School Uniform Policies - How to Avoid a Dispute

Disputes over school uniform policies and the enforcement of them are common, controversial and usually gain unwanted publicity.

It is therefore important for a school to know what legal considerations it must take into account when formulating their uniform policies and also how best to resolve a dispute concerning a pupil's school uniform, should one arise

Guidance from the Department of Education

The Department of Education strongly encourages schools to have a uniform and a uniform policy. Pupils and their parents will usually be made aware of the uniform policy and the consequences of not complying with policy at the start of the school year or prior to them joining the school.

Case Comment: Unfair dismissal claim over Covid concerns dismissed by employment tribunal judge

Mr D Rodgers v Leeds Laser Cutting Ltd: 1803829/2020

Mr Rodgers brought a claim against his ex-employer for automatically unfair dismissal having been dismissed after refusing to attend the workplace over Covid concerns.

Teacher Assessed Grades and the Freedom of Information Act

The ICO has recently published guidance for schools regarding what information they should publish proactively in order to comply with the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA) - ICO's blog on its information rights work | ICO.

Public authorities (such as maintained schools and academies) have a legal obligation under the FOIA to proactively publish certain information such as what you spend and how you spend it, your priorities, your policies and procedures and information relating to your decision-making processes.

Upcoming Event

Crisis Management – Handling Investigations & Complaints  

7th July 2021 at 10.00am

In a programme of training webinars hosted by the Forbes' Education Team this session will cover Crisis Management – Handling Investigations and Complaints.

As an education provider, ensuring a balance between maintaining the welfare and satisfaction of staff, parents and students can be a difficult and conflicting task. The interplay between safeguarding, employment, reputational, and educational issues necessitates a multifaceted response to what are often complex problems, exacerbated in some cases by the necessity to involve and liaise with external agencies. We aim to address the potential pitfalls and talk through various strategies to manage such problematic situations with a view to bringing closure to complaints before they escalate and result in legal action.

Our interactive session will consider:

• The various origins of complaints – pupils, parents and staff

• Conflicting interests

• Safeguarding issues

• Policies and procedures

• Managing expectations

• The legal framework behind and importance of a reasonable investigation

• The key stages of the investigation process

• Evidence gathering and interviewing witnesses

• Working alongside agencies

• Impact of criminal investigations

• Reaching a decision

• Potential next steps following an investigation

• Reputational management
 

To book your place, please click here.