You may wish to consider sector specific requirements for teachers performing a Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENCO) role in a school, such as: • all state-funded mainstream schools in England, including maintained schools, academies and free schools must employ a teacher with qualified teacher status in the SENCO role. Alternatively, the headteacher or academy principal can be appointed as SENCO (see Children and Families Act 2014, s 67 and Governance handbook, s 6.5.12) • if a newly-appointed SENCO has not been a SENCO before, or has not been one for more than 12 months (in the current school or any other mainstream school),

1 Introduction 1.1 This policy sets out the Company’s homeworking arrangements that may be implemented from time to time on a temporary basis in response to government recommendations and requirements in relation to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. 1.2 These homeworking arrangements are exceptional and their implementation does not guarantee any right to work from home indefinitely. 1.3 [ [For details of our policy in relation to homeworking on a regular full-time or part-time basis, see our [Homeworking policy].] [For details of our policy on hybrid working, where staff attend the workplace for part of their working time and work from home or another suitable remote location for part of their working time, see our [Hybrid working policy]. ] [Where an employee is making a request for home or hybrid working that constitutes a statutory flexible working request, it will be dealt with under our [Flexible working policy].] ] 1.4 This policy applies to all employees, workers and contractors. 1.5 This policy does not form part of any contract of employment and the Company may amend it at any time. 2 Homeworking 2.1 ‘Homeworking’ for these purposes means working from your home, or another suitable

The National Crime Agency (NCA) has announced that Jogesh Bhandari, Craig Morris and Meenakashi Bhandari were convicted at Leicester Crown Court on 15 July 2026, following an investigation into a series of fraudulent personal protective equipment (PPE) deals carried out during the coronavirus pandemic. Between 2020 and 2021, Jogesh Bhandari, who owned and controlled a company involved in the scheme, fraudulently obtained millions of US dollars by falsely claiming he could supply PPE. The offending involved the use of forged financial documents and a fraudulent escrow arrangement operated by co-conspirator Frank Labruzzo, who was previously convicted in the US. According to the NCA, the proceeds of the fraud were used to repay personal debts and fund luxury purchases, including vehicles, jewellery, travel and home improvements. Meenakashi Bhandari was convicted of money laundering for handling the criminal proceeds, while Craig Morris was convicted for his role in the fraudulent transactions. The three defendants are due to be sentenced on 21 August 2026.

Tiered restrictions from 2 December Although the measures of England’s second national lockdown in November eased the burden on the NHS, it was not been eradicated and a new mutation spreading rapidly. The NHS remained under pressure with some hospitals treating more patients now than at the peak of the first wave of coronavirus (COVID-19). Therefore, modified regional Tiered restrictions have been introduced by the Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (All Tiers) (England) Regulations 2020, SI 2020/1374. These restrictions will be in force from the beginning of 2 December 2020 to 2 February 2021, and revoke all relevant provisions of England’s national restrictions. The previous national restrictions were in force until 2 December 2020 (see: Health Protection (Coronavirus) (Restrictions) (England) (No 4) Regulations 2020, SI 2020/1200, regs 1(2), 23(1)). For current restrictions, see Practice Note: Coronavirus (COVID-19)—keeping up with restrictions for licensed premises in England [Archived]. On 19 December 2020, in response to the new coronavirus variant and rising levels of infection, the government announced tougher restrictions for parts of England

General guidance regarding the implications of coronavirus (COVID-19) on dispute resolution can be found in Practice Note: Coronavirus (COVID-19) implications for dispute resolution [Archived]. In response to the current coronavirus pandemic, a new Practice Direction 51ZA (CPR PD 51ZA) has been implemented to make provisions for parties to agree extensions of time to comply with procedural time limits set out within the CPR, Practice Directions and court orders. CPR PD 51ZA is effective from 2 April

Law360, London: Two Premier League clubs have hammered out a settlement with their insurers over a multimillion-pound lawsuit on coronavirus (COVID-19) business interruption claims.

Coronavirus (COVID-19): In addition to the below content on force majeure generally, see also: • Coronavirus (COVID-19) toolkit—Contracts • Coronavirus (COVID-19) and contractual obligations—checklist together with the Q&As (in the related content pod on the right hand side) for specific guidance on the issues to consider if your contract is impacted by coronavirus. Force Majeure means an event or sequence of events beyond a party’s reasonable control preventing or delaying it from performing its obligations under this Agreement. [Insert circumstance not constituting force majeure eg Inability to pay] is not Force Majeure. Definition—Force Majeure (long form) Force Majeure means any event or sequence of events beyond a party’s reasonable control[ and that could not have been reasonably anticipated or avoided] and

Law360, London: The operator of the Dirty Martini cocktail bar chain has settled its £4m claim against a Maltese insurer for losses it claimed to have suffered during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

In accordance with the Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (All Tiers) (England) Regulations 2020, SI 2020/1374 (as amended), current Cabinet Office guidance: National lockdown: Stay at Home, makes it clear that an individual is not permitted to leave or be outside of their home except where they have a ‘reasonable excuse’. Anyone contravening the law can be fined up to a maximum of £6,400. For further information about the legislative underpinning of the most recent national lockdown provisions on 6 January 2021, see: • the Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (No 3) and (All Tiers) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2021, SI 2021/8 • the

We have assumed that the landlord is not a social landlord. There are broadly two limitations on residential possession action as a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. First, the period of notice required to be given to most residential tenants has been extended. Specifically in relation to 'ground 14' applicable to assured tenancies, section 81 and paragraph 6 of Schedule 29 to the Coronavirus Act 2020 amend section 8(4) of the Housing Act 1988. It now provides that: ‘If a notice under this section specifies in accordance with subsection (3)(a) above Ground 14 in Schedule 2 to this Act [(whether without other grounds or with any ground

Law360, London: A London appeals judge has dismissed an insurance claims adjustor's case that his employer's policy on mask-wearing during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic was discriminatory because of his belief in 'bodily autonomy'.

Law360, London: The UK Supreme Court has agreed to hear an appeal in a controversial case in which insurers effectively pocketed state subsidies intended for businesses during the coronavirus (COVID–19) pandemic.