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Academies

Stone King is independently recognised as being one of the top practices in the country for our work in the education and charity sectors. We have built up an excellent reputation advising on a significant number of academy projects, with members of our team being involved right from the initial launch of the academy programme.  We have supported the establishment of over 10% of Academies established before the current Academies Bill.

We are also instructed by a number of Schools that wish to convert to the Academies under the proposed Academies Bill.  Please contact either Stephen Ravenscroft or Roger Inman if you are looking for support in setting up a “new Academy”, whether through conversion of an existing school or by setting up a “free” school. 

Once an Academy is established, it has particular operational requirements and we act for a large number of existing academies, providing a full range of support services. 

Our team comprises experts in charity, education, property, employment and commercial law, offering sponsors, project managers and school leadership the support they need in all areas of an academy’s set up.

Our position as one of the leading education law practices in the country ensures that our advice during the course of the project is given with a clear understanding of what the academy will need to operate effectively as a school in the future. We aim to work as an integrated part of your team. We spend time in the early stages learning about the key drivers and priorities for the project, and then work hard to ensure that we are able to provide the legal structure required to deliver this vision. Our recent work has included advising on a number of accelerated schemes which are being procured through both Building Schools for the Future and the National Framework. This experience has given us an in-depth understanding of the legal structures required to deliver academies. In particular, we recognise:

• the importance of getting the right governance structure.
• that the implications of the chosen procurement route need to be carefully considered; 
• that the land transfer discussions are key to the success of the project. The academy needs to be clear about what it will be getting, and when.

For more information about converting into a new Academy or setting up a "free" school, please click here.

For more information about establishing Academies with a Sponsor click here.

If you are already an academy and need support regarding operational issues, please click onto our maintained school pages here.