Features - Page 148

After pupils and teachers have spent six months away from the classroom as a result of the Covid-19 lockdown, the education sector has had to get to grips with the challenge of bringing children back into schools among their peers and reintegrated into full-time learning. In late June, Nigel Attwood, the headteacher of Bellfield Junior School in Birmingham, spoke to the Leaders Council about the challenges that schools could expect to face in September. Now, a month following the start of term, Nigel lifts the lid on how the school has been coping since reopening its doors and discusses how wellbeing has been at the heart of its approach.

Hospitality business Becketts Southsea has made significant strides over the last year, and it has added to its recent success having now been singled out for recognition by bimonthly luxury lifestyle magazine LUXlife, which awarded the business its Hospitality Experience of the Year Award for the Hampshire region in its fifth annual Hospitality Awards.

In our latest series of leadership quotations, we hear from Donald Trump and Joe Biden on Covid-19. We also hear from Chris Oldham on recruitment difficulties and Chris Plenderleith on how to create economic growth.

Birmingham-based accommodation provider Sustain UK has been recognised by being shortlisted as a finalist in the Employer of the Year: Gold 50-249 category at The Investors in People Awards 2020.

ADEY, the Cheltenham-based designers and manufacturers, have come in for praise from one of their key clients. Meanwhile, Wills & Trusts and Maped Helix have offered timely advice for, respectively, people looking to secure their estates and parents settling their children back into school.

The Wolverhampton Grand Theatre has moved to remind would be theatre goers that it is still possible to support the creative arts during the current climate of restrictions.

A technical glitch which saw 16,000 cases of Covid-19 go unreported has hampered contact tracing efforts, but Public Health England has insisted that the issue has now been resolved. Meanwhile, Mohammed Abdul, owner and director of Leamington Spa’s award-winning Indian restaurant, Millennium Balti, reveals how the pandemic forced his business to adapt their entire business strategy and offering in order to survive.

In today’s leadership roundup, RDT come in for praise, Axia ASD promote The Autism Show, Andrew Maskery outlines its commitment to Covid-19 best practice, and Kingsfleet Wealth puts the ‘K’ in Suffolk.

London based online market research agency FlyResearch has been issuing weekly polls to its research panel of over 3000 people throughout the coronavirus lockdown in the UK, in order to project how the outbreak and the implementing of social distancing has been impacting the daily life of UK citizens.

A diagnostics company in Canterbury may hold the key to the fight against Covid-19. Their pioneering new breath test is currently being trialled at Ashford and St Peter’s Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and, if successful, it could dramatically increase our ability to test for the virus.

In today’s leadership roundup, we have an analysis of the government’s economic plan from Jillian Thomas and an open letter to the PM from Shann Jones. We also have the Ski Club of Great Britain and Hardy Signs making the case for ski touring and illuminated signage respectively.

Amid the deluge of negative health and economic news over the course of 2020, there have also been a number of good news stories involving leaders who have reengineered their companies in order to help with the fight against Covid-19. One such leader is Rube Fernando of Ardmel Group in Glenthroes.

Earlier this week, prime minister Boris Johnson revealed plans to make higher education loans more flexible so that over-18s in England who do not have A-Levels or equivalent qualifications can access fully funded college courses and space study out across their lives.

In our latest roundup of leadership quotations, we hear from Jeremy Good on a post-Brexit immigration policy, Ray Singh on maintaining relationships with clients, Ian Williamson on overcoming challenges, Gillian Keegan on the northeast of England, and a damning critique from Steve Baker on his own government.