Following a criminal investigation by Ofsted, Suleyman Folami and Mujanet Daniah were found guilty after a trial at Westminster Magistrates’ Court in March 2020. They were each handed a four-week custodial sentence, suspended for a year. However, the pair appealed to the Crown Court against their convictions and sentences.

On Thursday (20 January), at Southwark Crown Court, Judge Griffith upheld the previous convictions and sentences for each appellant. The Judge said the pair were “clearly trying to bend the rules” and ordered that they should pay additional total costs of £640.

Ofsted’s unregistered schools team inspected Advance Education Centre in Brent, north-west London 3 times between December 2018 and March 2019. Inspectors found that the ground floor of the building was being used as a registered independent primary school, but the floor above was being used as an unregistered school for children of secondary school age. Inspectors noted an overlap in staff working in the registered school on the ground floor and the unregistered school upstairs.

Mr Folami and Ms Daniah claimed they were offering a supplementary school. But Ofsted inspectors found as many as 66 children being taught on the upper floor and evidence they were attending for at least 25 hours a week. Students’ workbooks and teacher plans showed that the unregistered school set homework, issued detentions and was operating full-time.

Inspectors also identified several safeguarding risks at the setting, including inadequate supervision of children and unidentified adults walking unchallenged through the setting. Inspectors described the setting as ‘chaotic’ and said the adults in charge appeared to have significant difficulty managing pupils’ behaviour.

The couple running the setting were fully aware of the requirements for registration. But, despite repeated inspections and warning notices, they continued to operate illegally.

Amanda Spielman, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector, said:

The people in charge of this setting were fully aware they were running an unregistered school, but they chose to break the law anyway. So I am very pleased the Crown Court has reinforced the verdict returned by the Magistrates’ Court last year.

Unregistered schools deny children a proper education and put their well-being at risk. We will continue to expose these places and make sure they either comply with the law or cease operating altogether. But, as I have said several times over the last few years, the government urgently needs to close the loopholes that allow places like this to exist on the edge of the law. I am also concerned that individuals convicted of running unregistered schools may still be involved with children’s education in registered schools. This is not appropriate, and we are working with DfE and other authorities to take action on this.

1. Under section 96 of the Education and Skills Act 2008, a person who conducts an unregistered independent school in England is guilty of a criminal offence. The offence is a summary offence and carries a maximum penalty of 6 months’ imprisonment, an unlimited fine or both.
2. Since 1 January 2016 Ofsted has investigated over 850 suspected unregistered schools and found reason to believe that more than 400 settings were operating illegally. Of these, 114 have been issued with warning notices. Over 50% of these settings have changed their service to comply with the legislation, while 20% have closed, and some have registered as independent schools.
3. Ofsted publishes management information about unregistered schools twice a year.

The Programme and Project Partners has appointed its first Goods/Services Agreement Framework suppliers.

The Programme and Project Partners has appointed the following suppliers:

• NIS Ltd
• Hyde Group
• Ansaldo Nuclear
• James Fisher Nuclear
• Carr’s Group
• West Cumberland Engineering
• NWEC Alliance

These suppliers will deliver fabricated and manufactured equipment packages for the projects, a framework agreement for an initial 3 years, worth up to £20 million.

The fabrication and manufactured equipment package is the first Good/Services Agreement (GSA) to be awarded by the partners as part of a major framework spanning the next 18 years. Items and equipment to be provided include process cabinets, encast Items, bogies and rail systems.

It has been procured under a new multi project procurement (MPP) model which encourages long-term collaboration throughout the supply chain, enhanced project delivery, and paves the way for greater economic and social impact in the West Cumbria region.

The MPP model will see the appointment of key delivery partners and GSA Framework suppliers to deliver work packages covering everything from electrical and instrumentation and fabrication and manufacturing to groundworks and general civils.

Tom Wiseman, GSA framework manager, said:

Programme and Project Partners has undertaken a rigorous selection process over the last 12 months in order to reach this position.

I’m delighted to work alongside all of the successful suppliers for the next 3 years and am confident that they will all deliver the benefits for the projects that this framework has been established to do.

NIS managing director Steve Rothwell said:

NIS have been supporting the delivery of Sellafield major projects for over 3 decades, so we are thrilled with this latest award which perfectly compliments our growing Programme and Project Partners portfolio.

We look forward to playing our part in the successful delivery of this framework and strengthening our collaboration with the partnership and the other framework partners.

Will Pearson, business development director at Hyde Group Nuclear, said:

Hyde Group Nuclear Limited is pleased to have been selected as a supplier to the Programme and Project Partners Manufacturing and Fabrication Framework.

This framework provides a commercial route through which we can provide the capability and capacity of the Hyde group of companies in support of the partnerships mission.

The Hyde Group provide a broad range of engineering and manufacturing services from our 20 facilities in Manchester, and we look forward to working with the partners to deliver the major programmes of work at Sellafield, whilst also bringing benefits to our wider community.

