It has been said, by the Education Minister, that it would be “extremely likely” that there could be a phased re-opening of schools in Northern Ireland in September, at the start of what would be a new educational year.

However, Peter Weir said that he would be criteria led and not data led.

He went on to add that any decision to be made would need to reflect the executive’s wider plan for recovery from the Covid-19 virus.

“A number of practical measures need to be addressed”, he said.

Under the draft proposals being worked out by officials, crèches for children of non-essential workers will not open until the later stages of the phased plan to ease the coronavirus restrictions.

The reopening of schools, colleges and other education facilities are part of the plans that are being worked on by the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET), with the phasing of the plan to lift restrictions being broken down as:

Initial phase
Early phase stage one
Early phase stage two
Middle phase and
Late phase

The latter two phases could be broken down into more phases.

While the latest drafts of the document do not specify dates, earlier drafts spaced the phases out into periods between early May and September.

The head of England’s school’s watchdog, Ofsted, Amanda Spielman, has said that it is in the best interests of children for them to “return to school as soon as possible”.

She told a panel of MPs that home and online learning were “imperfect substitutes for school”.

But she did, however, cknowledge that adult health and infection risk needed to be considered.

Ms Spielman also said that she expected to see a risk in the number of children needing some form of social care in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

England’s Education Secretary, Gavin Williams, said that no date has been set for schools to reopen for pupils other than for children of key workers, as well as those considered vulnerable - certain thresholds in the fight against coronavirus will have to be met.

The United Kingdom’s Chief Medical Officer, Chris Whitty, said that the reinfection rate was near to 3 where schools were closed to children in March.

Now it is below 1.

Professor Whitty said that experts were currently trying to establish what the impact of children returning to school would be on the reinfection rate.

He said: “Whilst it remains the case, we think that the contribution of children at school is probably less than, for example, for flu, we certainly do think that it contributes”.

“Children are losing education”, Ms Spielman said, “and it’s not just the children who are disadvantaged or behind academically – it is children without motivation.

She added: “We need to make sure that parents get the assurance they need that schools are looking after their children properly and educating them well”.

University students in England will still have to pay full tuition fees even if their courses are taught online in the autumn, the UK government has said.

This comes after universities had warned of the financial dangers from a reduction in overseas students due to the coronavirus outbreak.

Universities Minister, Michael Donelan said: “We do not believe that students will be fully entitled to reimbursement if the quality is there”.

The university sector’s request for a £2bn bail-out has been rejected.

Universities – whose campuses have been closed since the outbreak – had warned about the financial danger that would develop from a reduction of overseas students.

Students are concerned about the uncertainty about whether there will be any in-person lessons or come autumn, or whether lesson will be taught full or part-time online.

Donelan added: “No formal decision has been taken on the next academic year, butif courses are taught online and students are really getting the quality, and they are getting a course fit for purpose, they would not get a discount on fees”.

Vocational qualifications needed to get into further education or university are likely to use estimated grades, say England’s exams watchdog.

Ofqual has put forward plans to replace vocational exams which were cancelled due to the coronavirus outbereak.

But, it did say that some qualifications that require a practical, hands-on test might have to be delayed.

Ofqual chief, Sally Collier, said that wherever possible, students should not be “prevented from progressing”.

There are 14,000 different qualifications and 160 awarding organisations – and Ofqual says that it is is too complex to provide the type of ‘one-size-fits-all’ standardised approach used for A-levels and GCSEs.

But, qualifications such as some BTecs, that are used for entry to further education colleges, or higher education will have an estimated grade, in line with the way that A-levels and GCSEs are being assessed this year.

Grades will be based on the evidence of assignments, modules, or class work carried out during the course, before the lockdown stopped students attending classes.

That would give students time to make their applications for courses in the autumn – with the deadline for making decisions about choosing a university course being pushed back to this June.

Birmingham Law Society, one of the largest societies outside London, has announced that VWV’s Commercial Litigation Partners, Dee Kundi, as the new Chair of its Board.

Representing over 5,000 legal professional across over 100 regional practices, Birmingham Law Society announced the new appointment at its recently held 201st Annual General Meeting.

Based in VWV’s city office, Dee heads up the Debt Recovery department, advising universities, financial institutions and businesses on all aspects of managing their debt portfolio including Litigation, Debt Collection and Recovery Services.

Established within the Legal 500 as one of the market leaders in the field, she is recognised both as a strong deliverer and an innovator.

Dee was elected as a council member of the Birmingham Law Society in April 2015 and she joined the Board 12 months later; being the first Asian woman on the board.

Speaking about her new role, she said: “I am extremely, humbled, honoured and exceptionally pleased that I have been appointed as the new Chair of the Birmingham Law Society Board.

“Having been involved with the Society since 2015, I hope that I can do this role justice by taking the lead of the Board for the Society and push forward our objectives, strategies and opportunities.

“We are working through unprecedented times where all need to work together effectively”.

“I honestly believe my hard work, business acumen, integrity and perseverance has helped me to achieve my professional growth, which I am sure will continue in my new appointment role. It’s another step in breaking the glass ceiling.

“I look forward to working more closely with the board and supporting our members”.

Dee is a multi-award winning lawyer with may accolades under her belt, including; ‘Best in Litigation’, ‘Outstanding Businesswoman of the Year’, ‘Most Influential in Debt Recovery’, ‘Professional of the Year’, ‘Best in Legal Services’ and many more.

Dee is a non-executive director of TAG Network Midlands and sits on the Capital Development committee for Town Hall & Symphony Hall and she was also appointed as Vice President of the ABCC, part of the Chamber of Commerce.

Birmingham Law Society was established in 1818 and represents over 5,000 solicitors, barristers, legal executives, trainee lawyers and paralegals across Birmingham and the Greater Midlands and is a membership organisation that offers a number of benefits relevant to today’s legal community; from representation and advocacy, to network introductions and events.

Graduates who have qualified from universities in the UK are more likely to be undertaking work that doesn’t require a degree as vacancies for jobs that require the relevant degree qualifications are at “saturation point” in the current climate.

The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) – the professional body for human resources managers - has showed that, at the last and more resent count, it was said that in excess of 58,8% of university graduates in Britain.

It said that the number of graduates have now “significantly” outstripped the upstart of high-skilled jobs.

The CIPD called the report “a wake-up call” with its chief executive, Peter Cheese, saying: The assumption that we will transition to a more productive, higher-valued, high-skilled economy just by increasing the conveyer belt of graduates is proven to be flaud”.

The issue found in the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development report was leading to “negative consequences”, such as situations finding employers looking for people with degrees to take-up traditional non-graduate jobs.

The report also concluded that graduates were replacing non-graduates in non-graduate roles with jobs ideal for graduates on the decline, on just not in existence at all.

Mr Cheese said: “In many cases the skill premium that the graduates had – if it existed at all – was simply being wasted”.

The CIPD is calling for a national debate over how to generate more high-skilled jobs.

A spokesperson from the Department of Business, Innovation and Skill said: “We are providing the right mix of university places and apprenticeships to ensure that more people have the opportunity to advance their careers and businesses to get the skills they need in order for them to grow”.