News Updates
Take a look at what's been happening in the world of education and health and safety since our last issue...
£1.9m Fine After Worker Killed by HGV
Two major transportation companies have been collectively fined £2.2m following the death of a beloved father and husband who was struck by an HGV in Birmingham. Neil Roberts, a 60-year-old depot manager at Turners (Soham) Limited, was tragically hit by a reversing HGV on August 30, 2019, at the premises of The Haulage Group Ltd (formerly known as Howell Group Ltd) on Inkerman Street, when the vehicle backed out of a parking space in the transport yard.
An article in UK Haulier has revealed that an investigation conducted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) shows that both companies had failed to effectively manage the risks associated with workplace transportation.
In a statement released by his family, Mr. Roberts, who resided in the West Midlands, was described as a loving father and caring husband. They expressed, “He did anything and everything he could to provide for his family,” they said. “Family meant everything to him, he wasn’t a man of many words, he mainly showed his emotions through doing and showing you how much he cared. He was always there to help. Dad has left a massive hole in all of our lives, and nothing will be able to fill that."
Turners (Soham) Limited, located on Fordham Road, Newmarket, Suffolk, pleaded guilty to violating Section 2(1) and Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974. The company was fined £1.9m and ordered to pay costs of £7,300.
The Haulage Group Ltd, situated in Unit 28 Maybrook Business Park, Minworth, Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands, also pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) and Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974. The company was fined £300,000 and ordered to pay costs of £7,300.
Following the court proceedings, HSE Principal Inspector Amy Kalay commented, “This tragic incident was completely preventable. If the companies had acted to identify and manage the risks involved, and to put a safe system of work in place, this incident would not have happened.”
Class Sizes Could rise to 60 in English Schools Warn Heads in Funding Pay Row
Headteachers are expressing their concern that they will be compelled to increase class sizes and implement four-day weeks as a response to inadequate funding. Schools in England are preparing for class sizes of up to 60 students starting in September, as headteachers assert that the funding crisis will necessitate staff reductions.
While the government argues that school budgets can still accommodate the 4.5% pay increase that teachers rejected last month, along with rising expenses, frustrated headteachers warn that they will reach a breaking point next year, being left with no choice but to cut staff and enlarge class sizes.
Some schools are contemplating reducing the length of the school day to reduce teaching time, with one academy leader cautioning that another year of underfunding could force many schools to adopt a four-day week.
As well as cutting less popular sixth-form subjects and increasing A-level class sizes – in some cases to twice the optimal number of pupils – he is considering cutting costs by starting the school day late or finishing early once a week.
In addition to cutting less popular subjects in the sixth form and increasing class sizes for A-levels, sometimes exceeding the optimal number of students, the leader is contemplating cost-cutting measures such as starting the school day later or ending it early once a week.
Education Secretary Gillian Keegan asserted in May that schools could afford an average 4.5% pay increase for teachers with just £90m of additional funding, following the government's commitment of £2bn for each of the next two years in last year's autumn statement.
However, headteachers and unions argue that the additional funding has been absorbed by skyrocketing energy bills, largely unfunded pay raises for teachers and support staff last summer, and increased costs for various items, ranging from school meals to exercise books, leaving many schools facing staff cuts in the coming year.
The DfE said: “Since this government took office, there are now more than 24,000 more teachers in our schools, and our secondary schools have an average of 22 pupils per class.”
Soaring Food Costs Leave Special Schools with Hole in Budgets
Special schools are facing budget shortfalls due to the soaring costs of providing free school meals, prompting calls for additional funding. Unlike mainstream schools, special schools do not receive specific funding for means-tested free meals. While they receive higher per-pupil funding and top-up funding from local councils based on individual student needs, school leaders contend that their budgets have become increasingly strained due to escalating costs and stagnant funding.
The percentage of special school pupils eligible for free school meals has also increased from 36.5% in 2017 to 44.7% last year. Headteacher Marijke Miles of Baycroft School in Hampshire highlighted that the cost of providing food to pupils has risen from £2.40 per meal in 2020 to £3 this year. With almost half of her 200 pupils eligible, the annual expense for providing meals amounts to £51,000.
Miles stated "If I didn't have to feed the children using their education funds, I could hire an extra teacher"
A Department for Education spokesperson said special schools were “funded from local authorities’ high needs budgets, at funding levels that reflect the varying costs of provision for their pupils, including the costs of meals”.
James Bowen, Assistant General Secretary at the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT), cautioned that the "soaring" inflation has added more pressure on these schools, as evidenced by the increasing cost of school meals for which special schools receive no specific funding. He emphasized the need for a substantial increase in funding for the sector.
Change in Law Makes it Easier for Church Schools to Academise
The government is poised to remove a significant obstacle to the academisation of church schools by reviving a proposed law change from its abandoned schools bill. Church of England and Catholic schools often operate on land owned by charitable trusts. However, due to a legal technicality, when these schools convert to academies and relocate, local councils are only required to provide these trusts with a 125-year lease, whereas maintained schools would receive the land freehold.
The Department for Education pledged last year to rectify this "inequitable" situation by mandating that councils transfer ownership of sites freehold, with trusts either surrendering their old sites or compensating councils with proceeds from the sale. Although this change was initially proposed as part of the schools bill, which was later discarded, the government has now amended the levelling-up and regeneration bill to implement the modification.
Director of the Catholic Education Service, Paul Barber, said the amendment was a “welcome measure to safeguard the charitable purpose of school land. ”
During a House of Lords debate, the Rt Revd Dr Guli Francis-Dehqani, the Bishop of Chelmsford, emphasized the importance of the amendment for all schools with a religious character, stating that it would eliminate a major obstacle on the path to academisation for church schools, aligning with the government's policy objectives.
Government data reveals that as of January 2022, there were 1,590 Church of England academies, a 4% increase from the previous year, representing approximately 35% of the church's schools. Additionally, there are now 280 Church of England multi-academy trusts. The academisation of Catholic schools is progressing at a faster pace, with 809 Catholic academies recorded as of last January, a 17% rise from the previous year, accounting for around 41% of Catholic schools. There are currently 77 Catholic academy trusts.
Government to Fund Half Tutoring Scheme Costs in Spite of Budget Concern From Schools
In response to concerns raised by school leaders about the financial pressures they face, the Government has announced that it will increase its funding commitment to the National Tutoring Programme (NTP) next year. Initially, the Department for Education (DfE) had planned to cover a quarter of the costs for the 2023/24 school year. However, following feedback from schools, the Government has decided to double its contribution, providing 50% of the costs. This decision comes after headteachers expressed fears that many schools would have to reduce or eliminate the programme, which aims to support students in catching up on learning lost during the Covid-19 pandemic, if the subsidy rate was significantly decreased.
In the previous academic year, the DfE subsidized 75% of the programme's costs, which decreased to 60% this year. However, it should be noted that schools that struggled to afford 40% of the tutoring costs this year will likely still face challenges in meeting the 50% contribution next year.
Through the National Tutoring Programme (NTP) scheme, schools are allocated funding that allows them to choose their preferred approach for sourcing tutors. This can be done externally or by utilizing their own staff through the school-led tutoring route. Additionally, schools have the option to use the subsidized funding to access tutoring services provided by approved organizations known as tuition partners. Alternatively, they can opt to hire full-time academic mentors to support students within the school.
Paul Whiteman, general secretary of school leaders’ union NAHT, said: “School leaders have been clear that dramatically reducing the tutoring subsidy next year would have been disastrous for the programme. In a recent member poll, 59% of respondents told us that they were using the programme this year but would not be able to access it next academic year."
Julie McCulloch, director of policy at the Association of School and College Leaders, said: “We welcome the fact that the Government subsidy for the NTP is not going to be reduced next year by as much as was initially planned. The fact remains, though, that schools which struggled to afford 40% of the cost of tutoring this year aren’t going to find it any easier to afford 50% next year.”
