Background:

The plaintiff is the principal of Little Angels Special School, a school which provides education for students with moderate to profound learning disabilities. The school is governed by Board of Management which is comprised of voluntary members which include parents, community representatives and nominees of the patron, which uniquely for this school is a company limited by guarantee which was created by the founders of the school in 1984 for that purpose. The Chairperson of the Board and his father were directors of the patron company at the time of the proceedings.

The plaintiff and Chairperson of the Board began to have difficulties within a year of the plaintiff’s appointment to the role of principal, and a number