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The right to a safe and good school environment

bullying bullied school environment unhappy at school

Draft, translated: translated from the Norwegian original with the help of a language model, and may contain errors. The Norwegian version is the authoritative one. See the Norwegian original →

All pupils have the right to a safe and good school environment. The school has a duty to act. How to proceed if your child is not doing well at school.

Norwegian original last checked against official sources: 21 September 2026. Rules and figures change, so always check the official site before you act.

All pupils have the right to a safe and good school environment that promotes health, inclusion, wellbeing and learning. The school must have zero tolerance for bullying, violence, discrimination and harassment. The rules are set out in chapter 12 of the Education Act.

The school's duty to act

The school has a duty to act when a pupil is not doing well. According to the Norwegian Directorate for Education and Training (Udir), the duty consists of five parts:

1. Monitor that pupils are safe and well.
2. Intervene and stop violations immediately, if possible.
3. Notify the headteacher when there is suspicion or knowledge that a pupil is not doing well.
4. Investigate what happened and how the pupil is doing.
5. Put things right with suitable measures, with a written plan, and follow up until the problem is resolved.

How to proceed

1. Tell the school. Tell the headteacher or a teacher what is happening. The school has one week to assure the pupil and the parents that they are addressing the situation.
2. If it doesn't improve, or the measures aren't good enough: you can report the case to the County Governor (Statsforvalteren) (the enforcement scheme). This can be done verbally or in writing. The pupil and the school must be named.
3. The County Governor assesses whether the school has put the situation right with suitable measures, and whether there is a written plan.

If the case is very serious or time-sensitive, for example involving violence or sexual harassment, the County Governor can take up the case even if it has not first been raised with the headteacher.

What can you do yourself?

• Write down the date, what happened, and what the school said in response.
• Ask for agreements and measures to be given in writing.
• Include the child in the conversations, adapted to their age. The child's experience should count.

Tip: See also the complaint guide for a brief overview of the steps.

Sources

• Udir. The right to a safe and good school environment (Norwegian)
• Udir. The school has a duty to act (Norwegian)
• Udir. Reporting the case to the County Governor (the enforcement scheme) (Norwegian)

Kontaktpunkt24 gives general information, not legal advice. If you need help with your own case, contact a lawyer, a legal aid service, or the relevant authority.

This page is translated from Norwegian with the help of a language model, and may contain errors. The Norwegian version is always the authoritative one.