Church of England State Schools
As a firm we have developed a wide ranging but detailed understanding of the Church of England, its dioceses and schools.
We understand the role the Church of England has played in the development of education over the centuries and that its schools stand at the centre of its mission. The call to the Church at every level - national, diocesan and parochial - to proclaim afresh the Gospel message to each new generation becomes a reality in its schools and in its care for their pupils. One of the most significant challenges to the Church, through its diocesan boards of education and schools, in recent years has been the Academies Act 2010 and what this means for the family of Church schools within each diocese.
It is within this evolving context that we offer a service that meets our clients’ needs. The firm has a collective wisdom built up over hundreds of years of service and we bring all our experience to provide appropriate solutions that protect our clients’ reputation, ethos, integrity and brand. This understanding means that we can advise both diocesan boards of education and individual schools on strategic and as operational issues.
Client teams are led by an ‘education’ specialist partner, who coordinates the services of their expert colleagues in Employment, Corporate and Commercial, Dispute Resolution, Construction and Property legal matters. Together we help diocesan boards of education and schools with matters such as:
- Academy set up and operations;
- The establishment of diocesan or school led multi academy trusts;
- Employment, in particular support staff and reserved teacher issues for Church of England schools;
- School Leadership Support governance and compliance;
- School Reorganisation and Development;
- Change of category;
- Admissions;
- Educational Provision and Safeguarding including Special Educational Needs, Equality Duties and Child Protection;
- Behaviour Management and Exclusions;
- School Community: including attendance, relations with parents and information management;
- School Business Management;
- School Property Issues Including BSF, PSBP and reverter;
- Section 554 orders;
- Incorporation of diocesan boards of education;
- Transfer of Control Agreements and third party use of academy sites
- Immigration advice and support
With a significant education team, we are able to deliver a holistic service to our clients – all the legal services you will ever need.
Our ethos is based on understanding your needs, being good listeners and looking at the big picture. This approach has helped us build a reputation for excellence and has made us national leaders in the charity and education sectors.