MoJ data suggests 95% of SEN tribunal cases lost, withdrawn or conceded by local authorities, claims charity – Local Government Lawyer

‘Some 95% of decisions at special educational needs tribunals in 2017/18 were either won by parents, or saw local authorities withdraw or concede, it has been claimed.’

Full Story

Local Government Lawyer, 29th October 2019

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Court bid to stop LGBT lesson protests at Birmingham school starts – The Guardian

‘City council asks high court for permanent exclusion zone around Anderton Park primary.’

Full Story

The Guardian, 14th October 2019

Source: www.theguardian.com

Court of Appeal rejects claim over failure to reassess educational needs of 22-year-old disabled man – Local Government Lawyer

‘The Court of Appeal has upheld a High Court ruling that Welsh ministers and the quango Careers Wales did not act unreasonably when they decided not to reassess the educational and training needs of a young man with a learning disability.’

Full Story

Local Government Lawyer, 8th August 2019

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Statutory school worship – managing post-Christendom pluralism – Law & Religion Uk

Posted August 5th, 2019 in Christianity, Church of England, education, news, school children by tracey

‘In this guest post, Dr Jonathan Chaplin, an independent scholar specialising in political theology and a member of the Divinity Faculty of Cambridge University, looks at some of the background relating to the forthcoming High Court challenge to compulsory religious assemblies in schools.’

Full Story

Law & Religion Uk, 5th August 2019

Source: www.lawandreligionuk.com

Justice secretary urges evidence-led approach to cut crime – Ministry of Justice

‘Justice Secretary David Gauke today called for an “evidence-led” approach to tackling reoffending in order to crack down on crime and reduce the number of victims.’

Full press release

Ministry of Justice, 18th July 2019

Source: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice

Home Office used ‘confused, misleading, incomplete and unsafe’ evidence to revoke visas of tens of thousands of international students, report finds – The Independent

‘Tens of thousands of international students had their visas revoked after the Home Office used “confused, misleading, incomplete and unsafe” evidence, MPs have said. The department ignored expert advice and relied on “dodgy” evidence when it accused almost 34,000 students of cheating in English language tests in 2015, according to a new report published by the all-party parliamentary group (APPG) on the Test of English for International Communication (Toeic).’

Full Story

The Independent, 18th July 2019

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Police force takes legal action over policy requiring new officers to have a degree – Daily Telegraph

Posted July 12th, 2019 in budgets, education, judicial review, news, police, universities by sally

‘A police force is taking legal action over the controversial policy requiring all new officers to have a degree qualification.’

Full Story

Daily Telegraph, 11th July 2019

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Parents launch legal action to stop Catholic school academy plan – The Guardian

‘Parents at a Catholic primary school have launched legal action in an attempt to halt academisation after the local bishop said he wanted all Catholic schools in the diocese to convert and join a multi-academy trust (Mat).’

Full Story

The Guardian, 9th July 2019

Source: www.theguardian.com

‘Councils Cannot Blame Funding For Special Educational Needs Failures’, High Court Told – Rights Info

‘A lack of funding gives councils “no excuse” for failing to meet their legal duty to children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), a court has heard.’

Full Story

Rights Info, 27th June 2019

Source: rightsinfo.org

‘Lack Of Special Educational Needs Funding Breaches Children’s Human Rights’, Court Will Hear – Rights Info

‘The government is “leaving thousands of children in limbo” and breaching their human rights by underfunding education for those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), a court will hear.’

Full Story

Rights Info, 26th June 2019

Source: rightsinfo.org

Dozens of army instructors have been ‘accused of abusing recruits since 2015’, new figures reveal – Daily Telegraph

‘More than 100 Army instructors have been court-martialled or disciplined in the last four years for offences including abusing recruits, it has been reported.’

Full Story

Daily Telegraph, 22nd June 2019

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Obtaining Injunction – Panopticon

‘Birmingham City Council v Afsar and Others (2019) EWHC 1560 (QB) is a case about a protest which has been carried on outside a primary school. Warby J granted interim injunctions, on the basis that the Council was likely to succeed at trial in showing that restraint on the way that protests were being conducted was justified.’

