Any educational institution in the UK must have a strong understanding of legal rights and obligations in the education sector. This can be a complex landscape that is constantly changing, which can make it difficult for schools, colleges, and universities to keep up. Additionally, students should always be aware of the law and their rights to ensure that they are always protected. This post will explore legal rights in education looking at the latest updates and their implications for both students and institutions.

• Freedom of Speech and Academic Freedom in Higher Education

The Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act 2023 is designed to strengthen protections for free speech in universities, mandating policies that ensure open debate and protect students’ right to voice diverse views. This has an impact on universities by creating an obligation to create inclusive and balanced environments for discussion.

2. Safeguarding and Wellbeing Obligations for Institutions

Educational providers also have important safeguarding responsibilities, including measures to protect students’ physical and mental wellbeing. Bullying, mental health, and discrimination are key areas that all institutions need to address, particularly when it comes to young and vulnerable students.

3. Students as Consumers: Rights & Institutional Responsibilities

Updated guidance by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) sees students as consumers, with institutions required to be transparent when it comes to course content, fees, and contractual terms. This is important as it ensures that students know what they are committing to, which allows students to manage expectations and provides protection if courses do not live up to promised standards (this is important during a time when there are so many online courses available). Education solicitors can help institutions develop compliant terms and handle complex students complaints and disputes about service standards and contractual rights.

4. Discrimination & Equality in Education

The Equality Act 2010 establishes legal frameworks designed to protect students from discrimination based on gender, race, disability, and other protected characteristics. Institutions must ensure inclusive practices and equal opportunities in all areas, including admissions, accommodations, and classroom policies.

5. Contractual Rights & Course Delivery Commitments

Contractual rights and course delivery commitments have been a key area since the pandemic, which caused a huge amount of disruption and led to legal issues. Institutions must be transparent in terms of course delivery terms and outline formats and contingencies for course delivery in their contracts.

Legal rights in the education sector can be a complex area and one that is constantly changing. This makes it difficult for institutions to keep pace with the latest developments, while students should always be aware of their rights. The advice in this post covers the key areas of education law that all institutions and students should familiarize themselves with. Institutions must maintain compliance at all times in order to avoid legal issues as well as provide a fair, equal, and valuable learning experience to each and every student.

Climate Change: It’s In Our Hands is a classroom-based game, aimed at children aged from ten years old and designed to make the often-complex subject of climate change accessible and engaging in a meaningful way.

It has already been given the seal of approval by pupils at New York Primary School, in North Tyneside, who worked with environmental scientists, graphic designers and outreach practitioners to design the game.

Climate Change: It’s In Our Hands is now available for other schools to download and use for free, with New York Primary School STEM Leader, Julia Bourne, saying the children involved were proud and excited to know the game they helped create would be played by children all over the country.

She added: “By being involved in the development of the board game, the children have had the opportunity to have some fantastic discussions about climate change and how they are able to work together to make a positive impact on their world.

“The game can support these vital conversations and allow children to discuss this hugely important topic in a way that is interesting to them.

“It also shows them that trying to make changes alone isn’t effective but, by working together, you can make a difference. This is such a key message for our young people to hear.”

Speaking about the collaboration with Northumbria University, Julia added: “These types of projects are so important as they bring new and innovative ideas into the primary classroom. The expertise and funding from the university means that children can be involved in something that will have impact far beyond their own school.”

Climate Change: It’s in Our Hands consists of four rounds, during which groups of children play collaboratively to take actions that will have an impact on our climate. As they play, their choices affect the outcome of the game, and they need to work together to put into action strategies that will limit global temperature rises.

The idea for the game came from environmental scientists and the NUSTEM outreach group at Northumbria University, with funding from the Natural Environment Research Council enabling the ideas to come to life. The NUSTEM group work with schools across the region to provide activities and opportunities for children to engage with the STEM subjects of science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

Environmental scientist Dr Emma Hocking, of Northumbria’s Department of Georgraphy and Environmental Sciences; and Joe Shimwell and Annie Padwick from NUSTEM have all been involved in the Climate Change: It’s in Our Hands project and hope the final game will be used by schools across the UK, and even further afield, to teach children about climate change.

Speaking about the project, Emma said: “Climate change can often seem like a bit of a vague and scary topic for children, so we wanted to create something which would make it more relevant to young people and enable them to think positively about actions they can take to make a difference.

“Thanks to the feedback from the children we were able to design and then refine the game, ensuring it really appeals to the target age group.

“The game is available online and can be downloaded and printed by schools for free, and we really hope it will be a useful resource for schools when teaching children about environmental issues.”

