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).’

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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.’

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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.’

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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.’

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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.’

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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.’

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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.’

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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.’

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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.’

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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.’

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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.’

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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.’

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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”).’

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NIPC Law, 21st April 2019

Source: nipclaw.blogspot.com

Gypsy community ‘failed by government’ says report – The Guardian

Posted April 5th, 2019 in education, equality, health, minorities, news, select committees, travellers by sally

‘The Commons women and equalities committee said Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities had the worst outcomes of any ethnic group across a huge range of areas, including education, health, employment, criminal justice and hate crime, but little was being done to tackle longstanding inequalities.’

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The Guardian, 5th April 2019

Source: www.theguardian.com

Schools and NHS could be held accountable over youth crime – BBC News

‘Teachers, NHS workers and police officers could be held accountable for failing to spot violent crime among young people under government plans announced on Monday.’

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BBC News, 1st April 2019

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Key to prison education handed to governors – The Guardian

Posted March 26th, 2019 in education, news, prisons by sally

‘Jails in England and Wales are to take over educating their inmates – but will that increase the chances of success?’

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The Guardian, 26th March 2019

Source: www.theguardian.com

‘Essay mills’ legislation is overdue, says expert – OUT-LAW.com

Posted March 13th, 2019 in deceit, education, news, plagiarism, school children, statistics by sally

‘New legislation to combat so-called ‘essay mills’ is overdue, an expert in universities law has said.’

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OUT-LAW.com, 13th March 2019

Source: www.out-law.com

Birmingham primary school in LGBT row cleared by watchdog – The Guardian

‘A Birmingham primary school at the centre of a dispute with parents over lessons about LGBT rights has been cleared of any wrongdoing by Ofsted.’

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The Guardian, 12th March 2019

Source: www.theguardian.com

Students banned from accessing university emails for failing to pay rent, going against CMA rules – Daily Telegraph

‘Students have been banned from accessing university emails and shut out from campus libraries after failing to pay rent, it has been revealed. Undergraduates at the University of Liverpool who live in university-owned accommodation and are unable to pay their rent on time are being handed “academic sanctions”, contrary to Competition and Markets Authority rules.’

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Daily Telegraph, 16th January 2019

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Ofsted wins appeal over fairness of complaints procedures in special measures cases – Local Government Lawyer

Posted January 7th, 2019 in appeals, complaints, education, news, standards by sally

‘The Court of Appeal has ruled that a judge was wrong to conclude that Ofsted’s complaints procedures were unfair in serious weakness/special measures cases, and that it was wrong to quash an inspection report.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 2nd January 2019

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk