‘Many more children are hidden from authorities in unregistered schools across England than previously thought, Ofsted’s chief inspector, Sir Michael Wilshaw, has warned.
The Guardian, 16th May 2016
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
‘A High Court ruling backing a parent who refused to pay a fine for taking his child on holiday in term time will cause “huge confusion”, an MP has said.’
BBC News, 14th May 2016
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
‘The case of a father who refused to pay a £120 fine for taking his daughter on an unauthorised term-time holiday is due to be heard by the High Court. Magistrates had ruled that Jon Platt had no case to answer as, overall, his daughter had attended school regularly. But Isle of Wight Council has asked the High Court to clarify whether a seven-day absence amounts to a child failing to attend regularly.’
BBC News, 13th May 2016
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
‘In all of the excitement about the proposals in the White Paper for all schools to become academies, there has been little discussion about the Guidance for local authorities and RSCs on Schools causing concern – Intervening in failing, underperforming and coasting schools. Alongside this guidance, the Government has published its response to the consultation exercise, which includes a useful summary of the amendments that the Government made to the Bill during its Parliamentary passage.’
Education Law Blog, 7th April 2016
Source: www.education11kbw.com
‘“What could very easily happen with teaching about human rights is indoctrination…so let’s say someone says that racism isn’t wrong. Okay, so what would happen is that ‘racism is wrong. You have to learn it’. That’s the way it would be taught… Actually, I think a debate around that is needed, because I don’t think you can say that intrinsically racism is wrong. You can say that as a society, we’ve formed a set of values that have concluded that racism is wrong.”
When a primary school teacher says something like this to you as a researcher, it makes you sit up and take notice. Whilst it would be comforting to think that this is simply the isolated perspective of one wayward teacher, my research into teachers’ perceptions of educating primary school children about human rights was punctuated by similarly troubling viewpoints. One teacher found it difficult to talk about the atrocities that happened at the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp without telling the children in her classroom that “this is the most heinous crime ever imagined”, following this up with “and you can’t do that, so it’s very difficult.” Another was loathe to teach that democracy was “the right way,” because she didn’t want to influence, but rather to simply “open children’s eyes.” Her final comment on this issue being “who am I to say that democracy is the right way?”’
OUP Blog, 4th April 2016
Source: http://blog.oup.com
‘Home Secretary Theresa May allegedly wrongly deported up to 50,000 international students after an English test cheating scam at one school was used to incriminate all who had sat the test.’
The Independent, 29th March 2016
Source: www.independent.co.uk
‘Last week the Prime Minister entered into the debate on the wearing of veils by Muslim women in schools. This week, it is the turn of the Chief Inspector of Schools, Sir Michael Wilshire. The Chief Inspector has said that:
“The Prime Minister and Secretary of State are right to give their backing to schools and other institutions which insist on removing face coverings when it makes sense to do so.’
Education Law Blog, 27th January 2016
Source: www.education11kbw.com
‘No-one knows how many adult women in the UK wear the full face covering known as the niqab.’
BBC News, 26th January 2016
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
‘The sports coach – jailed for 18 months after filming young boys in changing rooms – launches human rights case over sex offender register ruling.’
Daily Telegraph, 23rd January 2016
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
‘Education Secretary Nicky Morgan says anyone found running an illegal backstreet school in England will face fines or a prison sentence.’
BBC News, 13th December 2015
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
‘Maths and German teacher Regina Hungerford, 54, overturns her conviction for hitting a pupil on appeal.’
Daily Telegraph, 8th December 2015
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
‘Schools should no longer face a legal requirement to provide daily acts of worship of a Christian character, under radical reforms being proposed by a top-level inquiry into the place of faith in multicultural Britain.’
The Guardian, 6th December 2015
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
‘The number of Church of England bishops who sit as peers in the House of Lords should be cut to make way for leaders of other faiths, a new report argues.’
BBC News, 7th December 2015
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
‘A teaching assistant who had sex with a 15-year-old student has had her suspended sentence replaced with an immediate two-year jail term by the Court of Appeal.’
Daily Telegraph, 17th November 2015
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
‘Three parents have launched a judicial review against the Government’s decision to sidelining humanism in the Religious Studies curriculum.’
Daily Telegraph, 8th November 2015
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
‘The partner of a cyclist killed by a drink-driver is being prosecuted after her son missed a number of days at school following the death.’
BBC News, 28th September 2015
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
‘The founder of a charity that offers helplines and refuge to women escaping from forced marriages has called on Ofsted inspectors to focus on the issue when visiting schools where girls may be at risk.’
The Guardian, 26th September 2015
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
‘A headmaster who supervised a school trip to Brazil where a pupil was murdered after a drunken night out has been found guilty of professional misconduct but has not been banned from teaching.’
Daily Telegraph, 16th September 2015
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
‘Evidence gathered as part of a major police inquiry into abuse at a school in Rochdale is now being considered by the Crown Prosecution Service.’
BBC News, 16th September 2015
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
‘More than 5,500 alleged sex crimes in UK schools were reported to police in the last three years, BBC figures show.’
BBC News, 6th September 2015
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
© Inner Temple Library 2024