The latest version of the Guide to the Law - January 2010 - is in your schools

The latest version of the Guide to the Law (January 2010) on CD Rom should have been delivered to your schools and needs to be distributed to your governors.

What’s New and Updates gives a useful list of the major amendments made to the previous edition of the guide, including:

• This edition of the guide includes a clarification of the definition of "parent" for the purposes of the Constitution Regulations. It includes a person who the child lives with and who looks after the child, irrespective of what their relationship is with the child.
• Included in the list of those a governing body may remove from office is any "associate member".
• Clarification of targets for Key Stage 4.
• The Education Regulations 2009 came into force on 1 September 2009 and requires governing bodies to ensure that the person designated as SENCO (Special Educational Needs Coordinator), who is newly appointed to the role, undertakes a nationally approved training qualification.
• Unofficial exclusions are unlawful and schools may be legally liable if they exclude pupils unofficially.