Ms Joanna Boswell v Beacon Multi-Academy Trust Limited — 2025

The Claimant, a Teaching Assistant at Beal High School from 1 July 2015 until her dismissal on 8 March 2022, brought complaints of unfair dismissal and disability discrimination arising from the Respondent's management of her sickness absence. The Respondent conceded that the Claimant's thyroid cancer and hypocalcaemia were disabilities within the meaning of the Equality Act 2010, and the Tribunal accepted her largely unchallenged medical evidence about her conditions and their symptoms. The Respondent also accepted that the Claimant had performed her role well and that her integrity was not in doubt.

The Tribunal found that the Claimant's complaints of unfair dismissal (s.94 ERA 1996) and disability discrimination under sections 15 (discrimination arising from disability), 19 (indirect discrimination) and 20-21 (failure to make reasonable adjustments) of the Equality Act 2010 were well founded and succeeded. The unfavourable treatment in issue included triggering Stage 1 of the Sickness Absence Procedure, issuing a Formal Written Warning, moving directly to Stage 3 without applying Stage 2, the application of the sickness absence procedure, and the decision to dismiss. The relevant PCP was the requirement to maintain regular and effective attendance.

The complaint of disability-related harassment under s.26 Equality Act 2010 was not well founded and was dismissed. The provided PDF text does not include the remedy figures or the tribunal's quantification of any award, and the remedy section of the list of issues records that compensation was to be determined if complaints were upheld.