ISBA BURSARCAST // Navigating the Employment Rights Bill: What Schools Need to Know Now Ft. Farrer & Co (11th July, 2025)

This week on The ISBA Bursarcast, we’re joined by Sue Roxby, Head of Advice and Guidance at ISBA, and Hugh Young, Senior Associate at Farrer & Co, to unpack the practical implications of the Employment Rights Bill for independent schools. With key provisions — including changes to “fire and rehire” practices — now set to come into force in October 2026, schools have a critical window for thoughtful consultation and planning.

Sue and Hugh share highlights from ISBA’s recent webinar and provide clear, actionable advice for bursars and senior leaders preparing for pension restructuring, contract variations, and wider workforce changes. Expect expert insight on timelines, pitfalls, and why early engagement with staff really matters.

Plus, in this week’s news roundup:

• Updates to Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE) 2025 — what’s changed, and what might still change
• The VAT warning every finance lead should hear before issuing September bills
• New guidance on nursery class exemptions and VAT thresholds
• Scam alerts targeting school fees — and how to protect your community
• DfE’s latest AI resources and what they mean for teaching staff
• DBS identity check updates and new guidance from November 2025

As always, all documents mentioned are available via the ISBA Reference Library, and the Advice & Guidance team is ready to support you.

Listen now for the latest insight and expert commentary on what matters to your role.

As mentioned in the episode here are the latest blogs from Farrer & Co

Contact the podcast at podcast@theisba.org.uk
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Independent schools vary widely in terms of their size, pupil population, location, provision and practice. Documents are offered as guidance only, in order to help schools prepare their own in a way that suits their own circumstances and reflects the needs of their own community, and the ISBA and our partners who have assisted in the production of the documents accept no liability for any claims or losses arising from their use. Before using documents from the ISBA library, and particularly after adapting them, schools should take specific legal advice

The ISBA Bursarcast is a RAFIKI STUDIO production