News

We wanted to highlight an important requirement contained in the Academy Trust Handbook 2026, effective from 1 October 2026, which places specific restrictions on confidentiality clauses in staff settlement agreements.  Where a settlement includes a special staff severance payment, a confidentiality clause is considered novel, contentious or repercussive and must not be used unless prior … Read more

Schools are still waiting for publication of the final School Teachers’ Pay and Conditions Document (STPCD) 2026, which must complete the statutory process before pay policies can be updated and issued in final form. Expected Timeline Date / period Expected step 23 September 2026 Government consultation on the draft STPCD 2026 closed. Around 16 October … Read more

The Department for Education has updated its guidance on setting executive salaries for academy trusts, alongside the Academy Trust Handbook 2026. The changes introduce direct DfE oversight of certain senior pay decisions and take effect from 1st October 2026. Key changes

On 22 September 2026, the government published its response to the consultation on bereavement leave which confirms that: Make Work Pay: leave for bereavement including pregnancy loss – GOV.UK

1 October 2026 Employment Tribunal claims: the time limit for bringing most claims will increase from three months to six months. The ACAS conciliation period is now 12 weeks.  Taking account of delays in Tribunals processing claim forms means claims may not be received by employers until sometimes a year after the event. 30 October … Read more

The Employment Rights Act 2025 is being implemented in phases across 2026 and 2027 and represents one of the most substantial reforms to UK employment law in recent years. 1. Statutory Sick PayFrom April 2026, Statutory Sick Pay is payable from the first day of sickness absence and the lower earnings threshold has been removed. … Read more

Cook Lawyers invite you to attend one of our FREE upcoming breakfast seminars which is aimed exclusively at schools and colleges for Headteachers, Senior Leaders and School Business Managers.  We are a team of experienced Employment Lawyers and HR Professionals that specialise in advising schools and colleges. We currently work with over 150 schools and colleges. Our seminars will … Read more

The Department for Education has now published Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE) 2026, which comes into force on 1 September 2026. Whilst many of the changes are clarifications rather than major reforms, there are several important updates that schools should review and incorporate into their safeguarding and safer recruitment arrangements before the start of … Read more

The Department for Education has confirmed that the Education Secretary has accepted in full the recommendations of the School Teachers’ Review Body (STRB) regarding teacher pay for the next two years. The confirmed pay awards are: The DfE have confirmed schools will be expected to fund the first 1% of each annual pay award from … Read more

In line with ACAS guidance on industrial action, employees who take part in lawful strike action are protected in law, although they are not entitled to pay for the period, they are on strike. Schools should therefore ensure accurate records are kept of any staff who do not attend work on the strike day, with … Read more