Our education law expertise overlaps closely with related areas including public law, community care law, children’s rights, immigration law, human rights law, discrimination and equality law and employment law.
Areas of Expertise
- Judicial review challenges relating to delivery of provision specified in Statements and EHC Plans
- Special Educational Needs appeals (including relating to Statements of SEN and Education, Health and Care Plans)
- Educational negligence and related damages claims
- Discrimination related allegations including on the grounds of disability, sex, race, sexual identity or religion/belief
- Discipline matters and challenges to decisions of school governing bodies and Independent Review Panels
- Employment law issues in schools and other educational institutions
- Issues related to higher and further education matters ranging from admissions, to discipline, to academic assessment
- Challenges to decisions of qualification bodies
- Challenges to admissions procedures and admissions criteria for schools and other institutions
- School closures and re-organisations, including the introduction/expansion of academies, free schools and grammar schools
- Supporting solicitors to apply for Exceptional Case Funding for SEND appeals and challenges to refusals of funding
- SEND mediation services
Our education law barristers have a particular focus on access to education for migrant children, as well as children and young adults in care and disabled children and their families. We are at the cutting edge of litigation in this area of law and our barristers have materially contributed to changes in government policy and practice.
Our counsel are regularly instructed in schools and higher education cases, especially relating to discrimination and public law issues that arise in accessing education. We have expertise acting in high value special educational needs cases and in complex discrimination claims. In higher education this also extends to internal disciplinary hearings, fitness to practice matters and in appeals to the Office of the Independent Adjudicator (OIA).
