Following a hearing before Haringey Council's Independent Review Panel ("the IRP"), it was decided that a decision by a secondary school's governing body to exclude a child, X, on a permanent basis was unlawful and should be quashed. The IRP accepted the submission that a fair-minded and informed observer would conclude that there was a real possibility of bias in the circumstances. This was because the chair of the governors' panel had previously sat on behaviour panels concerning X. The matter has therefore been referred back to the governing body to make a fresh decision with a new panel.
Katherine Barnes acted for the successful appellant, X's father.
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