Case 2309096/2024 · Employment Tribunal
Mrs Sharon Curtis v Charlton Park Academy — 2026
- Case reference
- 2309096/2024
- Decision date
- 15 January 2026
- Jurisdiction
- England & Wales
- Judge
- Employment Judge Fowell Appearances
Parties
2 namedClaimant
Mrs Sharon Curtis
Respondent
Key findings
Tribunal's reasoningThe judgment decided a preliminary issue about time limits. The complaints of unfair dismissal and wrongful dismissal were presented about six weeks outside the normal time limit. The tribunal found that Mrs Curtis knew she could bring Employment Tribunal claims, had discussed matters with her trade union representative, and could have asked about or checked the time limit. It concluded that it was reasonably practicable to present those complaints in time and dismissed them.
The age and disability discrimination claims were also outside the normal time limit. The tribunal noted the absence of a cogent explanation for the delay and some potential prejudice to the respondent, including that two witnesses had left. It nevertheless found that the prejudice to Mrs Curtis if the claims were dismissed was unjustifiably harsh compared with the modest prejudice to the respondent, and extended time on just and equitable grounds so those claims could proceed to a final hearing.
Claims and outcomes
4 findings recorded| Claim type | Issue or finding | Outcome | Protected characteristic | Award |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unfair dismissal | Dismissed at a preliminary issue hearing because the complaint was presented outside the normal time limit and the tribunal found it was reasonably practicable to have submitted it in time. | Dismissed | — | — |
| Wrongful dismissal | Dismissed at a preliminary issue hearing because the complaint was presented outside the normal time limit and the tribunal found it was reasonably practicable to have submitted it in time. | Dismissed | — | — |
| Age discrimination | The claim was also out of time, but the tribunal found it just and equitable to extend time, so it can proceed to a final hearing on 19 October 2026. The merits were not determined. | Other | Age | — |
| Disability discrimination | The claim was also out of time, but the tribunal found it just and equitable to extend time, so it can proceed to a final hearing on 19 October 2026. The merits were not determined. | Other | Disability | — |
Legal tests applied
7 references- reasonably practicable
- just and equitable
- Palmer and anor v Southend-on-Sea Borough Council 1984 ICR 372
- Wall's Meat Co Ltd v Khan 1979 ICR 52
- Abertawe Bro Morgannwg University Local Health Board v Morgan 2018 ICR 1194
- Adedeji v University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust 2021 EWCA Civ 23
- Rathakrishnan v Pizza Express (Restaurants) Ltd 2016 ICR 283
Official outcome judgment PDF
Gov.uk primary recordThe official judgment PDF on gov.uk contains the tribunal's outcome, reasoning, and any remedy details. Where this page does not yet show extracted outcomes for every claim, use the PDF as the authoritative source.
Published on gov.uk under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
How we got this data
Case essentials (reference, date, judge, venue, country, claim categories) are extracted from the structured metadata gov.uk publishes alongside each decision. Parties and monetary figures are extracted from the judgment PDF text. Key findings and per-claim outcomes require a second extraction pass that is not yet complete for this case — until then, the primary source linked above is the authoritative record. See full methodology.
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