Andrea Basso, managing director of Ansaldo Nuclear Limited, said:

Ansaldo is extremely pleased to secure a position on the Fabrication and Manufactured Equipment Framework.

This endorsement by the Programme and Project Partners provides an excellent opportunity for Ansaldo to continue its successful relationship with Sellafield and to further develop its Cumbrian presence and supply chain.

Steve Tulk, sales director at James Fisher Nuclear Ltd, said:

James Fisher Nuclear has been a long-term supporter of the Sellafield decommissioning programme as part of a concerted effort to clean up the legacy of our nuclear heritage.

We are pleased to be part of this important exciting new and collaborative framework. This achievement is a real testament to the hard work of the entire James Fisher Nuclear team and an endorsement of our shared history of innovation and collaboration on site at Sellafield.

We look forward to working with our framework partners to drive forward project delivery and support the partnership and Sellafield Ltd to achieve increased certainty in delivery to its customer the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority.

Ben Gilbert, technical proposals manager, said:

Carr’s Engineering Group are proud of to be a member of the GSA Framework; we look forward to strengthening our relationship with the MPP Framework team and the wider Programme and Project Partners.

We believe the partnership provides a strong, transparent and collaborative structure between Sellafield, the lot partners and their suppliers which will help Sellafield to achieve their goals as well as benefiting local businesses and communities.

Graeme Phillips, managing director at West Cumberland Engineering Ltd, said:

I’m delighted to announce that West Cumberland Engineering Ltd have won a position on the Programme and Project Partners GSA Fabrication and Manufactured Equipment Framework over the next 3 + 1 years with a potential value of £20,000,000.

We are proud to build on our existing relationship with the partnership having already supplied Sellafield Continuity Plant phase 1 and 2 wall boxes/encast items and in the process of completing 23 high integrity vessels also for the project.

This long term fabricated and manufactured equipment contract will enable us to offer enhanced employment opportunities within West Cumbria and provide long term investment in people and facilities in an area of the country that has recently been decimated with industrial closures.

McMenon chief executive officer Anand Puthran and chief operating officer Shiby Bernard said:

We are delighted with the news and excited at the prospect of becoming one of the main Cumbrian small and medium-sized enterprise suppliers to the nuclear industry. McMenon’s Workington facility has a 75-year engineering and manufacturing heritage with exports to over 50 countries.

When we acquired the business from a global corporation in 2018, we promised our Cumbrian workforce that our future growth would include diversification into nuclear and renewable sectors.

Now being included as a delivery partner in the Programme and Project Partners framework is a major step in fulfilling that promise to our people.

And it gives us even more satisfaction to envisage the success of the North West Energy Coast (NWEC) Alliance culminating in increased job opportunities within the alliance and our supply partners in Cumbria.

Joint owners of TIS Cumbria Tony O’Pray and John Bragg said:

We are delighted that the NWEC Alliance has been successfully named as a key delivery partner on the Programme and Project Partners framework at Sellafield for the next 3 years.

The commitment of the alliance between TIS Cumbria and McMenon Engineering over many years has matured, enabling our 2 West Cumbrian small and medium-size enterprises to sit equally beside our elite Tier 2 manufacturers in the UK.

We would like to thank the partnership project team for their confidence in recognising the capabilities of our West Cumbrian alliance and we hope this success will be reflected out into the local community.

Programme and Project Partners will work closely with all key delivery partners and GSA Framework suppliers to deliver its ambition to create a clean and safe environment at the Sellafield site for future generations, improve sustainability and better outcomes for the local economy and communities.

• Export bar is to allow time for a UK gallery or institution to acquire the painting
• Worth more than £6 million, this rare painting is on an impressive scale and by one of the most important still life painters of the 17th century

Banquet Still Life by Jan Davidsz. de Heem, which is valued at £6,109,200, is at risk of leaving the country unless a UK buyer can be found.

One of the most important still life painters in the 17th century, de Heem was typically known for smaller paintings, making this monumental work incredibly rare within his body of work and one of just four he completed of this size, all done between 1640 and 1643.

It is a beautiful and impressive example of Dutch ornate still life painting known as ‘pronkstilleven’, and shows de Heem excelled in the depiction of forms and textures.

Arts Minister Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay said:

This captivating painting is magnificent not just in size but also in its exquisite detail. De Heem’s enormous talent is evident in this rare piece and I hope a buyer comes forward so it may be enjoyed and appreciated by viewers in the UK for many years to come.

The Minister’s decision follows the advice of the Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art and Objects of Cultural Interest (RCEWA). The Committee agreed the sumptuous detail of each of the elements and the extraordinarily realistic rendering of a variety of materials and textures made this an outstanding example of the pronkstilleven style composition the artist made uniquely his own. The possibility this was produced as a commission, potentially location-specific, added to its interest. In addition, the Committee found the painting’s long provenance in a single collection remarkable.