The game was designed with the help of non-profit design company Roots and Wings – who specialise in projects with social or environmental objectives.
Director of Roots and Wings Alan Ramsay added: “Overhearing the discussion the children were having was fascinating and ultimately they came to the conclusion that the only way to improve the current situation is by everybody working together.”

Climate Change: It’s in Our Hands can be downloaded for free at nustem.uk/in-our-hands/

Since the publication of the book in 2019, and the 2022 animated film adaptation, Charlie has received messages, pictures, hand-made books and drawing from teachers and children who have engaged with the story in classrooms and online platforms. In response, a collection of resources has been produced to assist teachers with their lesson plans, assemblies, and performances providing an opportunity for children to explore the messages of the book.

Together with writer and musician Charlotte Freud, Charlie has produced a musical for schools adapted from the Oscar winning animated short film currently available on BBC iPlayer. Written to be performed in schools by children from Years 1-6. A playscript, sheet music, sing-along learning videos, performance tracks and backdrop artworks will all be available for free on the BBC Teach platform from 3 November 2023. The musical play has six easy-to-learn new songs for children to perform both as soloists and ensembles – allowing groups of all sizes and ages to take part. The performance-based resource pack engages children in the book’s messages through interactive sessions.

Charlie Mackesy says “I hope perhaps it opens up the world a bit more to children, giving them a deeper understanding of the messages of the book. I hope learning the lines as simple mantras will allow them to repeat them all their lives, and stay in their hearts. I hope it gives teachers and children alike, permission to explore – feel free to do what they like – perform every word faithfully; or change some lines as they see best; leave out whole scenes or just rehearse and perform one of them; workshop it, make it different or even find themselves creating a while new play all of their own. I hope they enjoy it.”

In partnership with the National Literacy Trust and Penguin Random House UK, a resource pack including Assembly Plans and Activity Packs for KS1 and KS2 has been made available in celebration of World Kindness Day (13th November). These resources link directly to the National Curriculum, in particular the PSHE Association’s programme of study, and explore ways we can show kindness to one another and invite children to think about their own wellbeing.

Partner and publisher of The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse, Penguin Random House UK, will also donate books to over 64 primary schools for a World Kindness Day “kindness drive”. A gesture followed by Puffin’s World of Stories team, who will be gifting over 450 copies of The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse: The Animated Story (published to accompany the animated short film) to teachers and librarians attending their regional networking sessions during November.

Last year the National Memorial Arboretum welcomed 296 learning visits, offering 12,750 students the opportunity to explore the 150-acres of memorials, gardens, and woodlands, helping young people to discover incredible stories of service and sacrifice. From interactive Explorer Days, to tailored tours of our grounds or participation in an Act of Remembrance, the inspiring landscape at the National Memorial Arboretum and multi-functional classroom spaces is a perfect setting for workshops and activities for students in Key Stages 2-4.

“Our specialist on-site learning team has developed a wide range of cross-curricular activities for learning groups to discover inspirational stories about the people who have served the Nation, each with specific learning outcomes,” explains Rachel Smith, Head of Learning and Participation at the Arboretum. “We offer students activities and workshops that use our 150-acre site, rich natural landscape, breathtaking memorials, and multi-functional classroom spaces to develop an understanding of Remembrance and explore other subjects including science, literacy, and geography. The Arboretum really is a truly inspirational place to visit with your class.”

Free activity days taking place at the Arboretum this academic year include:

• National Poetry Day, 5 October 2023 (KS3-4) – working with the Arboretum’s poet in residence, students will draw upon inspiration from the Arboretum as well as the year’s chosen theme of ‘Refuge’ to create their own poetry masterpiece
• RAF STEAM takeover day, 17 October 2023 (upper KS2) – the Royal Air Force youth engagement team returns to the Arboretum with three different STEAM activities
• Black History Month activity day, 19 October 2023 (KS3-4) – students can take part in a selection of participatory activities exploring the Arboretum’s new exhibitions, exploring inter-generational stories and experiences through textiles and audio
• Remembrance activity week, 6-10 November 2023 (KS2) – giving students the opportunity to reflect on those who have served their country through arts-based workshops at the Arboretum and in schools
• Holocaust Memorial Day activity day, 26 January 2024 (Upper KS2) – students take part in workshops to learn more about the Holocaust, visit memorials and explore the importance of Remembrance
• World Book Day, 7 March 2024 (reception and lower KS1) – using Julia Donaldson’s ‘Stick Man’ as inspiration, younger students can explore the Stick Man trail around the Arboretum grounds and use natural materials to make their own stick characters
• International Women’s Day, 8 March 2024 (Years 6 and 7) – Students learn about some remarkable women by delving into the stories behind the memorials. Hands-on workshops and engaging discussions explore the attributes and aptitudes that defined these women and enabled them to identify their own skills and qualities.
• Earth Day, 22 April 2024 (KS2) – students discover the importance of protecting the natural world, create seedballs and bug hotels to increase biodiversity on their own green spaces
• Teaching Remembrance days, 2-3 July 2024 (KS2&3) – Together with the Royal British Legion, students will take part in a series of interactive indoor and outdoor activities before ending the day with a collective Act of Remembrance.

