Showcasing Successful Partnerships
Governors’ and Trustees’ Annual Conference Report November 2022 Schools do not exist in isolation. They are part of a larger system. Therefore, it is only right that, as system leaders, their Governors and Trustees should naturally not only focus on their own schools as organisations, but also on how their schools fit into the system …
To Keep or Not to Keep
Baby boomers like myself tend to hoard clothes. We were born in a time during the postwar era when new clothes were a luxury and people saved their good clothes for Sundays when they would wear their “Sunday Best”. I remember sowing my laddered tights! It was definitely not the disposable society we have today. …
Data Protection for Educational Visits
Educational Visit Checklist Venue Booked - CHECK Permission Slips Received - CHECK Bus Booked - CHECK Printed emergency contact sheets containing far too much personal information including special category data - CHECK It’s an all-too-familiar scenario, a process which has been used countless times within schools up and down the country. School trips are organised …
We Need to Talk About Attendance
It’s well known that following the pandemic, many schools in England have found it incredibly challenging to encourage pupils back into the classroom. The DfE published updated guidance in May to support schools and local authorities in driving up school attendance titled Improving school attendance: support for schools and local authorities. Many of their recommendations …
Can Staff Members Bring a Lawyer to a HR Meeting?
Parliament recently faced the question ‘what steps are the government taking to help ensure that teachers and other education staff can choose to be accompanied to hearings by a person other than a trade union representative or workplace colleague?’. The Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi said that he is considering plans to amend the Employment Relations …
The Education Space Welcomes a New Computing Curriculum Lead
Hello! My name is Luke Craig and I have been a teacher at Britannia Village Primary School in Newham for the past 10 years. I went to primary school in Newham myself (St Luke’s in Canning Town) and I love living and working in this borough. I am a big West Ham fan and excited …
Self-evaluation: an Essential Tool for Self-improvement
What were your new year’s resolutions, and are you keeping to them? The start of a new calendar year is a time that many people use to make a change, but this can only come from some form of self-reflection. Shed pounds, get fit, de-clutter; these are all common resolutions borne from the identification of …
The Name’s Protection... Data Protection
Whilst watching Daniel Craig’s final outing as James Bond, my mind wandered as I reflected on the distinct parallels between our chosen professions. The game’s Protection, Data Protection. I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve had to infiltrate a hollowed-out volcano lair whilst simultaneously dealing with Subject Access Requests with time fuses set …
Putting the Success into Succession Planning
Sarah Beaumont BA (Hons) FRSA, Head of Governor Services at The Education Space, focuses on the importance of succession planning. The scene is set: the election of chair is the next item on the agenda, the governance professional takes the floor to invite nominations, everyone looks down at their shoes, nobody stands. Invariably, the out-going …
Do We All Need A Corporate Social Responsibility Policy?
Sarah Beaumont, Head of Governance, asks if we all need to adopt a policy on corporate social responsibility. A corporate social responsibility policy is not a statutory policy for schools and academies to adopt. However, when I recently led on developing such a policy for our organisation, I discovered how valuable it is. Hand on …
