A very cohesive team that works to its strengths in a mutually supportive way. They have a very good understanding of schools and the systems within which they operate.
They are excellent. They put the needs of schools first and they have always gone the extra mile.
Very impressed with their commitment to establishing a long-term relationship.
Whether you require on-going legal advice, you are setting up a new school, or you are converting to a new structure, our Education team has years of experience and is well placed to help you navigate what may be unfamiliar and daunting territory for you.
We act for 70 Multi Academy Trusts and over 1000 schools across the country, and have established countless individual academies, umbrella trusts, multi-academy trusts and multi-academy sponsors. Our involvement in the Free Schools movement dates back to when the first wave of applications opened in 2011, and we have now worked with in excess of 40 applications across the various waves. We also enjoy supporting University Technical Colleges (UTCs) and studio schools for students aged 14-19, and we are keen to work with proposers who want to deliver education through practical project-based learning and often in conjunction with the local community.
Recent experience
Aspirations Academies Trust (South England): acting on the conversion of the latest school to join the Trust and its first Space Studio School.
Aspirations Academies Trust (Bournemouth): procuring the refurbishment of a new school building.
Chumleigh Community College (Devon): acting on the conversions of a secondary school and three primary schools joining a Multi-Academy Trust.
Daventry UTC: supporting one of the first UTCs which opened in September 2012.
Discovery Schools Academies Trust: working on the individual academy conversions for each new school joining the trust, as well as developing Schemes of Delegation and Partnership Agreements to govern the Trust’s structure.
Dorset County Council (Dorset): providing legal support on a range of education related matters including working on the conversion of the first PFI school in the country.
Exeter Diocese Board of Education: advising on the restructuring of two Multi-Academy Trusts.
Highcrest Academy (Buckinghamshire): consultation and referral to the Schools Adjudicator in relation to changing the school’s oversubscription criteria.
Holyport College (Berkshire): advising on the Funding Agreement including additional boarding clauses.
Khalsa Education Trust (Bradford): supporting the Trust on the establishment of the Khalsa Engineering Academy, which includes converting the Single Academy Trust into a Multi-Academy Trust to allow for the second free school
Kingsway Community Trust (Manchester): working with two primary schools to establish a Multi-Academy Trust and converting both schools to academy status.
Kingsway Schools Trust (Manchester): development agreement with the Council to construct an extension and a joint use agreement with a local school.
Leeds Jewish Free School: advising on the outsourcing of the provision of secular education.
National Autistic Society: establishing a Multi-Academy Trust and its first free school.
Negotiating with the DfE on a collaborative partnership allowing non-qualifying schools in Essex to convert to academy status.
Sevak Education Trust (Coventry): supporting the Trust on the pre-opening stage of the Seva Free School, and ensuring that the legal documentation and structure is appropriate for future schools to join.
Space Studio School (Banbury): drafting the funding documentation including a clawback agreement in preparation for the opening of the school.
St Christopher’s Primary Multi-Academy Trust (Exeter): establishing the Trust on behalf of Exeter Diocese and completing a review of the corporate governance structures including schemes of delegation, terms of reference and designing a structure which will enable the Trust to grow.
The Island Free School (Isle of Wight): providing advice at the pre-opening stage including funding advice and drafting employment contracts.
Woodbrook Vale Academy (Leicester): advising on the ability to permanently exclude based on medical grounds.
Acting for local authorities on the Ealing 1, Ealing 2, North Tyneside, Newport, Conwy, Fife and Slough PFI school projects.
