Education

A disability discrimination case brought against a Belfast primary school with support from the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland has been settled without admission of liability. The parents of Violet Heasley, who lives with osteogenesis imperfecta (brittle bone disease), brought a case again

Governance expert Dr Maurice Keady has been appointed to the governing body of Belfast Metropolitan College. Dr Keady's appointment by the Department for the Economy is for a four-year period effective from 1 August 2023.

The High Court has dismissed a personal injuries action brought against a school by a former student alleging negligence in the conduct of a PE class. The student claimed that a relay race had been organised negligently and, as a result, he fell into a wall. Delivering judgment in the case, Ms Justi

Seven out of 10 school leaders do not feel confident managing staff under performance, according to a new survey by Mason Hayes & Curran. The business law firm polled 285 educators and school leaders at a recent webinar on recruiting and managing school staff, which discussed the potential pitfa

The Children's Law Centre (CLC) has called for urgent action after an independent review of special educational needs (SEN) services in Northern Ireland found that early intervention for children is almost impossible under the current system and processes. The Ipsos review, published yesterday, was

Proposals to protect schools from "unreasonable litigation" in relation to playground accidents is to be brought forward in the Seanad. The Civil Liability (Schools) Bill 2023, proposed by Independent NUI Senator Rónán Mullen, would give explicit legal protection to schools operating a

A new survey by Mason Hayes & Curran finds that cyber bullying is an issue for more than 89 per cent of schools, with 16 per cent saying it is an issue “frequently” and 73 per cent citing “occasionally”. The business law firm polled more than 100 educators and school lead

The High Court has refused an application for protective costs orders brought by two disabled individuals seeking a further year of education from the Minister for Education. Both applicants had applied for an extra year of special schooling in order to make up for the significant amount of time mis

Northern Ireland’s High Court has found that the decision not to expel a student who intentionally attacked a fellow classmate was rational. The judge found that it was “not for the courts to micro-manage discipline within schools”. The applicant, a girl commencing her Year 11 educ

The Circuit Court has overturned a decision by the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) to award €3,000 to a father who claimed to have suffered gender discrimination by his daughter’s secondary school. The child had been enrolled in the school by the mother without the consent of the fat

Emily Paisley, associate at Eversheds Sutherland in Belfast, explores what Northern Ireland parents can do if their child is refused admission to their preferred secondary school, or has been unplaced. As pupils look towards the summer holidays and the school year begins to wind down in May, parents

Northern Ireland’s Court of Appeal has dismissed a challenge to a High Court decision refusing leave to judicially review a School Expulsion Appeal Tribunal. The court rejected the student’s claim that alternative options to expulsion had not been considered. The appellant, now aged 18,

Legal actions taken against the Department of Education more than doubled in 2020, as the Leaving Cert was cancelled and replaced with calculated grades. Almost 310 legal cases have been filed in the courts against the Department of Education since 2016 – an average of almost five per month.

A commencement order has been signed to bring legislation providing a legal definition of bullying and requiring schools to record incidents of bullying into effect in September. The Addressing Bullying in Schools Act (NI) 2016, which was passed with the support of all political parties, will commen

Legislation providing a legal definition of bullying and requiring schools to record incidents of bullying will finally be brought into effect in September. The Addressing Bullying in Schools Act (NI) 2016, which was passed with the support of all political parties, will commence from 1 September 20