Education
We strive to make life easier for trusts and schools as they navigate an increasingly wide range of responsibilities.
We currently provide legal services and support for over 70 Multi-Academy Trusts and around 1000 schools, with over 50 specialist education law solicitors across the firm.
Our experts give more than just expert legal advice; everything we do is with the improvement of teaching and learning outcomes for children in mind. Our education lawyers are passionate about the education sector with most volunteering as Governors or Trustees and bring this experience to their practice. At the heart of everything we do is a commitment to working with you to provide practical, solution-driven advice that is as much about strategy as it is about the law.
Our clients
We work with a diverse range of clients from across the Education Sector including:
- Ambitions Academies Trust;
- Aspirations Academies Trust;
- Derby Diocesan Academy Trust;
- Beckmead Trust;
- Ventrus Multi-Academy Trust;
- Academies Enterprise Trust.
Our work
We offer a range of services with the aim of becoming trusted legal advisors to our clients, so that they can focus on delivering education. Though not limited to the below, we list a range of services we can offer to our education clients:
- Re-brokerage: Michelmores has led on some of the country's most high-profile re-brokerages including Lilac Sky, Bright Tribe, Adventure Learning Academies Trust; Schools Company Trust and TBAP. We have acted for the incoming and outgoing Trusts and supported the interim Board of Trustees dealing with issues relating to fraud, negligence, and communications and managing the media, dismissals, health & safety, contractual disputes, FOI and SARs.
- Company and Charity Law Advice: our team has a wealth of experience in advising Trusts in relation to their obligations under charity and company law. We also offer a company secretarial service to all our clients.
- Compliance with data protection and privacy regulations and FOI requests: We offer ongoing support to Trusts, Schools and other educational institutions to ensure they comply with the relevant legislation. We regularly provide best practice seminars and provide training on current issues.
- Employment Advice: Our Education team has significant experience advising individual Academy Trusts and MATs, local authorities maintained schools and diocesan schools, and further and higher education institutions. We currently provide HR and Employment law support to over 1,000 schools around the country.
- Land and Property: As well as supporting schools and trusts through conversions and transfers, our team can offer advice to resolve ongoing land issues and new transactions. This includes, disposals, redevelopment acquisitions and rectifying historical issues.
They give really good advice and are very clear about next steps, risks and costs.
Chambers and Partners 2020
When discussing legal matters they are very clear and they take into account the practicalities of a situation when assessing risk.
Chambers and Partners 2020
The education team at Michelmores always go above and beyond and have a rapid response time. They instil so much confidence and one feels well supported. They really do know their stuff.
Legal 500 2020
Michelmores offer a personalised and prompt service and all of their lawyers are extremely knowledgeable about their field of expertise. The speed of action is the best facet of this firm.
Legal 500 2020
Michelmores is a firm which takes time to listen to client needs, prefers face-to-face meeting and is responsive to requests. The advice is clear and well communicated.
Legal 500 2020
A fantastic, five-star service: response times are almost immediate and nothing is ever too much to ask for.
Legal 500, 2018
Very impressed with their commitment to establishing a long-term relationship.
Chambers, 2016
Related Areas
News
- Trainee blog: the Education seat
- COVID-19 – protective measures for back to school
- COVID-19 - Government's "plan to rebuild" 12 May 2020
- Education team transfers Moundwood Academy to the Beckmead Trust
- Coronavirus (COVID-19) – Education Q&A Part 3
- Coronavirus (COVID-19) – Education Q&A Part 2
- Coronavirus (COVID 19) - Education Q&A
- Coronavirus – virtual meetings, an option for schools
- Can I still send my child to school OR am I a key worker?
- Coronavirus disruption: the education sector is no exception
- Trust Capacity Fund: 2020 TO 2021 Programme
- Reduce, Re-use and Recycle – reducing plastics in schools
- Trading subsidiaries within Multi-Academy Trusts
- New conditions imposed on school bids for Condition Improvement Funds
- Financial life supports for struggling academy trusts
- School breakfast club programme expansion
- Holiday pay for term time workers
- Are local authority SEN cuts unlawful?
- When can a school agree to change a child's name?
- Freedom of Information Requests to Academies - FAQs
- Head to Head with Chris Daniel, Business Development Manager at South Dartmoor MAT
- The 2019 Budget: an overview for schools
- Funding Agreement changes for projects progressing October 2018
- Hot off the press from Lord Agnew....
- Crystal ball gazing – Multi Academy Trusts, what next…
- Approaches to preventing and tackling bullying
- Charging for school activities
- The Teaching Regulation Agency – the new teaching profession regulation
- New science teacher retention statistics
- The DfE make changes to the model funding agreements
- To concentrate or confiscate – banning energy drinks in schools
- Searching, screening and confiscation – DfE guidance
- Freedom of Information Requests and Subject Access Requests
- GDPR: An overview for schools
- Updates to School Inspection Handbook
- How compliant is your Academy's website?
