Mr R Ford v The Board of Governors of Sherwood Park School — 2025

The Tribunal heard claims arising from Mr Ford's employment at Sherwood Park School and his resignation on 3 September 2023. Employment Judge Baran, sitting alone at Croydon by CVP between 6 and 10 October 2025, dealt with liability only on the agreed list of issues, having identified that an outstanding breach of contract claim from the second ET1 needed to be adjourned to a further hearing. The holiday pay claim under the Working Time Regulations 1998 was dismissed on withdrawal after Mr Ford confirmed he did not pursue it.

The Tribunal found that over a period of around 10 to 11 months the School did not administer Mr Ford's pay correctly, and that the School's handling of his pay complaints and grievance amounted to a fundamental breach of the implied term of trust and confidence in his contract of employment. The Judge concluded that Mr Ford resigned in response to those breaches and, in the alternative, in response to a final straw of the School's failure to progress his complaint as a formal grievance between June and September 2023. The School did not advance a potentially fair reason for dismissal under s98 ERA 1996, and the claim of ordinary constructive unfair dismissal contrary to s94 was upheld.

The Tribunal rejected the claims that the protected disclosures Mr Ford made were the reason for his treatment or dismissal: the s47B detriment claim and the s103A automatic unfair dismissal claim were both found not well-founded and dismissed. The Part II ERA 1996 unauthorised deductions from wages claim for the period June 2022 – September 2023 was also dismissed. Remedy for the upheld constructive unfair dismissal claim was adjourned to a further hearing.