The Arboretum’s school’s activity days are free. There is a cost for other facilitated activities with the learning team and bursaries are available to help with transport costs, thanks to the Arboretum’s involvement in ‘The Great British School Trip’ initiative.

To book a school trip call, teachers can call 01283 245133 or email education@thenma.org.uk.

For more information about the school activity days, visit https://www.thenma.org.uk/visit-us/plan-your-visit/visiting-for-learning-and-training/learning-activity-days

It’s well known how important it is to get children more active. Research has shown clear links between how active children are and the state of their mental wellbeing, even down to how much they are able to concentrate and their levels of self-esteem. Path to Paris provides a fantastic opportunity to bring positive change into all aspects of children’s lives, all while bringing families, school communities, and wider communities together.

The challenge begins in Athens, the birthplace of the Olympic Games. From there, children will embark on a virtual journey around the world in a team bus, completing fun activities as they explore different places on their way to the Paris Games. Every physical activity logged will earn kilometres to power their virtual team bus to its final destination. Whether it’s jumping on the trampoline in the garden, playing wheelchair basketball, attending a weekly judo club, or dancing around the living room as a family, it all counts, so everyone can get involved and get their hearts racing doing something they enjoy.

As well as getting active, children will learn about athletes and their sports, the history of the Games, and can also win incredible prizes as they complete the Path to Paris. The prizes range from sports equipment to support them to get and stay active, posters and stickers to help them track their progress, and even exclusive school visits from Olympic and Paralympic athletes! Team members might also get shout outs on social media from athletes, or win awards for their outstanding achievements, whether individually or as a family.
Path to Paris uses a gamified approach designed to inspire and excite children to take part and keep moving. There are lots of motivational activities and videos to encourage them to stay active and build healthy habits, and in doing so, power their virtual team bus to Paris before the start of the Games.

Jamie Piggins of Team GB said: “The Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games will inspire the nation, with the best British athletes providing incredible performances on the global stage. The Path to Paris programme will allow young people from across Great Britain and Northern Ireland to feel closer to these unforgettable moments by taking part in physical activity, meeting inspirational athletes, and learning more about the Olympic and Paralympic movement. Team GB hopes to contribute to the health of the nation, so we are delighted to see Path to Paris launch and look forward to the positive impact it has.”

David Clarke OBE PLY, ParalympicsGB CEO, said: “We’re proud to be part of Path to Paris, and believe it will encourage and inspire all children and young people to embrace a more active lifestyle, whatever activity it is they enjoy. We’re excited that as part of this programme there will be a focus on disabled children and their families helping to inspire and support them to take part in more physical activity. We think it will have significant social impact across the country, as children embrace the values of the Paralympic Games, build active networks with their families and communities, and form regular habits so they continue an active lifestyle long after the 2024 Games are over.”

Kathryn McColl, Director of Marketing, Strategy, and Impact at EVERFI from Blackbaud, said: “It has been a privilege to work with the Get Set programme for the last decade, and help launch amazing programmes like Path to Paris, which can make such a difference to people’s lives. We look forward to seeing the success of Path to Paris over the next year, and how it will help encourage children to get moving more – and have fun at the same time!”

Path to Paris is easy for schools to activate and fits in perfectly with the curriculum, with key links to PE, PSHE/health and wellbeing, Geography, and History.

Get your school, community group, or family involved now, so you’re ready to begin your journey to Paris! Learn more at www.getset.co.uk/pathtoparis

To save you time, Pearson has created free, downloadable teaching resources packed with French, Spanish and German activities.

Their Pick and Mix editable PowerPoint presentation provides quick quizzes, tasks, research projects and homework ideas, while the European Day of Languages PDF will help your learners celebrate languages and cultures with even more activities for your students.

Click here to download these free resources and celebrate the wonderful world of modern languages!

Focus-Trust’s Pupil Parliament consists of pupils who have been elected by their peers to represent their school at the trust level. The ‘7 Musts of Focus-Trust’ began as a recent Pupil Parliament project, inspired by books such as ‘100 things to do before you grow up’.

Surveys were sent out across the schools for both children and staff, all voting for their top ten out of a long list of ideas. Further discussions were held in the following meetings, and the Pupil Parliamentarians voted for their top seven ‘musts’.

