- Working relationships and employment status
- Employment contracts and statutory rights
- Workplace discipline, dismissal, and redundancy
- Enforcing employment rights and access to justice
- The purpose and structure of equality law
- Protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010
- Discrimination at work: direct, indirect, harassment, and victimisation
- Reasonable adjustments and disability discrimination

1. Assessment 1 – Group Conciliation Exercise

You will work in together in groups of 3 (or 2 where student numbers require it) to engage in pre-conciliation preparation. You will be given a set of facts from which you need to consider the legal issues, strengths and weaknesses of your position and consider a negotiation strategy. Groups will be allocated to either represent the Claimant or Respondent in the scenario. Your group will produce a document outlining your position, using track changes to evidence each student's participation.

2. Assessment 2 - Individual Reflection

You will produce a report reflecting upon your performance in the group exercise, including identifying your individual strengths and development needs to formulate actions for further growth. A template will be provided, allowing you to produce a considered, concise and focused report to align with the module learning outcomes.

3. Assessment 3 (Examination) focuses on application and problem-solving through workplace scenarios and accurate legal reasoning tested via SQE-style multiple-choice questions. Each question is followed by 3 possible answers and students must select the single best answer. Critical reasoning is assessed through structured legal analysis under time-limited conditions.

The learning strategy for this module is on based direct contact with a tutor in addition to directed, guided and self-study and collaborative work together with preparation for the assessments. Students are encouraged to complete additional reading, preparation for workshops, and consolidation of learning.

1. Demonstrate a comprehensive and critical understanding of the key principles, statutory frameworks and case law governing employment and equality law in England and Wales.

Knowledge and understanding

2. Apply employment and equality law accurately and effectively to factual workplace scenarios, identifying legal issues, applying relevant legal rules and reaching reasoned conclusions.

Application and problem solving
Research skills

3. Critically analyse and apply employment and equality law within a collaborative conciliation exercise to address legal and ethical challenges using appropriate digital tools.

Critical reasoning and collaboration
Digital literacy

4. Reflect on your personal learning, professional skills and ethical considerations relevant to employment and equality law, considering gaps in your knowledge and skills and your performance in collaborative exercises to identify development needs and actions for continued growth.

Reflection
Personal development and entrepreneurship

Law Trove
Legal databases with access to statute and case law

David Cabrelli, Employment Law in Context (5th edn, OUP 2025)

Ian Smith and Owen Warnock, Smith & Wood's Employment Law (16th edn, OUP 2023)

Astra Emir, Selwyn's Law of Employment (22nd edn, OUP 2022)

This module explores how the law shapes working life in England and Wales. It examines the rights and responsibilities of employers and workers, alongside the legal framework designed to prevent discrimination and promote fairness in the workplace. Through the study of employment and equality law, you will gain insight into how legal rules operate in practice and how they respond to changing social, economic, and organisational pressures.

You will apply the law to realistic workplace situations, encouraging you to think critically about legal protections, power, and inequality in the workplace. During the module, you will develop the ability to analyse complex problems, construct persuasive legal arguments, and make informed judgements, while also reflecting on the ethical and professional dimensions of employment practice. The skills developed are directly relevant to legal careers and to a wide range of graduate roles where your understanding of workplace rights and responsibilities is essential.