesses also need wording around recordings, group work, community spaces or contact between students and staff outside formal sessions. The right drafting depends on your actual data flows, including what you collect, why you use it and who receives it, especially where student interactions happen on digital platforms.

We usually need a practical picture of your course delivery rather than just a broad description of the business. That can include whether teaching is live or pre-recorded, whether students interact in forums or private groups, whether minors are involved, how complaints are handled, what conduct issues have come up before, and whether third-party platforms are used. The factual setup matters because a code that works for a self-paced online course may be too thin for a cohort-based programme with live sessions, community features and frequent staff contact.

It can be. Many templates are written at a very general level and do not reflect the actual pressure points in an education business. For example, they may say little about online behaviour, student-to-student interactions, digital communications, access to course communities, or how breaches are escalated internally. A template also may not line up with your enrolment terms, privacy wording or internal processes. This service We will make the key issues clear so you can decide what to do next. if the document is not followed in practice or the underlying business processes are inconsistent.

Timing depends on the complexity of your course model and how much customisation is needed, especially if your business has multiple delivery channels or recurring conduct issues to address. After you provide the relevant background information, we draft the code and then work through any agreed amendments within the included revision round. The If extra support is needed, we will explain it upfront and quote it separately before you proceed. It does not include ongoing representation, technical implementation, security remediation, dispute representation or ongoing HR management, all of which would need separate scope if required.

Submit an enquiry on this page or click 'Get started'. One of our legal consultants will review it within 1 business day and get in touch to understand what you need.

Your consultant will then email you a fixed-fee quote setting out the cost, scope and timing. If you're happy with it, you can accept the quote and sign our engagement letter online.

Once you've accepted, one of our Australian-qualified lawyers will work with you to complete your project. They'll contact you by email or phone if they need anything.

Sprintlaw works on fixed-fee pricing wherever possible, so you can review the scope and cost before you decide whether to proceed. For the Student Code Of Conduct service, pricing starts from $900.00.

After you enquire, a legal consultant will confirm what is included, the expected timing and whether any extra work is needed before you engage us.

We work online, so we can help wherever you are in New Zealand. Our team works remotely, mainly from Australia.

Your work is done by our Australian-qualified lawyers, who hold Australian practising certificates and specialise in business law. None of them are New Zealand lawyers or hold a New Zealand practising certificate.

Sprintlaw NZ Limited is a legal consultancy, not a law firm, and is not regulated by the New Zealand Law Society. We don't act in court or tribunal matters, conveyancing (including leases and business sales) or other reserved areas of work. Communications with Sprintlaw are unlikely to be protected by legal professional privilege. We still keep everything confidential under our engagement letter.