Legal News
A pregnant teacher awarded compensation for unfair dismissal (21 September 2012)
Date: 21/09/2012
The Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL) has won unfair dismissal case of a pregnant school teacher at the Shrewsbury employment tribunal on May 23.
The school involved was Independent girls' school, Howell's School in Denbigh, North Wales, who has been told to pay £33,923.27 to Rebecca Raven, a teacher they sacked when she became pregnant.
Mrs Raven's union, the (ATL), won her unfair dismissal case at Shrewsbury employment tribunal in May when the judge at the Shrewsbury employment tribunal ruled that Howell’s Scholl was guilty of unfair dismissal under section 99 of the Employment Rights Act 1996. Rebecca Raven was dismissed in July 2010 after she had become pregnant.
The tribunal also said that the school had discriminated against her under the Equality Act 2010.
A senior Employment lawyer for the ATL, said that the association finally had got justice after fighting for over a year. The compensation was to go some way towards covering her costs for a year out of work. Schools cannot be allowed to get away with breaking the law. ATL can, and will, fight for justice whenever such cases occur he added.
Dr Philip Dixon, Director of ATL Cymru, said that they were delighted to have won the compensation for Mrs Raven after worrying over the uncertainty the school put Mrs Raven through for months.
Howell's School treated her appallingly and showed a complete disregard for the law. Sacking a pregnant teacher also set a dismal example to the pupils who were, hopefully, being educated to be young, independent women with fulfilling careers and lives.
Rebecca Raven said that it was a relief that she won at last and was able to put the case behind her. She was terribly shocked after losing her job she loved and enjoyed working.
She said that she hoped the school’s trustees have realised their folly and would stop treating anyone else the way they treated her.
Mrs Raven was sacked from her £23,295 a year job a few days after telling the school she was pregnant. She applied for maternity leave in May 2011, which should have started at the end of November 2011, but the school told her she would be dismissed at the end of the summer term.
The school then said she could apply for the post of part-time art teacher, starting in Sep 2011, but they did not appoint her. Mrs Raven appealed and put in a grievance, but the school failed to respond.
Mrs Raven had worked for the school since October 2008, first on a part-time basis as a house mistress, and from November 2009 as a full-time art teacher.