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RE Teachers husband needs advice

Hello all.

I posted a message here a couple of months ago and got some useful advice and just thought I'd
update you on the outcome.

My wife took her case to her union who in turn raised the matter with the Local Education Authority.
It turned out that what her head had done was ILLEGAL as even people in temporary contracts have
property rights to their job.

The LEA admitted that the head had acted illegally and the Union confirmed to my wife that she had a
"watertight" case for unfair dismissal should she decide to take it to tribunal.

Thankfully there is no need for a tribunal, the LEA have worked with the union and my wife to help
find her a new position for next year that she is more than happy with so fingers crossed that
will be OK.

On top of that the LEA have agreed to train all their head teachers in employment law in future as
it seems this lack of employment law knowledge among heads is widespread.

So a good outcome all round really.

Thanks

Ben Jackson

This was my original post :
[q1]> Hello,[/q1]
[q1]>[/q1]
[q1]> My wife is is an NQT coming to the end of her first year teaching.[/q1]
[q1]>[/q1]
[q1]> This first year is a on a temporary contract and to become a permanent staff member her position[/q1]
[q1]> was re-advertised and she had to interview alongside any new applicants who applied.[/q1]
[q1]>[/q1]
[q1]> To cut a long story short they gave the job to someone else.[/q1]
[q1]>[/q1]
[q1]> Strangely, five days before the interview she'd informed her head she was 10 weeks pregnant.[/q1]
[q1]>[/q1]
[q1]> Now this may or may not have had a bearing on her not getting the job but it seems wrong to me[/q1]
[q1]> that the same four people who interview her a year earlier and gave her the job, then interview[/q1]
[q1]> her a year later and don't give her the job.[/q1]
[q1]>[/q1]
[q1]> Her performance over the year has been excellent, with all targets met and of course hours spent[/q1]
[q1]> with me carting her all over the place at weekends to buy fruit, gel pens and other wierd stuff[/q1]
[q1]> that teachers need for lessons.[/q1]
[q1]>[/q1]
[q1]> All I want to know is, is this legal/normal for NQT's.[/q1]
[q1]>[/q1]
[q1]> Thanks[/q1]
[q1]>[/q1]
[q1]> Ben[/q1]

Here's the original thread : http://groups.google.com/groups?q=ben+jackson+group:uk.education.teach-
ers.*&hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF8&selm=aa1t4c%24kn5%241%40paris.btinternet.com&rnum=1

Reply 1

Unregistered

Well I am very pleased for you! My wife is contemplating a similar battle! Hope she is equally as
successful!

Terry

"Ben Jackson" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
[q1]> Hello all.[/q1]
[q1]>[/q1]
[q1]> I posted a message here a couple of months ago and got some useful advice and just thought I'd[/q1]
[q1]> update you on the outcome.[/q1]
[q1]>[/q1]
[q1]> My wife took her case to her union who in turn raised the matter with the Local Education[/q1]
[q1]> Authority. It turned out that what her head had done was ILLEGAL as even people in temporary[/q1]
[q1]> contracts have property rights to their job.[/q1]
[q1]>[/q1]
[q1]> The LEA admitted that the head had acted illegally and the Union confirmed to my wife that she had[/q1]
[q1]> a "watertight" case for unfair dismissal should she decide to take it to tribunal.[/q1]
[q1]>[/q1]
[q1]> Thankfully there is no need for a tribunal, the LEA have worked with the union and my wife to help[/q1]
[q1]> find her a new position for next year that she is more than happy with so fingers crossed that[/q1]
[q1]> will be OK.[/q1]
[q1]>[/q1]
[q1]> On top of that the LEA have agreed to train all their head teachers in employment law in future as[/q1]
[q1]> it seems this lack of employment law knowledge among heads is widespread.[/q1]
[q1]>[/q1]
[q1]> So a good outcome all round really.[/q1]
[q1]>[/q1]
[q1]> Thanks[/q1]
[q1]>[/q1]
[q1]> Ben Jackson[/q1]
[q1]>[/q1]
[q1]> This was my original post :[/q1]
[q2]> > Hello,[/q2]
[q2]> >[/q2]
[q2]> > My wife is is an NQT coming to the end of her first year teaching.[/q2]
[q2]> >[/q2]
[q2]> > This first year is a on a temporary contract and to become a permanent staff member her position[/q2]
[q2]> > was re-advertised and she had to interview alongside any new applicants who applied.[/q2]
[q2]> >[/q2]
[q2]> > To cut a long story short they gave the job to someone else.[/q2]
[q2]> >[/q2]
[q2]> > Strangely, five days before the interview she'd informed her head she was 10 weeks pregnant.[/q2]
[q2]> >[/q2]
[q2]> > Now this may or may not have had a bearing on her not getting the job but it seems wrong to me[/q2]
[q2]> > that the same four people who interview her a year earlier and gave her the job, then interview[/q2]
[q2]> > her a year later and don't give her the job.[/q2]
[q2]> >[/q2]
[q2]> > Her performance over the year has been excellent, with all targets met and of course hours spent[/q2]
[q2]> > with me carting her all over the place at weekends to buy fruit, gel pens and other wierd stuff[/q2]
[q2]> > that teachers need for lessons.[/q2]
[q2]> >[/q2]
[q2]> > All I want to know is, is this legal/normal for NQT's.[/q2]
[q2]> >[/q2]
[q2]> > Thanks[/q2]
[q2]> >[/q2]
[q2]> > Ben[/q2]
[q1]>[/q1]
[q1]> Here's the original thread :[/q1]
[q1]>[/q1]
http://groups.google.com/groups?q=ben+jackson+group:uk.education.teachers.*&
hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF8&selm=aa1t4c%24kn5%241%40paris.btinternet.com&rnum
=1

