Global menu

Our global pages

Close
Print Friendly and PDF

Schools and academies lawyers

Our dedicated Education team is proud to have decades of experience delivering high-quality legal advice across the entire schools sector. We have worked on hundreds of school projects nationally and internationally.

Our experience spans the whole range of issues you may face, including: academy conversions, establishing free schools and UTCs, establishing MATs, adding schools to MATs, advising sixth form colleges on conversion to a 16-19 academy, advising on PFI matters, moving schools between MATs and advising on group structures and outsourcing. We also advise on the establishment of new independent schools. Our vast experience supporting institutions with this type of work means that we will be able to effectively address all of the key steps in any schools project.

We can provide you with a one-stop shop for all of your legal needs, including education law, employment and public sector pensions advice, property and construction matters, collaborations, reputation management and dispute resolution. We regularly support schools with regulatory matters.

We know that the most effective way to manage risks is to ensure that your team has easy fixed-cost access to high-quality legal advice. We also know that fixing problems after they have occurred can be time-consuming and expensive. A key part of our offering to you will be to encourage you to seek early advice, via access to our dedicated telephone and email retainers, covering the key aspects of all the advice we provide to schools.

Experienced schools and academies lawyers

Our lawyers are experienced in all aspects of schools and academies law. Our recent experience includes:

  • acting on hundreds of academy projects since the inception of the academy programme, including advising on PFI elements
  • acting for academies and schools on managing their response to activism, social media campaigning and threats of legal proceedings by staff, students, parents and third parties
  • acting for schools and academies on Local Government Pensions Scheme issues arising from the outsourcings and insourcing of services
  • advising institutions on challenging Ofsted inspection outcomes, including through judicial review
  • acting for an investor on the opening of a new independent school campus in the UK, including advising on education regulatory, immigration and property matters

“A superb team that never misses a beat.”

- Chambers UK 2022 - Education: Institutions (Schools)

Contact our independent schools team

If you would like any further information or need advice related to independent schools, please contact our legal team.

Print Friendly and PDF

© Eversheds Sutherland 2023. All rights reserved. Eversheds Sutherland is a global provider of legal and other services operating through various separate and distinct legal entities.

Eversheds Sutherland is the name and brand under which the members of Eversheds Sutherland Limited (Eversheds Sutherland (International) LLP and Eversheds Sutherland (US) LLP) and their respective controlled, managed and affiliated firms and the members of Eversheds Sutherland (Europe) Limited (each an "Eversheds Sutherland Entity" and together the "Eversheds Sutherland Entities") provide legal or other services to clients around the world. Eversheds Sutherland Entities are constituted and regulated in accordance with relevant local regulatory and legal requirements and operate in accordance with their locally registered names. The use of the name Eversheds Sutherland, is for description purposes only and does not imply that the Eversheds Sutherland Entities are in a partnership or are part of a global LLP. The responsibility for the provision of services to the client is defined in the terms of engagement between the instructed firm and the client.