Full Story

Panopticon, 20th June 2019

Source: local-government-law.11kbw.com

LGBT relationships and the school curriculum: a human rights analysis – UK Human Rights Blog

‘What is the scope of a school’s duty to accommodate the religion of a parent whose children attend its schools? From September 2020, it will become mandatory for “relationship education” which includes lessons about LGBT relationships to be taught in English primary schools under the Children and Social Work Act 2017. According to a petition by Muslim parents in Birmingham, however, such teaching contradicts the Islamic faith, thereby violating their freedom of religion.’

Full Story

UK Human Rights Blog, 4th June 2019

Source: ukhumanrightsblog.com

Council makes a mess of Portage – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted May 14th, 2019 in children, education, equality, families, judicial review, local government, news by sally

‘The biblical Esau rashly sold his birthright for ‘a mess of pottage’ (a bowl of lentil stew). But in a rather different context, Worcestershire Council could be said to have made a mess of Portage. For Portage (named after a US town in Wisconsin where the concept originally developed) is a pre-school educational support service (from birth to five-years-old) provided through regular home visits from a trained home visitor. However, on 22 August 2016 the council (through councillor Bayliss, cabinet member with responsibility for children and families) decided to close the Portage scheme from 1 October 2018. This prompted judicial review proceedings in R (RD and others) v Worcestershire County Council [2019] EWHC 449 (Admin), judgment in which was given by Nicklin J on 28 February 2019.’

Full Story

Law Society's Gazette, 13th May 2019

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Kerry Katona fined £500 for failing to send her child to school – BBC News

‘Singer Kerry Katona has been fined £500 for failing to send one of her children to school.’

Full Story

BBC News, 8th May 2019

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Mediator brought in to resolve Birmingham LGBT teaching dispute – The Guardian

‘A former leading prosecutor has been drafted in to mediate in a controversial dispute over the teaching of LGBT education in Birmingham schools. Nazir Afzal, the Crown Prosecution Service’s former lead on child sexual abuse, confirmed he had been asked by parents and Birmingham city council to help reach a resolution in the longstanding dispute.’

Full Story

The Guardian, 6th May 2019

Source: www.theguardian.com

Appellant ordered to pay £5k costs after acting unreasonably in SEN appeal – Local Government Lawyer

‘A mother has been ordered to pay Hertfordshire County Council costs of £5,245 after being held to have acted unreasonably over an appeal on her daughter’s schooling, a judgment published this week on Bailii has revealed.’

Full Story

Local Government Lawyer, 1st May 2019

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Ep 76: The university as a cradle for EU citizenship – Cherry James – Law Pod UK

Posted April 30th, 2019 in citizenship, EC law, education, news, universities by sally

‘Rosalind English talks to Cherry James about the Erasmus student programme, the European Commission’s ambitious project for building EU citizenship in higher education.’

Full Story

Law Pod UK, 23rd April 2019

Source: audioboom.com

Meet The Campaigners Behind The UK’s First Social And Economic Rights Bill – Rights Info

Posted April 26th, 2019 in bills, brexit, consultations, EC law, education, health, housing, human rights, news by sally

‘Two years ago, human rights campaigners Koldo Casla and Peter Roderick first discussed creating a bill enshrining social and economic rights in the UK. With a draft version now out for consultation, their vision is creeping closer to reality. Ella Braidwood finds out more.’

Full Story

Rights Info, 25th April 2019

Source: rightsinfo.org

Trade Marks: APT Training and Consultancy Ltd. and another v Birmingham & Solihull Mental Health NHS Trust – NIPC Law

Posted April 23rd, 2019 in education, mental health, news, trade marks by sally

‘This was a very interesting case for two reasons. First, the claim was for the infringement of the claimant’s British and European Union trade marks for educational services, training, seminars and the like relating to psychology by providing mental health care in its hospitals and training in its use under an acronym that was the same as those registered marks. Secondly, the trial of the action took place outside London the first time in the history of the Intellectual Property Enterprise Court (“IPEC”).’

Full Story

NIPC Law, 21st April 2019

Source: nipclaw.blogspot.com