- New legal duties for schools concerning previously looked after children
- Department for Education – updated guidance on schools forums
- Ending the 'postcode lottery' – the new National Funding Formula
- Ending the 'postcode lottery' – the new National Funding Formula
- Updates to EduBase no longer possible
- Permanent and fixed period exclusions – the headteacher's dilemma
- New power to remove elected parent governors
- Schools' duties when it comes to politics – where do they stand?
- Academy trust mergers – holding consultations
- Taking children on holiday during term time
- Social media – risks and opportunities for schools
- DfE proposes to expand number of good school places
- Reasonable adjustments for disabled pupils
- Can I refuse a pupil a school trip because of disability?
- Disciplining a child with SEN
- Sixth Form Colleges looking to become Academies
- Proposed change to definition of "coasting" schools
- Head to Head with Judith Tinsley
- Head to Head with Nicky Dunford of The Link Academy
- Head to Head with Discovery Schools Academy Trust
- Multi-Academy Trusts are the future
- Parental Responsibility and a School's role
- Head to Head - Mark Greatrex
- Head to Head - Mark Sturgeon
- Head to Head - Louise Northern
- Protection for schools with a religious character
- Choosing a CEO isn't always easy
- Michelmores partners with The Education and Employers Taskforce
- Academies – have you at least considered changing teachers' pay and conditions?
- Head to head with Jo Evans, Headteacher at St Leonard's School
- Updated model Articles of Association for Academy Trusts
- Head to Head with Executive Headteacher/CEO of First Federation Trust
- Let's Teach Intellectual Property!
- Aspirations Academies Trust
- Cornwall students challenged to 'ThinkBIG' to win £500 prize for their school
- Michelmores' Bristol office announce partnership with Blaise Primary School
- Primary Academy Chain Development Grant
- Head to Head with Head of Teaching & Learning at East Allington Primary
- Charlotte Antoniou wins Associate Solicitor of the Year at the British Legal Awards
- Holiday Headaches
- Grammar Schools: The debate continues
- Schools urged to review school uniform policies
- Head to Head with Headteacher of Carwarden House Community School
- Michelmores shortlisted in two categories for the British Legal Awards
- Wage Deductions for Striking Teachers
- Head to Head with Executive Headteacher of the Castleman Academy Trust
- Michelmores Education team's record breaking month
- Are we being too safe?
- Consultation to change the £30,000 tax-free allowance
- Baseline Assessments: An unfair start to Education?
- Michelmores expands relationship with South Devon College
- Do your contracts and policies protect you?
- Raising aspirations
- Can financial considerations justify dismissal of an employee?
- Changing working hours
- Persistent absences are not always as they seem
- Early conciliation: negotiating through ACAS
- Options to address loss of funding for apprenticeship training
- Cloud services in education and the Data Protection Act
- A festive bonus or a lump of coal?
- Can a teacher be disciplined by the Local Authority rather than her School?
- Employer not obliged to award pay increase despite pay progression clause
- Safeguarding Disclosures and Duty of Care
- Is the admission process for Free Schools fair?
- Two of the West Country's Most Prestigious Schools Merge
- Michelmores Supports New Free Schools
- Academy sponsor E-ACT hands back control of 10 schools
- Additional £100,000 available to Primary Schools becoming academies
- Is demand not enough?
- New guidance takes away place guarantee for younger siblings
- Being a Governor
- An Identity Crisis in Colleges and Courtrooms
- Renewable energy grid connection
Get in touch
Bethan Jones
Partner
Meet the team
Recent experience
- Academy conversion: supporting around 200 academies across the country including the establishment of individual academies, umbrella trusts, multi-academy trusts and multi-academy sponsors.
- Academy post-conversion support: assisting academies in relation to the range of legal issues facing them following conversion.
- Private school: working in partnership with the wider professional team to deliver a significant development of the school’s estate within a tax efficient structure.
- Private school: recovery of fees.
- School: advice on PFI/PPP structures.
- School: advising on third party occupational issues and management of occupation of the estate.
- Free schools: advising in excess of 40 applicants across all of the application rounds to date.
- Free schools: supporting a nationally recognised charity in the establishment of a multi-academy trust to support several applications for special free schools.
- FE Institution: intellectual property spin-out matters and internal intellectual property procedures.
- FE Institution: collaboration agreement, including phased tenancy arrangements between the college and a charity to establish a secondary campus focused around an innovative and dynamic teaching programme.
- FE Institution: advising on a £multi-million disposal of surplus accommodation to a developer including strategic support and complex title issues.
- FE Institution: advising on commercial contracts and procurement of day-to-day services including standard terms and conditions.
- FE Institution: defending a large scale group action relating to the pension rights of part-time workers.
- University: procurement of £133m PPP for the transfer, development and operation of campus student residences.
- University: contentious employment matters, including allegations of breach of contract, wrongful and unfair dismissal, unlawful discrimination and whistleblowing.
- University: procurement of an IT-based HR and payroll system and support services.
