Skip to main content

Cookies

We use cookies to help provide a better website experience for you, as well as to understand how people use our website and to provide relevant advertising.

By clicking "I agree", you'll be letting us use cookies to improve your website experience. To find out more or to change your cookie preferences, click "Manage Cookies".

We value your privacy

Like many other websites, our website uses cookies. Cookies are small files placed on your computer when you visit our site. They serve a number of purposes, including ensuring that certain parts of the website work properly, allowing us to understand which areas of our website are the most popular and allowing us to provide more relevant advertising messages. They don't allow us to identify you specifically and no personal data is gathered about you.

If you'd prefer that cookies weren't placed on your computer when you visit our site, you can use the controls below to allow or disallow different types of cookie. Some cookies are essential for the website to work, so they can't be disallowed.

  • These cookies give us anonymised information on how people use our website. We use these cookies to help us tailor our site to meet the needs of our visitors, for example by making sure our most popular pages are easy to find.

  • These cookies serve a number of purposes, such as allowing you to share our content with your friends and social networks. We also use these cookies to provide targeted advertising, so you may see relevant adverts based on the pages you look at on our website.

  • About
  • News & Insights
  • Careers
  • International
  • ESG
0370 1500 100
Dialog that contains search functionality
Irwin Mitchell Logo
  • Personal
    • Personal
    • Personal Home
    • Personal Injury Claims
      • Personal Injury Claims
      • Personal Injury Claims Home
      • Abuse & Criminal Injury Claims
      • Accidents In Public Places Claims
      • Accident At Work Claims
      • Air, Rail & Maritime Claims
      • Asbestos & Mesothelioma Claims
      • Changing Solicitors During a Personal Injury Claim
      • Group Claims
      • Holiday Accidents & Illness Claims
      • Illness Compensation Claims
      • Industrial Disease Claims
      • Injury Types
      • Military Injury Compensation Claims
      • No Win No Fee Personal Injury Claims
      • Personal Injury Claims In Scotland
      • Personal Injury Information
      • How To Claim Compensation For Personal Injury
      • Product Liability Claims
      • Rehabilitation & Medical Care
      • Road Traffic Accident Claims
      • Serious Injury Claims
      • Who Can Help?
      • Support Services
    • Medical Negligence Claims
      • Medical Negligence Claims
      • Medical Negligence Claims Home
      • Cancer Misdiagnosis Claims
      • Birth Injury Claims
      • Cauda Equina Syndrome Claims
      • Cosmetic Surgery Claims
      • Cerebral Palsy Claims
      • Defective Medical Device Claims
      • Dental Negligence Claims
      • Diabetes Claims
      • Fatal Medical Negligence Claims & Inquests
      • GP Negligence Claims
      • Hospital Negligence Claims
      • What Is Medical Negligence?
      • Meningitis Misdiagnosis Claims
      • Failure To Prevent Suicide Claims
      • Misdiagnosis Claims
      • Ophthalmic Negligence Claims
      • Pregnancy & Gynaecology Injury Claims
      • Sepsis Negligence Claims
      • Shrewsbury & Telford Hospital NHS Trust Maternity Care Claims
      • Stroke Misdiagnosis Claims
      • Surgery Compensation Claims
    • Counselling
      • Counselling
      • Counselling Home
      • Counselling Myths Dispelled
    • Family Law
      • Family Law
      • Family Law Home
      • Divorce Solicitors
      • Prenuptial & Postnuptial Agreement Solicitors
      • Child Abduction Solicitors
      • Civil Partnership Solicitors
      • LGBT+ Family Law Solicitors
      • Unmarried Couples' Rights
      • Divorce Financial Settlement Solicitors
      • Child Arrangement Orders
      • Family Mediation Lawyers
      • Out Of Court Divorce Solicitors
      • Separation Agreement Solicitors
      • Adoption & Surrogacy Solicitors
    • Wills, Trusts & Estates
      • Wills, Trusts & Estates
      • Wills, Trusts & Estates Home
      • Estate Planning Solicitors
      • Powers Of Attorney
      • Trusts
      • Will Writing Services
      • Will Disputes & Contentious Probate
    • Conveyancing & Property Solicitors
      • Conveyancing & Property Solicitors
      • Conveyancing & Property Solicitors Home
      • Conveyancing Fees Calculator
      • Buying A Property
      • Selling A Property
      • Remortgage
      • Transfer Of Equity
      • Buy To Let
      • Absentee Landlord & Freeholder Tracing Service
      • Freehold Purchase (Leasehold Enfranchisement) Solicitors
      • Lease Extension Solicitors
      • Conveyancing Guide
