Education law

Our 3PB education law team represents parents, pupils, schools and their governing bodies (both from the maintained and the independent sectors), academies, universities and colleges, NGOs including charities, students, teaching and academic staff and local authorities in education law. Barristers also specialise in other complementary areas of law, notably public law, personal injury, human rights, employment and discrimination and misconduct and compliance.

In relation to schools and academies, the team has particular expertise in Appeals to the first-tier Tribunal (Special Educational Needs and Disability) (‘SEND Tribunal’) concerning statements of special education needs and education-related disability discrimination claims at all levels, including but not limited to SEND Tribunal proceedings and Independent Review Panel proceedings within the context of school exclusions. The team also handles Upper Tribunal Appeals arising from decisions of the SEND Tribunal.

The team routinely handle claims against schools and academies for all other forms of discrimination – for example in county court, employment tribunal proceedings and before specialist regulatory tribunals – and frequently advise and represent on school admissions and exclusion/reinstatement appeals before independent panels. The team has an outstanding record in judicial review proceedings arising from decisions of local authorities or independent panels.

As a specialist education law chambers our casework increasingly covers advisory work and disputes arising from school complaints procedures, attendance issues, school closures and re-organisations as well as issues of governance and funding. Our barristers act on breach of contract claims concerning independent schools and education negligence claims and other damages claims arising at schools and academies.

We routinely accept direct access instructions from individuals and schools, academies and colleges/universities and are also able to provide legal assessors to advise and support independent lay panels dealing with a wide range of educational issues.