diff --git a/forms/RequiredFields.php b/forms/RequiredFields.php
index d58211413..1e3adbd08 100644
--- a/forms/RequiredFields.php
+++ b/forms/RequiredFields.php
@@ -19,16 +19,23 @@ class RequiredFields extends Validator {
 	 * to the constructor of this object. (an array of elements are ok)
 	 */
 	public function __construct() {
-		$Required = func_get_args();
-		if( isset($Required[0]) && is_array( $Required[0] ) )
-			$Required = $Required[0];
-		$this->required = $Required;
+		$required = func_get_args();
+		if(isset($required[0]) && is_array($required[0])) {
+			$required = $required[0];
+		}
+		if(!empty($required)) {
+			$this->required = ArrayLib::valuekey($required);
+		} else {
+			$this->required = array();
+		}
 
 		parent::__construct();
 	}
 
 	public function useLabels($flag) {
+		Deprecation::notice('3.2', 'useLabels will be removed from 3.2, please do not use it or implement it yourself');
 		$this->useLabels = $flag;
+		return $this;
 	}
 
 	/**
@@ -36,6 +43,7 @@ class RequiredFields extends Validator {
 	 */
 	public function removeValidation(){
 		$this->required = array();
+		return $this;
 	}
 
 	/**
@@ -74,7 +82,7 @@ class RequiredFields extends Validator {
 				// submitted data for file upload fields come back as an array
 				$value = isset($data[$fieldName]) ? $data[$fieldName] : null;
 				if(is_array($value)) {
-					if ($formField instanceof FileField && isset($value['error']) && $value['error']) {
+					if($formField instanceof FileField && isset($value['error']) && $value['error']) {
 						$error = true;
 					} else {
 						$error = (count($value)) ? false : true;
@@ -115,22 +123,21 @@ class RequiredFields extends Validator {
 	 * Add's a single required field to requiredfields stack
 	 */
 	public function addRequiredField( $field ) {
-		$this->required[] = $field;
+		$this->required[$field] = $field;
+		return $this;
 	}
 
 	public function removeRequiredField($field) {
-		foreach ($this->required as $i => $required) {
-			if ($field == $required) {
-				array_splice($this->required, $i);
-			}
-		}
+		unset($this->required[$field]);
+		return $this;
 	}
 
 	/**
 	 * allows you too add more required fields to this object after construction.
 	 */
 	public function appendRequiredFields($requiredFields){
-		$this->required = array_merge($this->required,$requiredFields->getRequired());
+		$this->required = $this->required + ArrayLib::valuekey($requiredFields->getRequired());
+		return $this;
 	}
 
 	/**
@@ -138,14 +145,14 @@ class RequiredFields extends Validator {
 	 * Used by FormField to return a value for FormField::Required(), to do things like show *s on the form template.
 	 */
 	public function fieldIsRequired($fieldName) {
-		return in_array($fieldName, $this->required);
+		return isset($this->required[$fieldName]);
 	}
 
 	/**
 	 * getter function for append
 	 */
 	public function getRequired(){
-		return $this->required;
+		return array_values($this->required);
 	}
 }
 
