Charlotte Melhuish
Partner
Charlotte is a Partner in the independent schools team at Stone King and co-leads the firm’s dedicated special education provision team, supporting a range of providers nationwide. She is based in our Birmingham office.
Prior to joining Stone King in May 2018, Charlotte built up her expertise in the education sector at Harrison Clark Rickerbys and VWV.
Charlotte is an education specialist and advises and supports the firm’s independent schools, independent special schools and non-maintained special schools on a range of pastoral care and operational matters including sensitive and complex safeguarding matters; SEND issues and discrimination claims; effective management of parental complaints; behaviour management and pupil exclusions; admissions; compliance with regulatory requirements; parent contract and policy review and implementation.
Charlotte also supports establishments looking to set up early years provision, and independent schools, including independent special schools and non-maintained special schools.
Charlotte provides training for schools on a range of pastoral care and operational matters, and often speaks at national and regional events in the independent schools sector including the Association of Governing Body of Independent Schools, the Independent Schools’ Bursars Association and HMC – The Heads’ Conference.
Charlotte is a member of the Education Law Association and served for seven years as a governor of her local independent school, which catered predominately for children with mild to moderate learning difficulties.
Charlotte read Law and Criminology at Cardiff University before completing her Legal Practice Course at the College of Law, Guildford.
Outside of work, Charlotte enjoys pilates, hiking, cooking, choir, and dog walking.
Charlotte was a recognised leading legal practitioner in Education (UK-wide) in Chambers and Partners 2016, and finalist and runner up in GWILS 'Lawyer of the Year' 2017 Awards.
Charlotte was one of the authors of the first iteration of the Reasonable Adjustments Guidance for Independent Schools published by the Independent Schools’ Council and subsequently the Independent Schools’ Bursars Association.