Education Solicitors

Acquisitions and mergers give colleges the opportunity to come together to provide a more efficient service, with the potential to reduce overheads and increase provision.

We regularly advise institutions on acquisitions and mergers, including in respect of structuring, employment issues and other legal implications.

We can take your college through the entire merger or acquisition process, ensuring you have the right agreements in place to create a robust legal foundation for your new venture.

Having the right constitutional set-up in place will give your organisation the sound framework it needs to be resilient and manage the many challenges facing the sector. We can work with your institution to ensure it has a robust constitution and provide recommendations on governance issues as needed.

Ensuring you have the right advice before making crucial decisions will mean that you have the assurance of knowing your actions have a sound basis. Where they have been thought through and discussed with a legal expert beforehand, difficulties will be minimised and you will be able to defend your actions robustly.

Educational funding arrangements are notoriously complex and it can be invaluable to have clear guidance from an expert in ensuring that you are maximising your opportunities while staying within the rules.

The education provision system is highly regulated and compliance requirements are strict. We help our clients navigate a full range of regulations, from health and safety to data security.

Funding is a particularly complex area and our team can advise you on the rules, ensuring you are compliant with the requirements of the Education and Skills Funding Agency and that your organisation follows their financial management good practice guides.

As your institution evolves, you may need to acquire more premises, develop existing sites and change the use of some of your buildings. We advise clients on dealing with education property matters, including purchasing property for schools, colleges and universities, planning advice and obtaining planning consent and bringing together all of the legal strands needed for a development. This could include financing, development contracts, planning issues, development management agreements, building contracts and appointment documents.

Educational establishments are party to a vast array of contracts and subcontracts with suppliers, employees, stakeholders and others.

We can work with you to establish exactly what you want from a contract, then draft and negotiate terms to ensure that you have a sound agreement in place. We will go through every requirement to ensure that it is in your best interests, including the terms, conditions, warranties and indemnities you need to protect your organisation’s rights.

Our education contract services include:

• Service agreements
• Agreements for goods and services
• IT contracts
• Joint venture and collaboration agreements
• Contracts for the use of facilities
• Agreements for public procurement

In the education sector, it is essential to have clear and concise employment contracts and policies in place. These documents help to protect both the employer and the employee, and ensure that everyone understands their rights and responsibilities.

Some of the key policies that should be in place include:

• Policies for absence and sickness
• Policies for diversity and equality
• Disciplinary and grievance processes
• Health and safety
• Performance reviews
• Whistleblowing
• Flexible working
• Equal Opportunities

Our academy conversion and merger solicitors have extensive experience in helping schools through the processes, whether that’s considering whether it is the right choice to convert to an academy, putting an academy trust in place, creating a Multi Academy Trust or  merging Multi Academy Trusts .

Operating as an academy can give you the control you need over your school and any others who join with you, including managing staffing, budgets and admissions as well as more freedom to choose your direction and the emphasis you want to place on certain areas of education.

Our team can ensure that you have the best possible start from the initial advice to the creation of the academy or multi academy trust. Our academy conversion and merger services include:

• Initial advice on converting to an academy
• Converting new schools into existing academy trusts
• Merger of multi academy trusts
• Setting up the legal structure of your academy or multi academy trust
• Advice on regulatory compliance, to include putting the necessary framework in place to ensure ongoing compliance
• Transfer of premises and other assets to the academy trust
• Dealing with the transfer of employees and their contracts
• Advising on your funding agreement with the Department for Education
• Ongoing assistance to your academy on a long-term basis to deal with issues such as contracts, compliance and funding

With a complex organisation such as a school, college or university, you can expect to be involved in legal disputes from time to time. To resolve these efficiently, it is crucial to address them as soon as they arise.

We routinely work with our education sector clients to manage and resolve disputes effectively. By involving an expert in education legal advice early on, you stand the best chance of dealing with the issue before it escalates and positions become entrenched.

Our team can step in on your behalf to assess the issue and offer suggestions to end the matter. We are usually able to resolve matters without the need for litigation, which is faster and more cost-effective and allows you to return your focus to where it is needed, running your organisation.

Where it is not possible to resolve matters by correspondence and negotiation, we can recommend alternative dispute resolution such as mediation or early neutral evaluation.

As a final resort, we can prepare a strong case for court or Tribunal if this proves necessary.

We have a strong track record of success in dealing with issues promptly and out of court.