Council agrees to pay £3,600+ over failure to secure significant part of SEN support for autistic boy – Local Government Lawyer

‘A county council has agreed to pay more than £3,600 following a Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGSCO) investigation into how a teenager on the autism spectrum was left without a significant proportion of his agreed special educational needs (SEN) support for up to three years.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 17th February 2022

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Parents in England who fail to register home schooling could face sanctions – The Guardian

‘Parents who choose to home educate but fail to register their child with the local authority in England are likely to face sanctions, under government plans for a compulsory national register of children who are not in school.’

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The Guardian, 3rd February 2022

Source: www.theguardian.com

Review of mother and daughter’s murders could save lives, family hopes – The Guardian

‘Relatives want an official review of the killing of Laura Mortimer and Ella Dalby to spark better collaboration between police, social services and others.’

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The Guardian, 15th January 2022

Source: www.theguardian.com

Ombudsman recommends county council pay nearly £7k after boy left without education for two years – Local Government Lawyer

‘A boy with special education needs who received “virtually no” education for two years should be given £6,900 in compensation by Suffolk County Council, an investigation by the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has recommended.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 7th January 2022

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Council facing judicial review for push to get children in vulnerable families back to school – Local Government Lawyer

‘A Covid-vulnerable family has sent a pre-action protocol letter to a council that it says unlawfully told a headteacher to stop allowing their children to stay home during rises in case numbers.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 30th November 2021

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

English universities risk breaking law over offer withdrawals, say ministers – The Guardian

Posted November 29th, 2021 in competition, education, news, school children, universities by tracey

‘Universities in England risk breaking competition laws if they add loopholes letting them withdraw offers from students at the last minute if courses are oversubscribed, ministers and regulators have told vice-chancellors.’

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The Guardian, 29th November 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

High Court dismisses judicial review over approach by council to deciding if suitable home education is taking place – Local Government Lawyer

‘The High Court has dismissed a legal challenge to the way in which Portsmouth City Council discharges its duties under the Education Act 1996 in respect of home-educated children.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 19th November 2021

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

SEND Tribunal case law review – Local Government Lawyer

‘Jamie Jenkins looks at the lessons to be learned from the latest judgments from the SEND Tribunal.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 5th November 2021

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Parental responsibility: a short guide for local authority SEND teams – Local Government Lawyer

‘Grace-Mary Sweeney of LASEN explores the concept of parental responsibility, how it interacts with education law, and some practical implications for Local Authority SEND Teams.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 15th October 2021

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Faith schools and safeguarding: R (Khalsa Academies Trust Ltd) – Law & Religion UK

‘The Khalsa Academies Trust Ltd is a multi-academy trust responsible for operating three academies, one of which is Khalsa Secondary Academy in Stoke Poges. Ofsted had concluded in January 2020 that the Academy was “Inadequate” and “requiring special measures”: in particular, that the arrangements for safeguarding were “not effective” and that “Leaders, including those at trust and governance level, have not learned from serious safeguarding failures. They have not acted with the urgency required.” The Secretary of State then decided that the Academy should be transferred, or “re-brokered”, to the Sikh Academy Trust. In R (Khalsa Academies Trust Ltd) v Secretary of State for Education [2021] EWHC 2660 (Admin), the Trust sought judicial review of that decision.’

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Law & Religion UK, 7th October 2021

Source: lawandreligionuk.com

School’s failure to monitor internet use contributed to teenage girl’s suicide, coroner rules – The Independent

‘A school’s failure to sufficiently monitor the internet activity of an autistic teenage girl “contributed” to her suicide, a coroner has concluded.’

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The Independent, 7th October 2021

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Government faces legal challenge from pupil with SEN over “unfair” use of PCR testing in schools – Local Government Lawyer

‘The parents of a 15-year-old pupil with special educational needs and disabilities have instructed lawyers to challenge the lawfulness of government guidance to schools on Covid-19 testing, arguing that it should be urgently revised to enable pupils with disabilities to take less intrusive saliva tests.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 28th September 2021

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Covid teams can vaccinate pupils against parents’ wishes, schools told – The Guardian

Posted September 16th, 2021 in children, consent, coronavirus, news, school children, vaccination by tracey

‘Healthcare staff can decide whether children get a Covid vaccine against the wishes of their parents, according to government guidelines published on Wednesday that left some headteachers fearing protests at the school gates.’

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The Guardian, 15th September 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

Local authority ordered to pay mother fleeing ex-partner £10k in compensation following data breach – Local Government Lawyer

‘Hampshire County Council should pay £10,000 in compensation after a mother who was fleeing her ex-partner had her address exposed in a data breach, Portsmouth Magistrates’ Court has ruled.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 6th September 2021

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Sexual abuse in School – Adopting a zero-tolerance approach – 3 Hare Court

‘In April this year, thousands of anonymous reports were shared by students on Everyone’s Invited, a website which encourages young survivors of sexual abuse to share their stories. After these reports were received, Everyone’s Invited decided to name the schools implicated in these accounts. Of the 2,962 schools identified, 2,556 are secondary schools and 406 primary schools and 119 universities. To date, in excess of 51,000 testimonies have been shared on the site.’

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3 Hare Court, 1st September 2021

Source: www.3harecourt.com

Education Secretary and local authorities threatened with legal challenge over approach to vulnerable children and school attendance – Local Government Lawyer

‘The Good Law Project (GLP) has written to the Secretary of State for Education, Gavin Williamson, threatening legal action if he fails to issue guidance that protects vulnerable children and families as schools reopen.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 7th September 2021

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Affordable uniforms law will miss new school year – BBC News

Posted August 31st, 2021 in consumer protection, education, news, school children by sally

‘A new law aimed at making school uniforms cheaper in England and Wales will not be in place in time for the start of this school year.’

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BBC News, 30th August 2021

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Ben Breakwell: Music teacher convicted over sex with teenage students – BBC News

‘A music teacher who had sex with two girls aged 13 and 14 has been convicted of 32 sexual offences.’

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BBC News, 3rd August 2021

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Whose Job Is It To Fix The Normalisation Of Sexual Abuse In Schools? – Each Other

Posted August 3rd, 2021 in duty of care, education, human rights, news, school children, sexual offences by sally

‘The government released a report in June that revealed rampant sexual abuse in schools all over the country. Nine in ten girls surveyed said that sexist name-calling and being sent unwanted explicit imagery happened “a lot”, but whose responsibility is it to fix it?’

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Each Other, 2nd August 2021

Source: eachother.org.uk

Maintained school wins High Court challenge over refusal by Education Secretary to revoke academy order – Local Government Lawyer

‘The governing body of a primary school in Walsall has won a High Court challenge over the Secretary of State for Education’s refusal to revoke an academy order.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 26th July 2021

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk