Regina (Shoesmith) v Ofsted and others [2010] EWHC 852(Admin); [2010] WLR (D) 102

“The duty of fairness which arose in respect of an Ofsted inspection carried out pursuant to s 20 of the Children Act 2004 was derived from a duty to carry out a bona fide and open-minded inspection into the operation of local authority departments and systems of safeguarding and not to inspect individuals. When making directions pursuant to s 497A of the Education Act 1996 (as inserted by s 8 of the School Standard and Framework Act 1998) to remove an office holder, the Secretary of State could, in certain circumstances, put the wider interests of child safeguarding above the interest of an individual office holder to be treated fairly. That should not mean that the individual concerned should be deprived of her reputation or other contractual or statutory rights. An individual removed from office pursuant to s 497A who had standing to bring a claim against the employer authority in the employment tribunal should bring that claim first and pursue a claim for judical review against her employer only as a last resort.”

WLR Daily, 26th April 2010

Source: www.lawreports.co.uk

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