Over the years we have acquired considerable experience of advising schools and colleges and assisting with the changing and differing funding streams.
Currently we are acting for a number of city academy implementation projects. We are used to working with the DfES, the Charity Commission and local education authorities.
Ultimately we have found that a collective and collaborative approach best serves the achievement of development projects for schools and colleges.
Our lawyers' areas of expertise include:
- Advice on legal structures and constitutional issues
- Governance and risk management, including training for governors
- Funding agreements
- Advice in property and construction issues
- Admissions, exclusions and review
- Judicial review
- Special Education Needs and Disability Tribunals
- Employment advice
Work experience/case studies:
Education
- Successful representation of LEAs in Special Educational Needs matters at the Special Educational Needs and Disability Tribunal and in the High Court.
- Successful defence of several schools in applications under the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 to the Special Educational Needs and Disability Tribunal.
- Successful defence of application for judicial review of a Council's review of areas of prime responsibility (school catchment areas).
- Advising on education and child protection aspects including staff training and advising as to policies and procedures.
Property and construction
- Acting in the sale of a Foundation School's site to a developer and the School's relocation to modern facilities.
- Engaged to advise the governing bodies of a London Comprehensive School and a Community School in relation to a PFI project for the construction of a new school and a complete refurbishment of an existing school.
- Advising a College upon a £12 million redevelopment of its facilities through an innovative PPP project. This project has subsequently been published as a case study by the DfES.
Employment
- Advising on employment contracts, dismissals, policies and procedures.Academies.
- Advising the City Academy, Bristol (Bristol 1) on numerous contract and procurement matters from its conception to date, including negotiating with the DfES over transfer liabilities arising out of the school run previously on the Academy's site and drafting the related agreement.
- Advising the Project Board for the proposed Merchants’ Academy Withywood (Bristol 2) currently in the implementation stage.
- A partner in our Schools Team sits on the Project Board for a new Academy proposed on the site of the current Hengrove Community Arts College (Bristol 3).
- Advising on the conversion of a City Technology College into an Academy (Bristol 4) currently in the feasibility stage.
