This edition focuses on:

•  rusts: “Good Practice Guidance and Expectations for Growth”
• Stress - Disabling or disability?
• Education and the Northern Powerhouse project
• Brief Alerts January 2017

'A Courageous Decision, Minister' - The New 'Funding Consequences' Paper

In the famous sitcom 'Yes Minister' a 'courageous' decision is defined as 'one that can lose you an election.' The government has published their worked example of the effect of the proposed reform to school funding: breaking the Department's rule of many years that 'a little obfuscation assists the political process.' What are the consequences?

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Unisex Toilets?

The identification of the needs of transgender children has raised a number of difficult issues for schools, as outlined in our article featured in the August 2016 newsletter. The rise in referrals of children to gender identity clinics and the recent increase in media attention on the issue has acted as a wake-up call for schools to review their practices and ensure that there are none which could potentially result in unfair or less favourable treatment towards transgender pupils. Significant changes or adaptations may be required and one particular issue that has been exercising schools’ minds recently has been the provision of toilet facilities. 

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Who cleans your school? The Modern Slavery Statement Obligation

'Modern Slavery' is not confined to the activities of organisers of prostitution in big cities; unscrupulous gangmasters; or diplomats from certain foreign countries. It can apply in any situation where a 'person requires another person to perform forced or compulsory labour and the circumstances are such that the person knows or ought to know that the other person is being required to perform forced or compulsory labour.' The key phrase for schools and trusts is 'ought to know.' That particularly applies to 'bought in' services.

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Multi Academy Trusts: “Good Practice Guidance and Expectations for Growth”

The Department for Education (“DfE”) has recently published this guidance, intended to support and encourage those seeking to establish new MATs and those running established MATs that are considering expansion. The government remains committed to the academies programme, and the DfE is clearly of the opinion that strong multi academy trusts are key to driving up standards.

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Stress - Disabling or disability?

Two diagnoses tend to send schools into alarm mode: dyslexia and stress. But do they inevitably mean that a school should go on the defensive? A recent case has made it clearer when they should and when they should not.

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Education and the Northern Powerhouse project

The 'Northern Powerhouse' has been in the public domain since 2014 when it was introduced by the then Chancellor George Osborne. Recent publications issued following the Autumn Statement keep the focus on the concept and associated agenda, particularly in the context of education, which will have implications for schools and Multi Academy Trusts (MATs) more widely.

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Brief Alerts

• Christmas Aftermath
• Information Commissioner's Decision on Weald of Kent Application
• Failure to teach
• The role of education in children and young people’s mental health – inquiry
• Female Genital Mutilation
• Off Payroll Payments
• Regular Attendance - Supreme Court
• Briefing on Changes to League Tables

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Upcoming Events

Stone King runs a range of workshops and seminars on current legal issues. Click below to see all our upcoming events.

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If you have any queries or for further information on Education issues, please contact Richard Bird by email insite@richardbird.net.