Reply 2

Unregistered

In article <[email protected]>, Ben Jackson
<[email protected]> wrote:
[q1]> So a good outcome all round really.[/q1]

well done!

good LEA - which is it?

--
Gertie.

Award-winning bog cleaner, agony aunt and now Latin scholar. Veni, vidi, Vim (I came, I saw,
I cleaned)

Reply 3

Unregistered

A good result. Well done to you and your wife (especially to her for standing up to this at a time
when she didn't need the stress), and also to the Union which grasped this injustice and revealed it
for the blatant discrimination that it is.

"Ben Jackson" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
[q1]> Hello all.[/q1]
[q1]>[/q1]
[q1]> I posted a message here a couple of months ago and got some useful advice and just thought I'd[/q1]
[q1]> update you on the outcome.[/q1]
[q1]>[/q1]
[q1]> My wife took her case to her union who in turn raised the matter with the Local Education[/q1]
[q1]> Authority. It turned out that what her head had done was ILLEGAL as even people in temporary[/q1]
[q1]> contracts have property rights to their job.[/q1]
[q1]>[/q1]
[q1]> The LEA admitted that the head had acted illegally and the Union confirmed to my wife that she had[/q1]
[q1]> a "watertight" case for unfair dismissal should she decide to take it to tribunal.[/q1]
[q1]>[/q1]
[q1]> Thankfully there is no need for a tribunal, the LEA have worked with the union and my wife to help[/q1]
[q1]> find her a new position for next year that she is more than happy with so fingers crossed that[/q1]
[q1]> will be OK.[/q1]
[q1]>[/q1]
[q1]> On top of that the LEA have agreed to train all their head teachers in employment law in future as[/q1]
[q1]> it seems this lack of employment law knowledge among heads is widespread.[/q1]
[q1]>[/q1]
[q1]> So a good outcome all round really.[/q1]
[q1]>[/q1]
[q1]> Thanks[/q1]
[q1]>[/q1]
[q1]> Ben Jackson[/q1]
[q1]>[/q1]
[q1]> This was my original post :[/q1]
[q2]> > Hello,[/q2]
[q2]> >[/q2]
[q2]> > My wife is is an NQT coming to the end of her first year teaching.[/q2]
[q2]> >[/q2]
[q2]> > This first year is a on a temporary contract and to become a permanent staff member her position[/q2]
[q2]> > was re-advertised and she had to interview alongside any new applicants who applied.[/q2]
[q2]> >[/q2]
[q2]> > To cut a long story short they gave the job to someone else.[/q2]
[q2]> >[/q2]
[q2]> > Strangely, five days before the interview she'd informed her head she was 10 weeks pregnant.[/q2]
[q2]> >[/q2]
[q2]> > Now this may or may not have had a bearing on her not getting the job but it seems wrong to me[/q2]
[q2]> > that the same four people who interview her a year earlier and gave her the job, then interview[/q2]
[q2]> > her a year later and don't give her the job.[/q2]
[q2]> >[/q2]
[q2]> > Her performance over the year has been excellent, with all targets met and of course hours spent[/q2]
[q2]> > with me carting her all over the place at weekends to buy fruit, gel pens and other wierd stuff[/q2]
[q2]> > that teachers need for lessons.[/q2]
[q2]> >[/q2]
[q2]> > All I want to know is, is this legal/normal for NQT's.[/q2]
[q2]> >[/q2]
[q2]> > Thanks[/q2]
[q2]> >[/q2]
[q2]> > Ben[/q2]
[q1]>[/q1]
[q1]> Here's the original thread :[/q1]
[q1]>[/q1]
http://groups.google.com/groups?q=ben+jackson+group:uk.education.teachers.*&
hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF8&selm=aa1t4c%24kn5%241%40paris.btinternet.com&rnum
=1

Reply 4

Unregistered

It is good to see the matter was resolved eventually as I am about to start an NQT job in July but I have not yet told them I am pregnant. (I only found out yesterday!) Bit nervous about the whole telling them thing - but chats with my union, the LEA and the DfES have all led to the same thing which is "so what it shouldn't matter!" Matters to me though - I feel like there is no good time to tell the school, if I tell them now there may be reasons they could come up with to not take me on and if I wait I feel like I have deceived them in some way - arrgghh. All this to think about and I've got my finals this term.