Sacked pregnant teacher wins claim

A tribunal has ordered a North Wales school to pay £33,923 in compensation to an art teacher who was dismissed for being pregnant, according to her union, the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL). After discovering she was pregnant Rebecca Raven, 32, was removed from her £23,000-a-year post at Howell’s school in Denbigh, an independent girls school. A Shrewsbury employment tribunal ruled in May that the school was guilty of unfair dismissal, under Section 99 of the Employment Rights Act and of discrimination under the Equality Act. Mrs Raven applied for maternity leave in May 2011, for a period that should have started in November 2011. Instead, the school informed her that she would be dismissed at the end of the summer term, ATL said. The school then said Mrs Raven could apply for the post of part-time art teacher, which would start the following term in September, but did not appoint her. When Mrs Raven put in a grievance and appealed against the dismissal, the school failed to respond. However, in May she won her claim of unfair dismissal. Our Employment team provides advice on the employment aspects of all major business decisions. For advice, contact a member of the team: call us on 08456 381381 or email employment@ibblaw.co.uk.