Please note our festive opening hours:

All of our offices will be shut from 2pm on 23 December, re-opening on the 4 January 2021.

We wish you all a lovely break over the festive period and all the best for 2021. 

All we want for Christmas is clarity

What are the restrictions this festive period and how might we a manage staff conduct during this time?

With the Christmas period looming, employers in the education sector should now have a mind to the ongoing restrictions coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic restrictions. With Christmas comes temptation; not just because of the festive delights on offer this time of year, but also because of the ongoing restrictions imposed by the Government.

Role of a School Governor more important than ever

As school's approach the end of the first term back, it is undoubtedly the case that the last 9 months have presented the most challenging circumstances for school leaders and staff; including the need to close at short notice in whole or in part, manage staff absences, re-order classrooms, instigate new procedures, additional health and safety protocols, additional equipment and monitoring, manage class bubbles and, since September, use new technology to teach a full curriculum via a mixture of face-to-face and blended learning.

Looking ahead: New years' resolutions for schools to avoid issues in the Spring and Summer terms

Tackle performance issues without delay

Failing to address poor performance in accordance with the school's policy means that it becomes harder to substantiate a genuine concern at a later date. In addition, the employee may feel aggrieved and left wondering why the issue was not raised sooner, or they may even use the delay as grounds to argue that the issue was manufactured by the school if it ultimately results in dismissal.

Step in to Christmas or more likely sliding into it

2020 has been a really tough year for everyone and nowhere can that said to be truer than in the education world. Faced with unprecedented challenges of closing schools and colleges almost completely (except for vulnerable and key worker pupils and students) for a number of months; re-opening and making significant changes - often at incredibly short notice and ever reducing budgets.

The changing landscape of Equality Policies

The Employment Tribunal has recently rapped the knuckles of Jaguar Land Rover regarding the treatment of a non-binary or 'gender fluid' member of staff, highlighting an important development in discrimination law. In Taylor v Jaguar Land Rover the employee was employed as an engineer for the respondent. In 2017, she told managers that she was transitioning from male to female.

Looking to the New Year: Could a change approach to accompaniments be imminent?

On 4 December 2020, a judgment was handed down from the High Court ordering a local authority to engage in mediation with the mother of a child in their care after a dispute arose over the mother seeking accompaniment by a lawyer for the mediation process.

Upcoming Events

20th January - Health and wellbeing; recognising & addressing mental health post pandemic  - https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/health-and-wellbeing-recognising-addressing-mental-health-post-pandemic-tickets-125073840223

28th January - Interactive Mock Health & Safety Prosecution - Education Sector - https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/interactive-mock-health-safety-prosecution-education-sector-tickets-125815171565