Partnership Learning Trust

EMPLOYMENT TRIBUNALS Claimant: Mr M Tariq Respondent: Partnership Learning Trust JUDGMENT The claimant’s application dated 27 June 2025 for reconsideration of the judgment sent to the parties on 27 June 2025 is refused. REASONS There is no reasonable prospect of the original decision being varied or revoked, because: 1. The Claimant applies for reconsideration on the basis that the Tribunal should not have made a finding that he likely superimposed a signature onto a document without first obtaining expert or forensic evidence on the impugned document. 2. Pursuant to rule 41 of the Employment Tribunal Rules of Procedure the Tribunal has a broad discretion to conduct a hearing in the manner which it considers fair, having regard to the overriding objective. 3. As noted in written reasons (para. 38), it was unfortunate that the Respondent did not understand sooner the significance the Claimant placed on the “section Z” documents. This was, however, understandable given that the Claimant had not prepared a full and detailed witness statement which explained his reliance on those documents. Instead the point only became clear during cross-examination of the Respondent’s witnesses by reference to those documents on the first day of the hearing. 4. Similarly, it only really became apparent during the course of the hearing that the Claimant’s case was that the misconduct for which he was dismissed (namely contacting students out of hours) had in fact been explicitly authorised by the Respondent. This had not been his case during the disciplinary procedure itself, nor had he pleaded this in his ET1. In order for the Tribunal to determine this issue a view had to be taken on the Claimant’s credibility and reliability as a witness of fact. 5. The Tribunal considered a number of factors in deciding this point, including the manner in which the Claimant gave his evidence (...