22 Apr 2024
In the case of R v Michaela Community Schools Trust, the High Court held Article 9 of the EHCR and s19 Equality Act 2010 had not been breached by the school through their 'prayer ritual policy' which prohibits pupils from performing prayer rituals ("PRP") on premises after a Judicial…
Education
12 Apr 2024
In the case of Mr K Lister v New College Swindon the tribunal held that a teacher who had gender critical beliefs was not unfairly dismissed and his claim for discrimination failed. The Claimant, Mr Lister was a teacher at New College Swindon who had worked at the College since August 2020 and…
Education
20 Mar 2024
Within this article, we consider the SEND responsibilities of schools and Local Authorities (LAs) and the relevant financial commitments attributed to those responsibilities. Background The Children and Families Act 2014 secures the general presumption in law that children and young people…
Education
15 Mar 2024
In the case of Ms Malabver-Goulbourn v Arbor Academy Trust the Employment Tribunal found that a Headteacher of a Primary School was unfairly dismissed as her behaviour resulting in her dismissal did not amount to gross misconduct. The Claimant, Ms Malabver-Goulbourn, had been Headteacher at one of…
Education
15 Mar 2024
The use of facial recognition technology is back in the news following an announcement from the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) that it has ordered Serco to stop using a staff clocking-in system which used facial recognition technology. The technology was used to monitor the attendance of…
Education
15 Mar 2024
As an independent school, there is an inherent risk that parents may not pay fees that they have agreed to pay. This could be down to a multitude of factors. Below are set out steps to take to ensure that any non-payment is picked up expeditiously. Process The first step would be to have a…
Education
08 Mar 2024
In the case of Donkor-Baah v University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Trust, the Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) has dismissed an appeal brought by an agency worker challenging a Tribunal's decision to dismiss her claim for suspension of pay between the termination of one assignment and the commencement…
Education
07 Dec 2023
The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) has recently announced its decision to reprimand Finham Park Multi Academy Trust (the MAT), after an unauthorised third party accessed and encrypted the MAT's systems. Background The MAT reported a cyber-security breach to the ICO following…
Education
10 Nov 2023
The Government has published its response to the consultations "retained EU employment law" and "calculating holiday entitlement for part-year and irregular hours workers". Whilst the response covers a number of areas (set out below) the most noteworthy is the proposal to change how…
Education
01 Nov 2023
On 30 October 2023, the Department for Education (DfE) publicised a fresh wave of support for the use of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the education sector, by announcing £2 million worth of investment in Oak National Academy in its development of a lesson planning assistant for…
Education
