Back to School - preparing for the reopening of schools in September - 29 June 2020

Schools in England were closed other than to the children of key workers and children who are classified as vulnerable from 20th March as part of the management of the coronavirus pandemic. As part of the relaxation of lockdown measures many primary schools in England began a phased reopening for pupils from 15th June.

01 July 2020

This webinar took place on Monday 29th June 2020 and is now available on-demand. The content in this recording was correct as of the original webinar date.

Schools in England were closed other than to the children of key workers and children who are classified as vulnerable from 20th March as part of the management of the coronavirus pandemic.

As part of the relaxation of lockdown measures many primary schools in England began a phased reopening for pupils in Reception, Year 1 and Year 6 from 1st June and secondary schools have started to provide some time in school for Years 10 and 12 pupils from 15th June.

However, while the government has said primary schools could welcome back additional pupils this term where there is considered to be capacity to do so, the government’s original ambition for all primary school children to return to school before the summer for a month has now been abandoned and the Secretary of State for Education has said that the government is now “working to bring all children back to school in September”.

In this webinar Browne Jacobson’s Head of Education, Mark Blois discussed with colleagues Stephanie McGarry, Ian Deakin, Emma Hughes and Julia Green the key legal and HR issues facing schools planning for reopening in September and we shared the lessons learned from our extensive working with clients in relation to the phased reopening of schools to date.

In particular, this webinar focused on the most important considerations around:

health and safety in school
employer obligations and leadership support
parental expectations and concerns

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Mark Blois

Partner

Mark is the National Head of our Education team. He is a leading expert in education law and governance and has been recommended as a Leader in his field for almost twenty years in ‘Chambers’ and ‘Legal 500’. ‘Chambers’ ranks him one of only two lawyers ranked in Band One nationally for recommended schools lawyers. ‘Legal 500’ includes him in their 'Hall of Fame', which highlights law firm partners who are 'at the pinnacle of the profession'.

mark.blois@brownejacobson.com

+44 (0)115 976 6087

Julia Green

Partner

Julia specialises in education law advice to schools, academies and colleges including statutory conversions of all types and property issues ranging from easements to development agreements.

julia.green@brownejacobson.com

+44 (0)330 045 2796

Emma Hughes

Partner

Emma is the Head of HR Services and manages the team responsible for providing HR consultancy services to a range of clients across multiple sectors.

emma.hughes@brownejacobson.com

+44 (0)330 045 2338

Stephanie McGarry

Partner

Stephanie specialises in regulatory law with a particular focus on the issues affecting the education sector. Stephanie advises on policy drafting ranging from consumer protection to mental health and wellbeing.

stephanie.mcgarry@brownejacobson.com

+44(0)115 908 4113