Articles
- Articles
High Court confirms TUPE transfer does not trigger early pension entitlement
18 Mar 2026The High Court has confirmed that a TUPE transfer does not amount to “compulsory retirement”, redundancy or reorganisation for the purposes of triggering early payment of pension benefits.
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The impact of the Education Estates Strategy on colleges and post-16 education
16 Mar 2026The Department for Education (DfE) published its Education Estates Strategy: A Decade of National Renewal in February 2026. This strategy outlines the government’s long-term approach to managing and improving education buildings across England. It includes further education (FE) colleges and sixth-form colleges within the national education estate, which collectively account for 9 million square metres of publicly funded internal space.
The strategy marks a significant shift in addressing decades of underinvestment in school and college buildings. It introduces a systematic approach to estate governance, lifecycle planning, and data-driven investment, aiming to improve not only capital funding but also governance structures, estate management capabilities, and the alignment of infrastructure with skills policy.
- Articles
Recruitment and probation under the Employment Rights Act 2025
16 Mar 2026The Employment Rights Act 2025 (the Act) is set to introduce significant reforms that will reshape the legal framework for employers. For colleges, one of the most important areas of change will be the rules governing unfair dismissal. These reforms, due to come into force on 1 January 2027, will have important implications for recruitment, probation management and early-stage employment decisions across the further education sector.
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SEND reform and the Schools White Paper: implications for the further education sector
16 Mar 2026The Government’s Schools White Paper Every Child Achieving and Thriving (2026), alongside the wider SEND reform programme, represents one of the most significant proposed changes to SEND provision since the Children and Families Act 2014. While the policy narrative is largely school-focused, the reforms will have substantial legal and operational implications for the further education (FE) sector, which supports thousands of young people with SEND aged 16–25 as they transition into adulthood. The White Paper should lay the ground for improvement in young people's journeys through the education system into the future.
- Articles
Delegated healthcare activities and CQC compliance: where providers can get caught out
16 Mar 2026Recent commentary from the Care Quality Commission ("CQC") is a timely reminder that adult social care providers need clear local arrangements for delegated healthcare activities ("DHT"), particularly where services are registered for the regulated activity of personal care only and not for treatment of disease, disorder or injury ("TDDI").
- Articles
Business Relief and healthcare professionals: planning ahead for the new rules
16 Mar 2026Healthcare professionals who own practices or business interests should review their estate planning ahead of the upcoming changes to Business Relief. Understanding the upcoming changes can help protect business value and minimise inheritance tax exposure.
