Haresh's Soodio

When a child is excluded from school, most parents don't know the rules that govern the process — and the stakes couldn't be higher.Haresh Sood and solicitor Anita Chopra cover the law on school exclusions: why only the governing body can reinstate a child (not the independent review panel), why the governors' hearing has to be given everything from the start, and what parents can do when the process isn't conducted fairly. Anita also discusses a live case in which a headteacher repeatedly refused to disclose the evidence considered in the exclusion decision.Essential for parents, school governors, and anyone working with children facing exclusion.

"The system is broken. I hate to say it — and I say it more often than I'd like to."Haresh Sood and solicitor Anita Chopra go through everything parents need to know about Education, Health and Care Plans: what an EHCP actually is, why the 20-week deadline keeps being missed, how to appeal at every stage, and why being in the tribunal system is usually better than fighting outside it. They also cover the role of independent educational psychologists and how to manage the process — and the cost — in stages.Essential listening for SEND parents, SENCOs, and anyone supporting families in the system.

A teacher referred to the Teaching Regulation Agency might wait over 18 months before their case is even heard.Haresh Sood and solicitor Anita Chopra go deep on TRA cases: the history of teacher regulation from the GTC onwards, the crippling delays in the current system, and why Anita gets nine out of ten cases thrown out at the investigative stage. They also tackle the union dilemma — why advice to 'keep it brief' at the early stage is consistently the wrong call, and what teachers should actually do when a referral is made.Essential for teachers, school leaders, and anyone advising in this space.

AI is landing students in serious trouble — and many of them didn't intend to do anything wrong.Haresh Sood is joined by Anita Chopra, a solicitor with 25 years of experience in education law, to discuss the rise of academic misconduct cases driven by AI and plagiarism detection software. They cover what the Office of the Independent Adjudicator can and can't do for students, when breach of contract against a university is the better route, and how to choose the right course of action for your situation.Essential listening for students, parents, and anyone working in higher education.

Recorded in Daventry Arc Cinema, 03 04 2025

Haresh introduces some more topics we don't talk about in bereavement.