Job ad for inexperienced teacher ruled as indirect age discrimination by Milton Keynes Council

A council has been found guilty of indirect age discrimination by advertising for a teacher in "the first five years of their career", it has emerged.

Milton Keynes Council failed to shortlist a 61-year-old woman with 34 years' teaching experience because they were looking to appoint a cheaper, less experienced teacher. But the council did not show that their decision to try and recruit a less expensive candidate was justified on the ground of cost, and therefore the indirect discrimination was not warranted.

Workplace Law Network reported that if cost was to be used as a justification for hiring cheaper staff, it should have shown concrete evidence that it was compelled to do so on the ground of cost.

But the school had not provided any such evidence, and Mrs Rainbow's claim of indirect discrimination was upheld.