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:
We provide expert legal support in managing disability discrimination claims under the Equality Act 2010, offering strategic guidance on defending cases at the First Tier Tribunal (Special Educational Needs and Disability) and ensuring compliance with your legal obligations.
Find out more about our disability discrimination claims services
Strong governance is crucial for maintaining compliance and stability. Our team, many of whom are experienced school governors, provides hands-on support with governance structures, policies, trustee responsibilities, and financial management.
If you’re preparing for an Ofsted, ISI, or CQC inspection, we can support you through the process. From policy preparation to post-inspection challenges, our team ensures you are well-prepared and able to respond effectively to inspection findings.
Our safeguarding solicitors provide expert legal support to schools and trusts on compliance with safeguarding duties, including risk management, SEND, exclusions, governance structures, and best practice policies. We assist with safer recruitment, managing allegations, reporting, investigations, and legal proceedings, offering tailored training and regular webinars to ensure effective safeguarding.
From admissions to exclusions and safeguarding concerns, we provide legal support to ensure compliance with SEN and disability regulations while maintaining positive relationships with local authorities, parents and pupils. Early advice can save time, resources, and prevent escalation, ensuring compliance and protecting the interests of pupils, parents, and staff.
We assist with EHCP consultations, disputes with local authorities, and legal compliance with the Children and Families Act 2014 and SEND Code of Practice 2015. Our team offers policy templates, webinars, and legal insights into government funding changes.
Safer recruitment is crucial to safeguarding children and plays a key role in inspections. Schools must ensure thorough pre-appointment checks and comply with legal and regulatory requirements for staff, volunteers, and contractors. We also offer tailored safer recruitment training, covering key legal frameworks like Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE).
We support you through every stage of your capital projects, from planning and procurement to dispute resolution. Whether you’re expanding your facilities or managing complex site developments, our expertise ensures smooth project delivery while keeping costs and risks under control.
Navigating procurement rules and managing third-party agreements can be complex. We help you structure and negotiate contracts that align with your objectives, ensuring compliance and protecting your interests in supplier relationships, outsourcing arrangements, and service agreements.
Whether expanding provision, establishing new SEN units, or restructuring governance, we guide you through the legal, regulatory, and strategic considerations to ensure a smooth transition.
When disputes arise - whether with parents, staff, or regulatory bodies - we work swiftly to protect your interests, resolve conflicts efficiently, and mitigate reputational risks. Our expertise spans complaints management, contractual disputes, and tribunal representation.
If your school engages in trading activities, we provide legal guidance on structuring trading subsidiaries, compliance with academy funding agreements, and tax considerations to help you generate income while managing risks effectively.
With increasing scrutiny around data protection, we provide clear, practical guidance on UK GDPR, Freedom of Information (FOI), and compliance strategies. We offer tailored training, risk assessments, and support in managing breaches or regulatory requests, helping you safeguard sensitive information.
We help you manage HR challenges, from staff recruitment to disciplinary matters, redundancies, and safeguarding obligations. Our education employment team offers proactive support to keep your school running smoothly and in line with employment law regulations.
With recruitment pressures increasing, we assist with all aspects of UK immigration law, including right-to-work checks, sponsor licence applications, visa management, and compliance audits, ensuring you can recruit and retain the talent you need.
Property matters can be legally complex, particularly for schools and trusts. We provide expert advice on acquisitions, disposals, planning permissions, lease negotiations, and compliance with education and charity regulations.
Our procurement experts help you navigate public procurement laws, manage tenders, establish framework agreements, and resolve disputes. We also provide tailored training on the latest legal developments, including the new Procurement Act.
Our partnerships
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.
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