be connected newsletter for education - March 2021
In this edition we provide you with the latest in legal updates, news and insight from the sector.
In this edition we provide you with the latest in legal updates, news and insight from the sector.
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Legal updates
Advice for secondary schools on wearing face coverings
In preparation for the return to the classroom next week, the Department for Education has recommended that staff, pupils and students in year 7 and above should wear face coverings. In this article Hayley O’Sullivan details the key factors that schools should consider before deciding on the stance they wish to take.
Responding to supplier administrations
Given the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the financial pressure that many companies are currently under may prove insurmountable. The financial support schemes cannot go on indefinitely and, when they are removed, it is likely that we will see the number of insolvencies increase. In this article Chloe Poskitt and Joe Price answer your key questions in relation to supplier administration and consider some of the lessons learned from the administration of Gaia and School Letting Solutions.
Delivering live remote learning to pupils – some data protection considerations
In recent months education providers have become more innovative with the delivery of lessons to ensure all students are able to actively participate. Delivery of lessons including live teaching sessions through video conferencing platforms such as Zoom and Teams have become commonplace while students learn from home. Whilst this is considered more useful and engaging than setting online work and it also enables teachers to actually see their pupils it does create a number of additional issues for settings.
In this article Daljit Kaur reviews some of the data protection-related factors that schools and academies should consider.
Advocacy in Action: School places during a national pandemic
In this, the second of our Advocacy in Action series, Barrister Andrew Cullen considers the issue of claims arising from school placements during COVID-19 lockdown.
Supporting students on their journey through higher education
Since 2020 schools and education authorities in England have had a duty to provide reasonable adjustments for disabled pupils, but what can these pupils expect as they continue their education journey into higher education?
In this article, our Head of HE, Bettina Rigg looks at what provisions are in place to enhance the disabled student experience.
Laptops and lifelines
Technology shortages have meant that many pupils have not had access to the laptops or equipment they need to engage in remote learning. Donations from the community are helping, and to manage them correctly schools need to get their gifts and donations policies polished up and fit for purpose in order to steward the offers of equipment received from generous donors. In this article, Laura Murphy sets out what schools need to be thinking about.
Webinars and online events
Rising to the challenge: digital transformation in schools
In this on-demand webinar, hear from our panel of digital pioneers about how they were developing their digital strategies to transform teaching and learning long before the pandemic really shone a light on the use of EdTech in schools and trusts.
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Good governance essential to avoid falling foul of the ESFA
There’s been little evidence of interventions or financial management reviews this year and it appears the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) has re-focussed on financial delivery. It’s also telling that there were no discernible changes to the reporting of financial irregularities in the Academies Trust Handbook 2022.
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Children's commissioner recommendations for SEND reform
The Children’s Commissioner, Rachel De Souza, has recently published a report “Beyond the labels: a SEND system which works for every child, every time”, which she intends to sit alongside the DfE’s SEND Review (2019) and SEND Green Paper (2022) and which she hopes will put children’s voices at the heart of the government’s review of SEND system.
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Coming of age
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Hair discrimination – stop pupils being unfairly singled-out for their appearance
The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHCR) recently issued new, non-statutory guidance regarding the wearing of natural or protective hairstyles, specifically in reference to their representation in uniform, behaviour or standalone appearance policies.
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The role of benchmarking in setting pay in schools
Emma Hughes, head of HR services at Browne Jacobson, explains how CST’s updated executive pay report and the linked benchmarking service from XpertHR can help trust boards make robust decisions on pay.
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School complaint management - exploring a new way forward
There’s greater opportunity than ever for parents, carers and guardians to voice any concerns they have relating to their child’s education and for their concerns to be heard and to be taken seriously. While most staff in schools and academies are conscious of their legal duties relating to complaints management, many are struggling to cope with such a significant increase in the volume of complaints they must manage.