The pupil-led project resulted in seven essential experiences which will become available to all children at Focus-Trust schools. A pupil representative presented the ‘7 Musts’ to all of the Focus-Trust headteachers, and the Pupil Parliament designed their very own logo.

The 7 Musts of Focus-Trust means every child in a Focus-Trust school will have the opportunity to:

1. Complete a first aid course
2. Attend Young Voices
3. Visit London
4. Undertake an environmental project
5. Visit the theatre
6. Plan a charity event
7. Complete Bike-ability

The aim of the project is to give pupils an even wider set of standard experiences to develop their social and cultural knowledge and experiences. By making these activities a ‘must’, they become a core entitlement for all, rather than an additional extra.

Each school is now planning how they will organise each of these activities from September 2023, with some having already undertaken their residential visit to London.

Andrew Marlow, Curriculum and Pedagogy Director at Focus-Trust, said: “At Focus-Trust, pupil voice is a crucial element of our work and supports our continual improvement.

“Across all our schools we actively seek out opportunities for children to share their thoughts, opinions, and ideas about their learning and experiences.

“It is important to us because it empowers our children, improves learning, fosters a culture of community, and develops important life skills”.

Focus-Trust is a charitable primary schools trust which is based in the North West of England and West Yorkshire with a vision of providing ‘great schools at the heart of our communities’ where children thrive, achieve and succeed.

Learn more: ViewSonic highlights at BETT video.

ViewSonic is committed to implementing its Ecosystem as a Service (EaaS) strategy by providing innovative visual solutions across hardware, software, services, and digital content. After being ranked first in the global interactive display market in Q4 2022 by the FutureSource, ViewSonic debuted the new 21:9 5K 105” ViewBoard at the BETT show, coupled with a conferencing camera to deliver high-quality audiovisuals, ensuring the best learning outcome in a modern learning environment.

In-class learning with digital content
With increased digitization, educators are faced with new challenges, particularly in developing and implementing content for a digital curriculum. Therefore, ViewSonic launched Originals, the newest feature for the myViewBoard platform, to provide teachers with pre-made content which enables them to create interactive digital lessons, in-class gamification, and social-emotional learning from collaborations with partners. Furthermore, the myViewBoard Manager and environment sensor box support schools in managing devices remotely and to foster an optimal learning environment.

“ViewSonic believes that technology can expand what’s possible in classrooms. The digital transition is the key to the future of education, which is why we’ve designed a range of advanced solutions that can be seamlessly integrated into learning environments of all kinds,” said Clifford Chen, General Manager of the Presentation Group at ViewSonic.

To name just a few, the company has worked with the Bardwell Primary School in Suffolk and the Heathfield Primary School and saw phenomenal educational outcomes. How the ViewBoard and myViewBoard solutions improved the digital learning environment with the former was phenomenon. The latter utilised myViewBoard Manager to help schools’ IT staff manage all ViewBoard displays remotely.

A virtual campus for online learning
With the increasing trend of hybrid learning, ViewSonic brings the benefits of in-person learning to a 3D world. Combined with intuitive controls and diverse features, the UNIVERSE – a virtual learning platform has been launched in 2022 to enhance student engagement, encourage collaboration, and foster a sense of belonging. It also helps schools to get attendance back and allows educators to teach in a more simple, interactive, and fun way.

Check out the interview with Peter Claxton, Senior Director, EdTech Solutions Europe, ViewSonic : ViewSonic at BETT 2023

ViewSonic joins hands to work with academics, partners, and teachers to increase the online learning experience. It has helped students of St. Joseph’s R.C. Primary School to foster a more immersive learning experience. In this 3D campus, teachers and students created their own avatars to interact and collaborate with others as if they were in a real classroom.

This year, new features were introduced to the UNIVERSE, including the Thematic Classroom, a more visualised way of learning for students in specific topics, and the advanced management tool for teachers to improve efficiency, and the Portfolio tool, which enables educators to access class insights such as test results, attendance, and participation records with ease to streamline class management.

Another highlight at the show was ViewSonic’s foldable 135” All-in-One LED Display Solution Kit connecting to a 24” smart podium at the show. The solution demonstrated how teachers can write and touch intuitively on the smaller display and project their work. The innovative foldable screen significantly reduces the packaging size, making transportation more convenient, easy to move between locations, and ready for immediate use. It made a perfect display solution for a range of short-term usage scenarios, such as lectures, events, and hybrid classrooms.

Looking ahead in the next half year of 2023, the company is confident of seeing its expanded EdTech solutions would help more and more educators seamlessly work together to build a whole digital-friendly teaching and learning environment. All of these are designated to drive the best education outcomes and get each child to be the best out of themselves.