On the Case: What a Supreme Court decision means for school sites

Andrew Small, partner at Russell Cooke, explains the Supreme Court decision in Rittson-Thomas and others v Oxfordshire County Council [2021] UKSC 13; [2021] PLSCS 78 - a hard-fought battle over the proceeds of sale of a former school site in Oxfordshire, donated long ago for educational use.

Small looks at the key provisions of the School Site Act 1841, and how they continue to apply in the modern day to land donated for school use, in particular when schools are relocated.

As well as describing how the case has seesawed through the courts, he analyses the definitive ruling of the Supreme Court - and goes on to consider how widespread its potential implications may be.