      • Our Prices - Residential Conveyancing for properties valued above £500,000
    • Tax
      • Tax
      • Tax Home
      • Business Tax
      • Inheritance Tax
      • International Tax
      • Professional Negligence
      • HMRC Tax Investigations
      • Tax Disputes & Litigation
      • Tax Residence
      • Tax Returns & Compliance
      • Wealth Structuring
    • Probate
      • Probate
      • Probate Home
      • International Probate
      • Probate Sale Conveyancing
      • What Is Probate & How Does It Work?
    • Will, Trust & Estate Disputes
      • Will, Trust & Estate Disputes
      • Will, Trust & Estate Disputes Home
      • Trust Disputes
      • Inheritance Act Claims
      • Contesting A Will
      • Contentious Probate
      • Pre-Death Agreements
      • Professional Negligence
      • Challenging A Lifetime Gift
      • Financial Abuse
      • Statutory Will Disputes
      • Defending A Contested Will
    • Employment Solicitors
      • Employment Solicitors
      • Employment Solicitors Home
      • Employment Contract Solicitors
      • Employment Disputes
      • Dismissal & Redundancy Solicitors
      • Employment Discrimination Solicitors
      • Employment Lawyers for Legal Expenses Insurance
      • Harassment & Bullying At Work Solicitors
      • Parental & Family Friendly Employment Rights
      • Professional Discipline Solicitors
      • Recruitment & Promotion
      • Senior Executive Employment Lawyers
      • Settlement Agreements
      • Whistleblowing Solicitors
    • Elderly Legal Services
    • Protecting Your Rights
      • Protecting Your Rights
      • Protecting Your Rights Home
      • Actions Against The Police
      • Environmental & Planning Law
      • Assessment & Treatment Unit Solicitors
      • Data Protection Breach Claims
      • Education Law
      • Healthcare & Social Services
      • Human Rights
      • Judicial Review
      • Mental Capacity
      • Motoring Offences Legal Advice
      • Professional Regulation & Discipline
      • Dispute Resolution
      • Legal Aid
    • Immigration Solicitors
      • Immigration Solicitors
      • Immigration Solicitors Home
      • British Citizenship & Naturalisation Solicitors
      • EU & EEA Immigration Solicitors
      • Indefinite Leave To Remain Solicitors
      • Spouse Visa Solicitors
      • Innovator Visa
      • Tier 1 Entrepreneur Visa
      • Permanent Residence Solicitors
      • Tier 1 Investor Visa
      • Business Immigration Solicitors
    • Crime & Investigations
      • Crime & Investigations
      • Crime & Investigations Home
      • Crime
      • Fraud & Financial Crime
      • Court Martial Solicitors
      • Motoring Offences Legal Advice
      • Regulatory Investigations & Enforcement
    • Insolvency
      • Insolvency
      • Insolvency Home
      • Business Restructuring & Insolvency
      • Debt Consultancy
      • Insolvency Disputes & Litigation
    • Court Of Protection
      • Court Of Protection
      • Court Of Protection Home
      • Court Of Protection Deputyship
      • Personal Injury Trusts
      • Court Of Protection Problems & Disputes
      • Healthcare and Social Services
      • Frequently Asked Questions
      • Powers Of Attorney
      • Powers Of Attorney Disputes
      • Statutory Wills And Trusts
    • Agriculture & Rural Business
    • Landed Estates
    • Family Offices
  • Wealth Management
    • Wealth Management
    • Wealth Management Home
    • Asset Management For Personal Injury
    • Charity & Philanthropy
    • Estate Planning
    • Ethical & Sustainable Investing
    • Financial Planning
    • Intergenerational Wealth Management
    • Investment Management
    • Retirement Financial Planning
    • Succession Planning
    • Tax Planning
  • Business
    • Business
    • Business Home
    • Sectors
      • Sectors
      • Sectors Home
      • Agriculture & Rural Business
      • Retail, Leisure & Hospitality
      • Education
      • Financial & Professional Services
      • Landed Estates
      • Manufacturing
      • Media & Entertainment
      • Real Estate
      • Sport
      • Technology & Communications
    • Banking & Finance
      • Banking & Finance
      • Banking & Finance Home
      • Corporate Banking
      • Funds
      • Leveraged & Acquisition Finance
      • Real Estate Finance
      • Receivables Finance & Asset Based Lending
    • Business Crime
      • Business Crime
      • Business Crime Home
      • Anti-Bribery & Corruption
      • Asset Tracing & Recovery
      • Cartels & Illegal Price Fixing
      • Cybercrime
      • Dawn Raids
      • Deferred Prosecution Agreements
      • Extradition
      • INTERPOL Red Notices
      • Mutual Legal Assistance
      • Private Prosecution
      • Proceeds Of Crime Act
      • Unexplained Wealth Orders
      • Fraud Lawyers
      • Insider Trading & Market Abuse
      • Corporate Internal Investigations