Ruth Perry’s Family Believes Stress Associated with Ofsted Inspection Led to her Suicide
In light of the tragic suicide of headteacher Ruth Perry, two academics, Professor Martin McKee from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and Professor Sarah Waters from the University of Leeds, have advocated for the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) to investigate every work-related suicide. The call was made in an article published in the British Medical Journal. Ruth Perry's family believes that the stress she experienced due to an Ofsted inspection contributed to her untimely death. At the time of her suicide, Caversham Primary School in Reading, where she was employed, was awaiting the publication of a report that downgraded its rating from Outstanding to Inadequate.
“Even though the link between adverse working conditions and suicide is well established, regulations requiring reporting of work-related deaths to the Health and Safety Executive in Great Britain specifically exclude suicides,” the article said.
“While the almost complete loss of confidence in Ofsted is a matter for those in the education sector to address, the health community has a duty to demand action to tackle the burden of mental ill health associated with the way it operates.
“We argue that three bodies need to act now. The first is Ofsted itself. It should publicly accept that it has a duty of care to teachers (and to its inspectors, some of whom are also traumatised by the events we have described).”
The two academics believe the HSE should follow the system in France where all work-related suicides are investigated.
A 2022 survey commissioned by the Teacher Wellbeing Index showed 78% of more than 3,000 teachers reported mental health symptoms linked to their work.
In April, Simon Kidwell, the vice-president of the National Association of Head Teachers said “the framework that underpins the inspection needs redesigning”, stating that it is “not fit for purpose and it’s not working”.
Green Light Given to More Than 1,000 School Building Improvement Projects
Education leaders argue that the government's allocation of over £450m to improve school buildings across the country is "grossly inadequate." The Department for Education (DfE) has announced that 859 academies, sixth-form colleges, and voluntary aided schools will receive a portion of the £456m fund to support the refurbishment and repair of their facilities. However, a representative group of education leaders contends that this funding falls far short of what is required to address the condition of school infrastructure in England.
Over 1,000 projects aimed at ensuring students have safe, warm, and energy-efficient classrooms will proceed with this funding.
Baroness Diana Barran, Minister for the School System, emphasized the importance of providing high-quality learning environments for every school and expressed hope that the funding allocations would enable responsible entities to plan and initiate projects to replace roofs, boilers, and windows, creating comfortable spaces for students and teachers to learn and work in.
Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said: “This is money allocated through an annual bidding programme to address significant needs in terms of the condition of school and college buildings and is most certainly not an example of government largesse. It is the bare minimum and nowhere near enough to meet the cost of remedial work to repair or replace all defective elements in the school estate in England – which at the last count stood at £11.4bn."
In December, it was revealed that renovation projects would be undertaken in 239 school and sixth-form buildings. The government has allocated a total of £1.8bn in capital funding for the upcoming financial year, 2023-24, to enhance the state of school buildings. Additionally, the government has emphasized that it has already invested over £15bn since 2015 in upgrading various buildings.
Education Chiefs Criticised for Spending £39million on Marketing in 2022
Unions have criticized the expenditure of £39 million on marketing campaigns, which could have been used to pay an additional 1,500 teachers. Education leaders have been condemned for allocating this sum to public information campaigns, including one focused on recruiting school and college staff. The National Foundation for Educational Research has also revealed a 93% increase in job vacancies in English schools compared to the pre-pandemic period.
As of February, around 40,000 positions had been advertised. Unions argue that the Conservative government's underfunding of schools and inadequate salary increases, which have resulted in a 13% decline in real pay since 2010, are driving teachers away.
Since February, members have been on strike demanding better conditions, and 73% have contemplated leaving the profession in the past year.
NASUWT general secretary Patrick Roach stated, “Rather than wasting more money on marketing campaigns, the Government should be addressing the issues causing the recruitment crisis.”
Shadow Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson added: “It says everything about the Tories’ treatment of teachers that they’re having to spend millions to get more recruits.”
The Department for Education said: “Our Get Into Teaching campaign is helping us to inspire people to pursue a career in education.”