Local authority round-up 14 November 2025
14th November, 2025
Our Local Authority round up provides brief summaries of topical information on a weekly basis, to keep you aware of the changes and updates relevant to you.
Education
Ofqual announces rules for unique British Sign Language GCSE
Ofqual has set out new rules for the assessment of a new GCSE in British Sign Language (BSL). The regulations have followed a second consultation and detailed collaborative working with organisations and people across deaf and hearing communities.
Ofqual has now completed its role at this stage as qualification regulator for England. As a next stage, exam boards are invited to develop their specific offers, which would then go through Ofqual’s accreditation process.
The confirmation of these rules are designed to ensure the arrangements are appropriate for a GCSE qualification for new learners of the language, and they are as accessible as possible for students who use BSL as their first or primary language. The BSL GCSE will assess students’ ability to comprehend BSL, produce sigs accurately, interact using BSL, and demonstrate understanding of the history of BSL. The qualification includes both exams and non-exam assessments.
For more information, please click here.
Education Secretary sets roadmap to improve attendance levels
Children set to gain millions more days of learning as the Education Secretary has set every school an individual minimum attendance improvement target. This forms part of an urgent drive to restore absence to pre-pandemic levels.
2024 saw the biggest improvement in overall attendance in a decade, with the government overseeing 5.3 million more days in schools and 140,000 fewer persistently absent pupils as part of its Plan for Change. However, 1 in 3 schools are failing to improve, therefore, the Department for Education has set out a roadmap for improving attendance.
From this month, every school will be issued with AI powered minimum attendance improvement targets to ensure children are in school. The attendance baseline improvement expectation (ABIE) will be based on schools’ circumstances – including location, pupil needs and deprivation.
For more information, please click here.
Health and social care
Patients to benefit from cutting-edge NHS care from their homes
More patients are set to receive faster, more convenient care from their own homes following a rollout of new digital technologies across the NHS. It is hoped it will make care more personalised and free up appointments – up to 500,000 every year when fully operational.
This new pilot scheme across England will use monitoring and self-reporting tools through the NHS app to help patients share updates on their health directly with specialists. It will allow patients to share key health information – such as blood pressure, oxygen levels or other symptoms – without needing to travel for an appointment. It will make care more convenient, helps clinicians detect changes early, reduces pressure on hospitals and frees up time for staff to see patients who need face-to-face care the most.
The pilot scheme will focus on 5 key specialisms where technology can make the most difference: ear, nose and throat (ENT); gastroenterology; respiratory medicine; urology; cardiology. In many of these cases, patients will be able to complete digital forms and questionnaires via NHS App, unless the patient has a clinically necessary case.
For more information, please click here.
Upcoming events
Commercial Property Autumn Seminar
Join us on Wednesday 19 November from 1.30pm – 6pm as we highlight some of the hot topics which will continue to face the industry in the year to come. This seminar is for surveyors who are looking to gain expert knowledge and advice from our skilled Real Estate lawyers.
We will be covering a range of topics including:
- Landlord and tenant: applications for consent with Helen Hill and Christina Kettlewell
- Lease renewal issues with Sarah Stockdale and Richard Noble
- Overview of the use of Permitted Development to convert office use into residential use and issues of your property being an Asset of Community Value with Matthew Hills
- Property law round up with Laura Gooddy
Register your interest here.
Seminar: Procurement and Public Law Update
The challenge everyone in the public sector is facing is bedding in the new procurement rules with their increased transparency requirements.
This seminar will look at what those changes have meant in practice since both the new Act and the new NHS regime came into force and will give practical tips on how to manage procurements now.
In our Procurement and Public Law Update we will be covering a range of topics such as:
- Highlights from the transition to the Procurement Act 2023 and the NHS Procurement Selection Regime
- Latest case law
- The Transparency agenda
- Avoiding or defending a challenge
- Update on Subsidy Control
- Update on Local government reorganisation
Register here and join us for our in person Procurement and Public Law Update on Thursday 20th November between 9.30am – 12.30pm.
Webinar: Ward Hadaway Housing Management Law School – Autumn Term 2025
Join us for our Autumn 2025 Housing Management Law School, covering hot topics like the Renters’ Rights Act, which is expected to come into effect in 2026, as well as helping you ensure that your practices and procedures are fit for purpose.
You’ll also have the opportunity to put your questions to our speakers – either in advance via the registration form, or during the session using Zoom’s Q&A feature.
Book your place here to join us on Thursday 27 November 2025 between 10:00 am – 11:30 am.
Please note that this briefing is designed to be informative, not advisory and represents our understanding of English law and practice as at the date indicated. We would always recommend that you should seek specific guidance on any particular legal issue.
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