Latest news with #ChurchofEnglandSchool
BBC News
04-04-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Ludlow school pulls out of year 10 work experience scheme
A Shropshire secondary school has pulled out of a long-standing work experience scheme for year 10 Church of England School says it is becoming increasingly challenging to find employers, organise the placements and make sure pupils stay Shropshire MP Stuart Anderson has written to the school asking it to Pete Addis, from Ludlow, said his son is missing out on a valuable experience. Ludlow C.E. School has written to parents telling them that it is not running the work experience programme this year for a range of reasons. It said in recent years there have been incidents which have led to safeguarding concerns regarding Ludlow students and their location during the school school also cited the administration of the programme as another reason for its withdrawal. It said compliance and health and safety checks are a challenge. The quality of workplace experiences is the third reason. It said it is increasingly difficult to secure placements in the local area which offer a suitable, high-quality experience. Mr Addis said his son was looking forward to taking part in the work experience said: "It teaches you the responsibility of getting up for work, going to work, meeting people, building relationships... and can be a step in the right direction for maybe the career they want to do".Mr Addis, who runs a refrigeration business, said he had offered to take a work experience pupil, but got no response from the also asked the school if he could give his own son a work placement, but was told that it would be unauthorised and he surmised he would get a fine. Mr Addis contacted his MP, the Conservative member for South Shropshire, Stuart Anderson. In reply, Mr Anderson said he had written to the headteacher Mark Burton asking him to "reconsider the decision to cancel work experience for year 10 pupils". Half of all year 10 pupils in England miss out The Key Group, a school management software company, has carried out work experience research on 146,947 pupils in 756 said their analysis showed 78% of schools had work experience programmes, but only 49% of pupils had taken part in author Nicola West Jones said: "It can be really empowering for pupils at risk of being out of education, employment or training (Neet) once they leave school, especially if they come from homes where worklessness is endemic." Farm shop pauses work experience scheme Battlefield farm shop, butchery and cafe in Shrewsbury has taken many work experience pupils in the past, but said it had paused the scheme for economic and administration and director Jeremy Jagger said they were being careful as the administration of the scheme had become more onerous. "We're also keeping the staffing tighter to protect workers, but not ruling out taking pupils in the future. He said some students go on to become part-time workers which is valuable.A spokesperson for the school said: "There is no link to the removal of work experience and Mr Burton [the headteacher] leaving. The decision to not run work experience this year was made very early on."They also said that, "we intend to keep the policy under review for next year." Follow BBC Shropshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- Yahoo
Teacher loses court case over LGBT+ 'sin' comments
A Christian teacher who told pupils at a south-east London school that being LGBT+ was a "sin" and that transgender people were "just confused" has lost a High Court challenge over a finding of unprofessional conduct. Glawdys Leger made the comments to her year seven pupils during a presentation in a religious studies lesson at Bishop Justus Church of England School in Bromley, in February 2022. Ms Leger, 44, argued that a professional conduct panel (PCP) had failed to put her comments in context. But a judge has dismissed her case, saying that it was a "justifiable and proportionate sanction for her unacceptable professional conduct". Ms Leger was suspended in March 2022 before being dismissed two months later. During a class discussion on "allyship", Ms Leger said that being LGBT+ was "not fine" and that pupils should put God before LGBTQ ideology, the PCP previously found. The PCP hearing was told that Ms Leger's comments were recorded by an 11-year-old pupil, who had been advised by her mother to note down any "transphobic" remarks. The mother then complained to the school, saying Ms Leger's comments were "very distressing" for her child. In December 2023, the PCP found the teacher's actions amounted to unprofessional conduct, with the result of the case being published on the Teaching Regulation Agency's website, although she was not banned from teaching. In her legal challenge at the High Court against the Department for Education (DfE), Ms Leger argued that the school's duty to provide a broad and balanced curriculum did not apply to her as an individual teacher. In a written judgment, Mrs Justice Lang said: "The PCP and the secretary of state made a lawful decision that publication of the findings was a justifiable and proportionate sanction for her unacceptable professional conduct." Ms Leger had also argued that the decision by the PCP to publish the finding was unlawful as it infringed on her privacy and would make it "difficult, if not impossible, to obtain new employment". But Mrs Justice Lang said the PCP had been compelled to publish its finding and "went no further than it considered justified". She added: "The result was the nuanced finding that while 'Ms Leger's comments lacked respect for the right of others' this did not derive 'from a lack of a tolerance' nor had she any 'intention of causing distress to pupils'. "That said, her 'actions were at risk of upsetting pupils in the lesson' and her 'choice not to present a balanced view undermined the school community's aspiration to provide a supportive environment for children who may be exploring sexual identity'." Listen to the best of BBC Radio London on Sounds and follow BBC London on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to HM Courts and Tribunals Service
BBC News
20-03-2025
- BBC News
Christian teacher loses court case over LGBT+ 'sin' comments
A Christian teacher who told pupils at a south-east London school that being LGBT+ was a "sin" and that transgender people were "just confused" has lost a High Court challenge over a finding of unprofessional Leger made the comments to her year seven pupils during a presentation in a religious studies lesson at Bishop Justus Church of England School in Bromley, in February Leger, 44, argued that a professional conduct panel (PCP) had failed to put her comments in a judge has dismissed her case, saying that it was a "justifiable and proportionate sanction for her unacceptable professional conduct". Comments recorded by pupil Ms Leger was suspended in March 2022 before being dismissed two months later. During a class discussion on "allyship", Ms Leger said that being LGBT+ was "not fine" and that pupils should put God before LGBTQ ideology, the PCP previously found. The PCP hearing was told that Ms Leger's comments were recorded by an 11-year-old pupil, who had been advised by her mother to note down any "transphobic" mother then complained to the school, saying Ms Leger's comments were "very distressing" for her December 2023, the PCP found the teacher's actions amounted to unprofessional conduct, with the result of the case being published on the Teaching Regulation Agency's website, although she was not banned from her legal challenge at the High Court against the Department for Education (DfE), Ms Leger argued that the school's duty to provide a broad and balanced curriculum did not apply to her as an individual teacher. 'Nuanced finding' In a written judgment, Mrs Justice Lang said: "The PCP and the secretary of state made a lawful decision that publication of the findings was a justifiable and proportionate sanction for her unacceptable professional conduct."Ms Leger had also argued that the decision by the PCP to publish the finding was unlawful as it infringed on her privacy and would make it "difficult, if not impossible, to obtain new employment".But Mrs Justice Lang said the PCP had been compelled to publish its finding and "went no further than it considered justified".She added: "The result was the nuanced finding that while 'Ms Leger's comments lacked respect for the right of others' this did not derive 'from a lack of a tolerance' nor had she any 'intention of causing distress to pupils'."That said, her 'actions were at risk of upsetting pupils in the lesson' and her 'choice not to present a balanced view undermined the school community's aspiration to provide a supportive environment for children who may be exploring sexual identity'."
