Lawyers to Special Schools and Colleges
From navigating complex funding structures to managing legal risks and compliance, you need clear, practical legal support that helps you focus on what matters most - your pupils.
That’s where we come in. We understand the unique challenges you face in educating and caring for children and young people with special educational needs (SEN).
You work hard to provide exceptional education and care for children and young people with special educational needs (SEN).
Whether you’re a charity, independent special school, academy, multi-academy trust, non-maintained special school (NMSS), residential special school, special post-16 institution (SPI), Alternative Provision (AP), hospital school, or operating children's homes or care homes, you need expert legal support that enables you to focus on your students.
Navigating the legal and regulatory landscape of SEND provision can be complex, with challenges such as securing adequate SEN funding, handling disputes with local authorities, and managing parental concerns. Our specialist lawyers provide expert guidance to help you address these issues before they escalate, giving you confidence in your legal position and the reassurance that your organisation is protected.
Our team supports you in all aspects of SEND provision, including EHCP consultations, funding agreements, and handling disputes effectively. We help you stay on top of safeguarding requirements, regulatory inspections, and governance structures to ensure compliance with Ofsted, ISI, and CQC expectations. If staffing is a concern, we provide tailored advice on employment law, HR issues, and immigration compliance, helping you recruit and retain the right team. Additionally, we assist with procurement, commercial contracts, and property matters, ensuring your agreements and assets support the long-term sustainability of your organisation.
By understanding your organisation’s ethos and priorities, we deliver clear, pragmatic advice that empowers you to deliver the best outcomes for your students.
Our expertise
Our expertise goes beyond legal knowledge; we truly understand the specific challenges that specialist providers face daily. Whether it’s securing funding, managing regulatory pressures, or handling sensitive disputes, we’re here to provide pragmatic, solution-focused advice. Our breadth of legal service means we can offer all the specialist support you need in one place, allowing you to focus on delivering the best outcomes for your students.
We are corporate members of NASS and we regularly contribute to NASS and NATSPEC training and materials. Natalie is a serving NASS trustee, reinforcing our commitment to supporting special educational providers at every level.
Our special schools and colleges team advises on the following areas:
Natalie has been truly brilliant: so responsive, such attention to detail, so knowledgeable and supportive and she is adept at understanding and sensitively handling the different positions of the various different people involved in the issues
Our work highlights
VAT on fees
We regularly contribute to thought leadership issues for the sector. In early 2024, we hosted a 'roundtable' of people within the SEND sector; ranging from head teachers to representatives of large SEN groups. This led to valuable discussions and different perspectives shared ahead of the process of implementing VAT on fees.
In Autumn 2024, we presented to both NASS and Natspec members to help them plan for the Government's policy to introduce VAT on fees for independent special schools, NMSS and in scope SPIs. We then supported them as they implemented the changes in January 2025.
Contract negotiations and disputes with Local Authorities
We support special schools and colleges in their contract negotiations and disputes with local authorities. This includes drafting and reviewing placement contracts, advising on fee disputes, including fee uplift disputes, both with individual LAs and consortia, to supporting schools and colleges through the dispute resolution process via negotiations, mediation, arbitration or litigation. We regularly assist schools to achieve agreement to fee uplifts and/or secure payment of unpaid fees.
Support with EHCP consultations, challenges and Tribunal proceedings
We assist with EHC Plan consultations, disputes with local authorities, compliance with the Children and Families Act 2014, and SEND Code of Practice 2015. Our support includes strategic advice, legal action, and defending claims.
We regularly support schools to prepare for appeals in First Tier Tribunal, including successfully judicially reviewing an LA decision to name a school in an EHCP in 2024 without appropriate consultation.
