Education decisions carry consequences out of all proportion to the procedures that sometimes produce them: a school place refused, an expulsion after a rushed meeting, a grant refusal that ends a college plan, a fitness-to-practise finding that closes a profession before it opens. Public law reaches all of it — schools, SUSI, the appeals structures and (in their public functions) universities — and requires fairness, lawfulness and reasons.
Judicial review time limits are strict, are sometimes much shorter than three months, and can run from an earlier date than you expect. The courts can refuse late applications even within the stated period if you have not acted promptly. Nothing on this page calculates your deadline. If you believe a decision affecting you may be unlawful, contact a solicitor immediately.
Decisions We Challenge
- Expulsions and suspensions: processes that denied a fair hearing, prejudged the outcome or ignored the school’s own code — and section 29 appeal outcomes that are themselves flawed. See school and SUSI challenges;
- Enrolment refusals: admissions decisions contrary to the school’s published policy or the statutory framework;
- SUSI grant refusals: classification and residency decisions resting on errors of law, upheld through appeals that never engaged with the evidence;
- University and college decisions: disciplinary findings, plagiarism processes, fitness-to-practise decisions on professional courses, and appeals conducted contrary to the institution’s own procedures;
- Special education provision: decisions and delays around supports and placements, closely linked to our disability services practice.
Process Is the Battlefield
Courts will not re-mark an exam or substitute their view of a student’s behaviour — the merits belong to the educators. What the law polices is process: was the case put to the student or family, was there a genuine opportunity to respond, did the decision-maker follow the published procedure, are there reasons that explain the outcome? Framing an education challenge means translating a family’s sense of injustice into those procedural grounds — and being honest when the grievance, however real, is with the merits alone. See fair procedures explained.
An Education Decision Threatening the Plan?
Term dates do not wait for litigation. Call this week and we will map the appeal route, the limit and the grounds.
Call 01 5827148