Education

We believe in education as a force for good in society.

Education is vital for everyone; it’s a force for social change. That’s why we work with you in partnership, investing in your values and moral purpose – the reason you educate. We aim to make a positive impact in society and we’re as immersed in the policy context as we are in the law.

We rank in the Legal 500’s top tier for schools, and we have more than 30 years’ experience in education.  We work with nurseries, schools and multi-academy trusts, as well as institutions in further, higher and adult education. Beyond that, we’ve worked with regulators, local authorities and awarding bodies.

How we help

We’re a full-service firm, so we can offer every legal service you could need. We can help establish, merge, federate, transfer, restructure or convert an institution. We help with governance and constitutions.

We deal with everything from inspections, disciplinary procedures to FOI requests. We’ll also protect your intellectual property as well as dealing with visas and immigration. We help prevent and resolve disputes, from governance and other organisational issues with shareholders, to disputes with suppliers and other third parties.

 

 

We also have the specialist expertise to help you thrive in the fast-growing EdTech sector. We’ve advised EdTech clients on everything from commercial contracts to intellectual property.

Whatever you need, we’ll be there to support and advise you.

Recent work examples include:

  • Advising a well-established French higher education group on entering the UK market and registering with the Office for Students.
  • Providing restructuring advice to an independent schools group.
  • Advising a large further education provider, which is also a registered charity, on its governance review and on the impact of ONS reclassification of statutory further education colleges into the public sector.
Explore

Richard Jones discusses Effective Land Disposal in Independent Schools Management

Richard Jones, a member of our Bates Wells Education team, has been published in the December 2024 issue of Independent …
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Independent schools – top tips when considering a merger

The government has recently announced its plans to introduce VAT on independent school fees from January 2025, as well as …
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Legal Update: The Office for Students requires higher education providers to improve protection from harassment and sexual misconduct

On 31 July 2024, the Office for Students (the “OfS”) published a new ongoing condition of registration (the “New Condition”) …
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Labour’s private school tax plan: what comes next?

On 29 July 2024, the government published its long-promised plans to apply 20% VAT on private school fees and to …
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Government announces plans to pause implementation of freedom of speech duties for students’ unions and HEPs

The government has announced today (26 July) that the new duties on Higher Education providers and students’ unions in the …
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“We work with a range of solicitors at Bates Wells and all of them are knowledgeable and work together as a team to provide specific, tailored advice.”

Education, Chambers 2024

‘The Team immediately understood the organisation and brief, even before we met for the first time. Different members of the team were able to assist with different aspects of our requirement, and it felt like each individual was very knowledgeable on our organisation.’

Education, Legal 500 2024
Meet our team