Education

Our Education Solicitors are dedicated to improving learning outcomes. We strive to make life easier for trusts and schools as they navigate an increasingly wide range of responsibilities.

We currently support over 70 Multi-Academy Trusts and around 1000 schools. We have recently reshaped our Education Practice to take account of the ever-growing needs of trusts and schools. Our Practice now comprises a core Education Team, with lawyers acting only for schools and academies, who are supported by over 50 specialist education sector lawyers from across the firm.

Our experts give more than legal advice; everything we do is with the improvement of teaching and learning outcomes for children in mind. Our team 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:

• E-ACT;
• Aspirations Academies Trust;
• Derby Diocesan Academy Trust;
• Beckmead Trust;
• Discovery Schools 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:

• Academy Conversions and Transfers: the Education team has completed over 500 academy conversions and transfers since 2010 and offer end to end project management of the process (including the land transaction): liaising with the Department for Education and the Local Authority, drafting the necessary documentation, and providing strategic advice.
• 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, FOIs, SARs as well as with the legal process of transferring the schools.
• 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.
• Core Education Legal Advice: The Education Team routinely advises on specific education law issues. This includes but is not limited to: admissions policies, exclusions and behaviour, special educational needs, disability discrimination claims, child protection, complaints and school and trust governance.
• 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.