    • Business Immigration
      • Business Immigration
      • Business Immigration Home
      • Business Visitor Visa
      • Innovator Visa
      • Prevention Of Illegal Working
      • Sole Representative Of An Overseas Business
      • Tier 1 Entrepreneur Visa
      • Tier 1 Investor Visa
      • Tier 2 & 5 Sponsor Licence
      • Tier 2 Visa
      • Tier 4 Sponsor Licence
    • Commercial
      • Commercial
      • Commercial Home
      • Commercial Contracts
      • Competition Law
      • GDPR & Data Protection
      • Information Technology
      • Media & Entertainment
      • Sourcing
      • Licensing
      • Notary Public Solicitors
    • Commercial Litigation & Dispute Resolution
      • Commercial Litigation & Dispute Resolution
      • Commercial Litigation & Dispute Resolution Home
      • Banking & Finance Litigation
      • Business Interruption Insurance Lawyers
      • Contract Disputes
      • Commercial Judicial Review
      • Defamation & Reputation Management
      • International & Cross-Border Disputes
      • Litigation Funding
      • Our Prices - Commercial Debt Recovery
      • Professional Negligence
    • Corporate
      • Corporate
      • Corporate Home
      • Corporate Advisory
      • Equity Capital Markets
      • Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A)
      • Private Equity
    • Costs Team
    • Environmental, Social & Governance
      • Environmental, Social & Governance
      • Environmental, Social & Governance Home
      • Environment
      • Social
      • Governance
      • International
      • ESG Legal Advisory Services
      • Cyber Security
      • Diversity & Inclusion
      • Legislation Library
      • ESG Media Library
      • Sports Sector
      • Manufacturing Sector
      • Real Estate Sector
      • Retail, Leisure & Hospitality Sector
    • Employment Law
      • Employment Law
      • Employment Law Home
      • Business Immigration
      • Employment Contracts, Policies & Procedures
      • Disciplinary & Grievance
      • Employee & Industrial Relations
      • Employment Lawyers for Legal Expenses Insurance
      • Employment Litigation & Dispute Resolution
      • Equality, Diversity & Discrimination
      • Flexible Working Arrangements
      • Health & Safety
      • HR Advice Service - IMhrplus
      • Managing Sickness Absence
      • Pensions
      • Recruitment
      • Restrictive Covenants
      • Restructuring & Redundancy
      • Self Employment, Contractors & Agency Workers
      • Employment Seminars, Training & Updates
      • TUPE
    • In-House Counsel
    • Intellectual Property
      • Intellectual Property
      • Intellectual Property Home
      • Defamation & Reputation Management
      • Copyright Lawyers
      • Design Rights Lawyers
      • Image Rights Lawyers
      • IP Audits
      • Online Marketplace Seller Account Or Listing Suspensions
      • Stopping IP Infringement By Sellers On Online Marketplaces
      • Patent Lawyers
      • Trade Mark Lawyers
      • Trade Secrets Lawyers
    • Legal Helpline
    • Pensions
      • Pensions
      • Pensions Home
      • Employment
      • Managing Death Benefit Trusts
    • Regulatory & Compliance
      • Regulatory & Compliance
      • Regulatory & Compliance Home
      • Road Transport & Operator Compliance
      • GDPR & Data Protection
      • Regulatory Investigations
      • Environment & Safety Regulatory Compliance
      • Financial Services Regulation
    • Real Estate
      • Real Estate
      • Real Estate Home
      • Corporate Occupiers
      • Real Estate Development and Regeneration
      • Construction & Engineering
      • Environmental
      • Real Estate Finance
      • Real Estate Investment
      • Later Living & Care
      • Planning
      • Property Litigation & Real Estate Disputes
      • Real Estate Tax
      • Residential Development
      • Strategic Land
      • Structured Real Estate
    • Restructuring & Insolvency
      • Restructuring & Insolvency
      • Restructuring & Insolvency Home
      • Corporate Insolvency
      • Partnership Insolvency
      • Directors' Duties
      • Restructuring Plans
      • Restructuring
    • Tax
      • Tax
      • Tax Home
      • Corporate Tax
      • Real Estate Tax
      • Tax Investigations
  • People
    • People
    • People Home
    • Search By Name
    • Search By Location
    • Search By Expertise
    • Business Management
  • Offices
    • Offices
    • Offices Home
    • Birmingham
    • Bristol
    • Cambridge
    • Cardiff
    • Chichester
    • Gatwick
    • Glasgow
    • Leeds
    • Liverpool
    • London
    • Manchester
    • Middlesbrough
    • Newbury
    • Newcastle
    • Reading
    • Sheffield
    • Southampton
  • Contact
  • About
  • News & Insights
  • Careers
  • International
  • ESG
Irwin Mitchell Logo
Dialog with Irwin Mitchell phone number
Call us on 0370 1500 100