Committee Member Christopher Baker said:

De Heem’s splendid still life combines grandeur in terms of its scale with numerous exquisitely wrought details that encourage close looking. Man-made and natural wonders, such as Chinese porcelain and exotic fruits, tumble across the canvas, conveying great wealth and the pursuit of luxury, but also perhaps implicitly that the pleasures they signify are ephemeral. It is one of a group of works by the painter created in Antwerp in the early 1640s, which through their ambition and complexity marked not only a new phase in the development of his career but also a leap forward in the evolution of still life painting and its sumptuous possibilities.

The artist’s magnificent pictures of this type appealed to distinguished collectors: an example in the Louvre had by the 1680s been acquired by Louis XIV. In this case the original patron is yet to be identified and the painting has only recently been re-discovered by art historians; it has however been in a private UK collection since the early nineteenth century and every effort should be made to retain it so it might delight and interest and benefit British gallery visitors.

The Committee made its recommendation on the grounds the painting’s departure from the UK would be a misfortune because it is of outstanding aesthetic importance.

The decision on the export licence application for the painting will be deferred until 20 April 2022. At the end of the first deferral period owners will have a consideration period of 15 business days to consider any offer(s) to purchase the painting at the recommended price of £6,109,200 (inclusive of VAT). The second deferral period will commence following the signing of an Option Agreement and will last for six months.

ENDS

Notes to editors

1. Organisations or individuals interested in purchasing the painting should contact the RCEWA on 0845 300 6200.
2. Details of the painting are as follows: Jan Davidsz. de Heem (Utrecht 1606–1684 Antwerp) A Banquet Still Life Inscribed and signed ‘V. E otmoedigen/ J-D heem.’ (lower right, on the paper) Oil on canvas, 155 x 211 cm.
3. Provenance: (Probably) Anonymous sale; F. J. Bosboom, The Hague, 9 October 1805, lot 24 (30 guilders to Ph. Meij). (Probably) Anonymous sale; C. S. Roos, Amsterdam, 29 April 1817, lot 32 (41 guilders to Smaadt). Private collection, England, by the early 19th century, and thence by descent.
4. The Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art and Objects of Cultural Interest is an independent body, serviced by the Arts Council, which advises the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport on whether a cultural object, intended for export, is of national importance under specified criteria.
5. Arts Council England is the national development agency for creativity and culture. We have set out our strategic vision in Let’s Create that by 2030 we want England to be a country in which the creativity of each of us is valued and given the chance to flourish and where everyone of us has access to a remarkable range of high quality cultural experiences. We invest public money from Government and The National Lottery to help support the sector and to deliver this vision. Following the Covid-19 crisis, the Arts Council developed a £160 million Emergency Response Package, with nearly 90% coming from the National Lottery, for organisations and individuals needing support. They are also one of the bodies administering the Government’s unprecedented £1.96 billion Culture Recovery Funds.

Mr. Chairman,

I give this statement on behalf of Canada, Iceland, the United Kingdom, the United States of America, and my own country Norway.

We are deeply disturbed by the Russian courts’ decision to forcibly dissolve International Memorial and the Memorial Human Rights Centre.

Memorial is one of Russia’s oldest and most reputable human rights organisations. For more than thirty years they have worked tirelessly to uncover the facts about the political oppression during Soviet times and commemorate the victims of political terror. The organisation is uniquely competent and capable of calling out methods of state repression and their effort to promote civil society and democratic principles in modern day Russia is invaluable.

The arbitrary use of the laws on anti-extremism, so-called “foreign agents” and “undesirable organisations” allows the Russian authorities to not only shut down civil society organisations, but also pursue individuals associated with them, spreading fear and uncertainty among their members. This practice must end.

The NGO OVD-Info, also labelled a so-called “foreign agent”, provides legal assistance to citizens under administrative or criminal prosecution for exercising their right to freedom of speech, in addition to advocacy on the right to freedom of assembly. Media regulator Roskomnadzor’s move to block the website of OVD-Info and demand their social media accounts be removed is another example of the harassment and persecution endured by Russian civil society and is an act of state censorship.

We are also deeply disturbed by the continued imprisonment of Yuri Dmitriev. As a local leader of Karelia Memorial and a respected historian, he has dedicated himself to human rights work and research on political repression in the Soviet period. His verdict of 15 years imprisonment on a strict regime is based on spurious charges. We see his imprisonment as a politically motivated response to his research. We call for Mr. Dmitriev’s immediate and unconditional release.

We urge Russian authorities to adhere to the European Court of Human Rights’ interim measure and suspend the decision to dissolve Memorial until this court has considered the case.

Furthermore, we urge Russian authorities to cease their attempted decimation of Russian civil society and protect the human rights and fundamental freedoms of Russia’s citizens, in line with Russia’s OSCE and other international human rights commitments.

Thank you