Public Law Updates

23 April 2024

High Court

Stacey J

The claimant school challenges Ofsted’s decision to rate the school as “good” rather than “outstanding”. It was argued that the deficiencies identified in the regulator’s report were minor, and that the inspector failed to properly account for the fact that the school operated as a City Technology College, to which distinct standards apply. The judge rejected this argument; the applicable threshold for demonstrating irrationality in a Wednesbury sense is a high one, which was not met here, considering the real concerns identified in the inspection.

Link to Judgment