We're here 24/7, 365 days a year.

  • Home
  • News & Insights
  • Newsletters
  • Education Update
  • June 2018: News in brief

June 2018: News in brief

Business leaders urged to help run schools

Schools need help from leading businesses to offset skills shortages on their governing bodies, according to Education Secretary Damian Hinds.  

The National Governors' Association says about 10% of school governor and trustee posts in England are empty, with larger shortages in poor areas.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-44413896

Funding for 16-18 students to drop to a 30 year low

Analysis conducted by the Institute for Fiscal Studies shows that spending per student in Further Education (FE) and school sixth forms will drop to the same level as 30 years ago by 2020. It also found that there has been a 15-20% real time cut in total spending on this group since 2010.

The Children’s Commissioner commissioned the report, which can be found here: https://www.childrenscommissioner.gov.uk/publication/public-spending-on-children/

Employment claims continue to increase

Employment tribunal fees were abolished last year. Since then, the number of employment claims has steadily increased. This has resulted in severe delays as the tribunal service struggles to keep pace. 

The Ministry of Justice has published its most recent quarterly statistics for the period January 2018 to March 2018. Compared to the same period last year (when fees were in place), single claims have increased by 118% – single claims are defined as those made by an individual relating to alleged breaches of their employment rights.

In particular, unauthorised deductions from wage claims have seen a significant surge – indicating that now fees are no longer a barrier, individuals are willing to issue relatively low value claims, such as underpayment of holiday.

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/tribunals-and-gender-recognitions-certificates-statistics-quarterly-january-to-march-2018

Menopausal woman awarded £19,000 following discrimination

The Sunday Herald has reported that a woman who (ironically) worked for the Scottish Courts and Tribunal Service suffered disability discrimination.

