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Lack of consultation means school merger decision unlawful…

The High Court has held that the Minister of Education’s decision to merge Phillipstown School with Woolston School was unlawful and invalid.

The Minister had an obligation to consult with the schools prior to making a merger decision.  The Court held that the consultation process was flawed in two respects.  The first involved issues of cost of one school continuing on the merged site.  This was held to have been mistakenly played down.

The second flaw in the process was the failure to provide financial information in a form that was broken down and explained in a manner which would enable it to be understood and responded to.

The Court has set aside the merger decision and referred the matter back for proper consultation before a new decision is reached.