diff --git a/tests/forms/RequiredFieldsTest.php b/tests/forms/RequiredFieldsTest.php
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..fea064d6d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/forms/RequiredFieldsTest.php
@@ -0,0 +1,278 @@
+<?php
+/**
+ * @package framework
+ * @subpackage tests
+ *
+ * @todo Test the validation method php()
+ */
+class RequiredFieldsTest extends SapphireTest {
+
+	public function testConstructingWithArray() {
+		//can we construct with an array?
+		$fields = array(
+			'Title',
+			'Content',
+			'Image',
+			'AnotherField'
+		);
+		$requiredFields = new RequiredFields($fields);
+		//check the fields and the array match
+		$this->assertEquals(
+			$fields,
+			$requiredFields->getRequired(),
+			"Failed to set the required fields using an array"
+		);
+	}
+
+	public function testConstructingWithArguments() {
+		//can we construct with arguments?
+		$requiredFields = new RequiredFields(
+			'Title',
+			'Content',
+			'Image',
+			'AnotherField'
+		);
+		//check the fields match
+		$this->assertEquals(
+			array(
+				'Title',
+				'Content',
+				'Image',
+				'AnotherField'
+			),
+			$requiredFields->getRequired(),
+			"Failed to set the required fields using arguments"
+		);
+	}
+
+	public function testRemoveValidation() {
+		//can we remove all fields at once?
+		$requiredFields = new RequiredFields(
+			'Title',
+			'Content',
+			'Image',
+			'AnotherField'
+		);
+		$requiredFields->removeValidation();
+		//check there are no required fields
+		$this->assertEmpty(
+			$requiredFields->getRequired(),
+			"Failed to remove all the required fields using 'removeValidation()'"
+		);
+	}
+
+	public function testRemoveRequiredField() {
+		//set up the required fields
+		$requiredFields = new RequiredFields(
+			'Title',
+			'Content',
+			'Image',
+			'AnotherField'
+		);
+		//remove one
+		$requiredFields->removeRequiredField('Content');
+		//compare the arrays
+		$this->assertEquals(
+			array(
+				'Title',
+				'Image',
+				'AnotherField'
+			),
+			$requiredFields->getRequired(),
+			"Failed to remove the 'Content' field from required list"
+		);
+		//let's remove another
+		$requiredFields->removeRequiredField('Title');
+		$this->assertEquals(
+			array(
+				'Image',
+				'AnotherField'
+			),
+			$requiredFields->getRequired(),
+			"Failed to remove 'Title' field from required list"
+		);
+		//lets try to remove one that doesn't exist
+		$requiredFields->removeRequiredField('DontExists');
+		$this->assertEquals(
+			array(
+				'Image',
+				'AnotherField'
+			),
+			$requiredFields->getRequired(),
+			"Removing a non-existant field from required list altered the list of required fields"
+		);
+	}
+
+	public function testAddRequiredField() {
+		//set up the validator
+		$requiredFields = new RequiredFields(
+			'Title'
+		);
+		//add a field
+		$requiredFields->addRequiredField('Content');
+		//check it was added
+		$this->assertEquals(
+			array(
+				'Title',
+				'Content'
+			),
+			$requiredFields->getRequired(),
+			"Failed to add a new field to the required list"
+		);
+		//add another for good measure
+		$requiredFields->addRequiredField('Image');
+		//check it was added
+		$this->assertEquals(
+			array(
+				'Title',
+				'Content',
+				'Image'
+			),
+			$requiredFields->getRequired(),
+			"Failed to add a second new field to the required list"
+		);
+		//remove a field
+		$requiredFields->removeRequiredField('Title');
+		//check it was removed
+		$this->assertEquals(
+			array(
+				'Content',
+				'Image'
+			),
+			$requiredFields->getRequired(),
+			"Failed to remove 'Title' field from required list"
+		);
+		//add the same field back to check we can add and remove at will
+		$requiredFields->addRequiredField('Title');
+		//check it's in there
+		$this->assertEquals(
+			array(
+				'Content',
+				'Image',
+				'Title'
+			),
+			$requiredFields->getRequired(),
+			"Failed to add 'Title' back to the required field list"
+		);
+		//add a field that already exists (we can't have the same field twice, can we?)
+		$requiredFields->addRequiredField('Content');
+		//check the field wasn't added
+		$this->assertEquals(
+			array(
+				'Content',
+				'Image',
+				'Title'
+			),
+			$requiredFields->getRequired(),
+			"Adding a duplicate field to required field list had unexpected behaviour"
+		);
+	}
+
+	public function testAppendRequiredFields() {
+		//get the validator
+		$requiredFields = new RequiredFields(
+			'Title',
+			'Content',
+			'Image',
+			'AnotherField'
+		);
+		//create another validator with other fields
+		$otherRequiredFields = new RequiredFields(array(
+			'ExtraField1',
+			'ExtraField2'
+		));
+		//append the new fields
+		$requiredFields->appendRequiredFields($otherRequiredFields);
+		//check they were added correctly
+		$this->assertEquals(
+			array(
+				'Title',
+				'Content',
+				'Image',
+				'AnotherField',
+				'ExtraField1',
+				'ExtraField2'
+			),
+			$requiredFields->getRequired(),
+			"Merging of required fields failed to behave as expected"
+		);
+		// create the standard validator so we can check duplicates are ignored
+		$otherRequiredFields = new RequiredFields(
+			'Title',
+			'Content',
+			'Image',
+			'AnotherField'
+		);
+		//add the new validator
+		$requiredFields->appendRequiredFields($otherRequiredFields);
+		//check nothing was changed
+		$this->assertEquals(
+			array(
+				'Title',
+				'Content',
+				'Image',
+				'AnotherField',
+				'ExtraField1',
+				'ExtraField2'
+			),
+			$requiredFields->getRequired(),
+			"Merging of required fields with duplicates failed to behave as expected"
+		);
+		//add some new fields and some old ones in a strange order
+		$otherRequiredFields = new RequiredFields(
+			'ExtraField3',
+			'Title',
+			'ExtraField4',
+			'Image',
+			'Content'
+		);
+		//add the new validator
+		$requiredFields->appendRequiredFields($otherRequiredFields);
+		//check that only the new fields were added
+		$this->assertEquals(
+			array(
+				'Title',
+				'Content',
+				'Image',
+				'AnotherField',
+				'ExtraField1',
+				'ExtraField2',
+				'ExtraField3',
+				'ExtraField4'
+			),
+			$requiredFields->getRequired(),
+			"Merging of required fields with some duplicates in a muddled order failed to behave as expected"
+		);
+	}
+
+	public function testFieldIsRequired() {
+		//get the validator
+		$requiredFields = new RequiredFields($fieldNames = array(
+			'Title',
+			'Content',
+			'Image',
+			'AnotherField'
+		));
+
+		foreach($fieldNames as $field) {
+			$this->assertTrue(
+				$requiredFields->fieldIsRequired($field),
+				sprintf("Failed to find '%s' field in required list", $field)
+			);
+		}
+
+		//add a new field
+		$requiredFields->addRequiredField('ExtraField1');
+		//check the new field is required
+		$this->assertTrue(
+			$requiredFields->fieldIsRequired('ExtraField1'),
+			"Failed to find 'ExtraField1' field in required list after adding it to the list"
+		);
+		//check a non-existant field returns false
+		$this->assertFalse(
+			$requiredFields->fieldIsRequired('DoesntExist'),
+			"Unexpectedly returned true for a non-existant field"
+		);
+	}
+
+}