Ms Davies was sacked following an incident involving a water jug that she used to dissolve tablets prescribed to help her with cystitis. At the time, she had substantial medical problems related to menopause, with symptoms including heavy bleeding, along with stress, anxiety, palpitations, memory loss, and pins and needles in her hands and feet.  She also endured tiredness, light-headedness, and was at a risk of fainting.

The tribunal found that these symptoms amounted to a disability and her employer had failed to consider the impact of her disability on her conduct. It ordered the employer to reinstate her to the position she had held for over 20 years and to pay her compensation.

The case demonstrates that menopause is not a disability in itself, but its side effects can be.

http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/16245132.Woman_s_menopause_ruled_a_disability_in___19_000_tribunal_claim/

Numbers of new apprenticeships down by 28%

The government has released new statistics that reveal that the number of new apprenticeships has dropped by 28% – to 261,200 – in comparison to last year.

Since April 2017, employers with a payroll of over £3 million have been required to pay 0.5% of their payroll costs to HMRC to fund the Apprenticeship Levy. It was anticipated that the funds collected would be used by organisations to recruit new apprentices. However, the scheme has been criticised as being overly bureaucratic, and operating in reality as another tax.

Our May News in Brief reported that Think Tank Reform believed that the Levy has also “diminished the quality of apprenticeships,” and it made a number of recommendations to improve the scheme.

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/apprenticeship-and-levy-statistics-june-2018

Government publishes guidance on dress codes and sex discrimination

The Government Equalities Office has published new guidance on dress codes that reminds employers that dress policies for men and women do not have to be identical, but standards imposed should be equivalent.

It also warns that requiring any gender-specific items, such as high heels, make up or manicured nails are likely to be unlawful.

It also warns against requiring both men and women to dress provocatively as, whilst that might not be direct sex discrimination, it raises the risk of harassment.

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/709535/dress-code-guidance-may2018-2.pdf

Acas publishes new guidance on religion and belief

Acas has launched new Guidance on Religion and Belief to help prevent discrimination at work. As well as an explanation of the law, it contains practical guidance on a variety of issues including:

Talking about religion at work

  • Unacceptable language
  • Food and fasting
  • Washing and changing rooms.

http://www.acas.org.uk/index.aspx?articleid=1856

For general enquiries

0370 1500 100

Or we can call you back at a time of your choice

Phone lines are open 24/7, 365 days a year

Contact us today

For a free initial consultation

Freephone

0370 1500 100

Prefer not to call?

Use our form

This data will only be used by Irwin Mitchell for processing your query and for no other purpose.

Jenny Arrowsmith Partner Meet the team

About Irwin Mitchell

Founded in Sheffield in 1912, Irwin Mitchell has always been a bit different. Our advisers really get to know the people and business that we help.

It's what we call 'expert hand, human touch'.

We have offices around the UK so wherever you are, our experts can help.

Contact Us

Give us a ring to speak to a member of our team in the strictest confidence. Or you can fill out our contact form and we'll ring you back.

0370 1500 100

Our phone lines are open 24/7, 365 days a year

Get a call back

Fill in your details below and we'll be in touch as soon as possible

This data will only be used by Irwin Mitchell for processing your query and for no other purpose.

  • Contact
  • 0370 1500 100
  • Contact Irwin Mitchell
  • Social Media
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • YouTube
  • LinkedIn
  • Instagram
  • About Irwin Mitchell
  • About Us
  • Social Responsibility
  • Careers
  • Business Management
  • Alumni Programme
  • SRA Regulated
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Accessibility
  • Privacy & Security
  • Hoaxes
  • Modern Slavery Act Statement 2021
  • Manage Cookie Settings

© 2023  Irwin Mitchell LLP

Irwin Mitchell LLP is authorised & regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority. Our Regulatory Information

Dialog that contains a form to request a callback.

Request A Callback

Enter you details below and we'll call you back, at a time of your choice

Preferred date*
Today
Tomorrow

This data will only be used by Irwin Mitchell for processing your query and for no other purpose.