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

Briefing for Charities & Social Enterprises | 15 September

Our weekly round up of news and updates from across the sector. To help you navigate this week’s content, the links below will take you straight to content by topic. Investigations and complaints The Charity Commission has concluded its investigation into four charities that were part of a statutory class inquiry into 105 charities found …
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Briefing for Charities & Social Enterprises | 8 September

Our weekly roundup of news and updates from across the sector. To help you navigate this week’s content, the links below will take you straight to content by topic. Charity Commission Charity Commission CEO David Holdsworth has written a guest blog for New Philanthropy Capital about impact reporting for charities. The blog looks at how …
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The year in education: Looking back and looking ahead

As schools, colleges and academy trusts prepare for the start of the new academic year, we reflect on the last 12 months and consider what lies ahead for the education sector. The coming years are expected to bring one of the most significant periods of policy reform in recent memory. In November 2025, the Department …
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Bates Wells discusses cybersecurity tips for schools with Independent Schools Management Magazine

Rayhaan Vankalwala and Nneka Cummins have published an article in the Independent Schools Management Magazine, August 2026 edition. Their article “Cybersecurity tips for schools” sets out the key questions that schools should be asking themselves to ensure they are protecting the personal data they hold appropriately. With the fast pace of technology and the new …
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Briefing for Charities & Social Enterprises | 18 August

Our weekly roundup of news and updates from across the sector. To help you navigate this week’s content, the links below will take you straight to content by topic. Investigations and complaints The Fundraising Regulator has published the results of its investigation into two community interest companies, Atoma Union CIC and Youth Works Union CIC.  …
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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