An important reminder of the rules on fair dismissal!
An utterly mind-boggling case — Dumigan v Mount School — where the claimant, a veteran teacher was dismissed for declining to attend a staff meeting to care for her mother, 90, who had been recently diagnosed with cancer.
Ms Dumigan informed the owner of the school of her reasons for non-attendance only to receive a reply stating her “resignation was accepted”. Clearly, a case of unfair dimissal as the Tribunal found and perhaps unsurprisingly awarded Ms Dumigan £16,802.31 in compensation – a substantial sum on a teacher’s salary!
An important reminder that employees with two years continuous employment or more may only be dismissed if there is a fair reason to do so and that employers must follow a fair procedure when considering dismissing an employee.
If you have any queries regarding rules around dismissal, SMB are happy to help. Please feel free to contact me at joe.hennessy@smb.london for more information.
Teacher sacked for missing meeting after mum’s cancer diagnosis | UK News | Metro News
Other Insights
-
17th September 2026Beyond the algorithm: The legal significance of Meta’s child safety settlement
A look at the landmark $18 billion Meta settlement and what it signals for the future of online safety regulation, platform design, and child protection in the UK and beyond.
Read more -
15th September 2026Drip pricing, green claims and dark patterns: The CMA’s consumer compliance crackdown
The CMA is taking a tougher approach to consumer protection. This article examines recent enforcement action on drip pricing, green claims and dark patterns, and what businesses should do to minimise regulatory risk.
Read more -
18th June 2026
The Department of Business and Trade issues updated guidance on the meaning of significant influence or control for the purposes of the PSC regime.
An overview of the UK’s updated PSC guidance, focusing on “significant influence or control” and how businesses can identify and assess PSC status in practice.
Read more