Independent Schools

Some examples of our experience include:

• 1 Fundraising and bursary charitable foundations

  Establishing fundraising and bursary charitable foundations as well as restructuring networks of significant associated bursary funds (most recently in relation to the establishment of a foundation and the transfer of multiple bursary funds to that foundation, amounting to approx. £30 million).

• 2 Royal Charter & Public Schools Act schools

  Advising high profile independent schools governed by Royal Charter or the Public Schools Act on complex constitutional and governance mattes, including recent liaison with the Privy Council to substantially update a School’s Statutes.

• 3 International franchising projects

  Advising on international franchising projects, unpicking a franchising project for one of the oldest schools in the world, requiring quick action to ringfence risk in Singapore and India as well as managing the involvement of a Japanese investment house, and recent advice to a well-known school on the cessation of its activities in China.

• 4 Governance and constitutional reviews

  Carrying out ‘root and branch’ governance and constitutional reviews for schools, including liaising with the Charity Commission to update the charitable objects of a school.

• 5 Teachers’ Pension Scheme

  Advising a number of schools on withdrawing from the Teachers’ Pension Scheme, including advising on communications with affected members of staff and trade union representatives.

• 6 Employment law and HR matters

  Assisting schools on a range of employment law and HR matters, including advising on disciplinary allegations against staff, settlement agreements, , the scope of reasonable adjustments under the Equality Act 2010, drafting employment and HR policies and successfully defending Employment Tribunal claims.

• 7 School Estates

  Advising on the basis on which schools hold and can deal with properties in their estate, including the provision of security of land in financing arrangements and recent advice to a school whereby we obtained expedited Charity Commission consent to the sale of land to a connected party.

• 8 Charity Commission

  Liaising with the Charity Commission on behalf of schools, including recently helping to successfully navigate the governors of two schools through detailed Charity Commission enquiries.

• 9 Commercial contracts

  Commercial contract advice to schools, including in relation to decision to waive required fee payments in lieu of notice and advice on parent contracts.