On 2004-03-04 13:43:49 +0000 adam@thebowery.co.uk wrote:
a. is this sexual discrimination?
Yes, AFAICT. (www.bailii.org is your fwend, although the Sex Discrimination Act 1975 is elsewhere on the web) It looks like English post-16 education can only discriminate legally if directed to do so by the Secretary of State for Education. IANAL, so go read it yourself or get advice.
b. is this fair? c. am i justified in complaining about this?
Trickier questions. I think it's unfair and complaining is justified, but I am against discrimination between people, both so-called positive and negative. I think you should try not to complain so far that it harms the availability of training at all, or it takes up more time than you can afford.
d. do you know of any good people to complain to?
Is this a matter for the Equal Ops Commission? Or the Learning and Skills Council? Besides that, nearly all of the ones you mention are worth contacting.