School appeal - expert advice and support for school appeals

Appeals are heard by independent appeal panels, usually appointed on behalf of either the Local Education Authority or (for church schools) the local Diocese. I will attend school appeals across the country, on behalf of the parents or the school. I am also available to act as clerk to the appeal panel.

Main local appeal venues:

Leicester, Nottingham, Derby, Birmingham, Worcester, Gloucester, Bristol, Bath, Sheffield, Peterborough, Cambridge, Northampton, Oxford, Lincoln, Grimsby, Coventry, Warwick, Stoke-on-Trent, Manchester and London.

Ian Jones www.school-appeal.org.uk

If your child has been refused a place at the school of your choice, you have the right to appeal. I can help you to prepare your appeal and can present your case to the appeal panel. I also undertake exclusion appeals and other education work.

I am a barrister with over 15 years experience. Like most barristers, I am self-employed and work with a group of other independent barristers in a shared office or “chambers”, with shared support staff or “clerks”. Unlike most barristers, I carry out some of my work directly for a client rather than through a solicitor – this is called “direct access”.

One of my main areas of direct access work is education, especially school appeals (admissions and exclusions). I have attended hundreds of appeal hearings and provided training on the admission appeals system.

I also undertake a wide range of other direct access work such as licensing, housing and planning work. For a more comprehensive list of my practice areas, please see my Chambers website entry.

Clear and practical help

I provide a fast and efficient service. You can contact me by phone (via my clerks on 0116 255 9144) – if I am in court or out of the office I will normally return your call within 48 hours. I prefer to work by email (legal@school-appeal.org.uk), and won’t charge you for a long advice where a short paragraph will do just as well. My advice will be clear and practical, not full of legal jargon.

Where do I work?

I am based at New Walk Chambers in Leicester. I attend hearings throughout the Midlands but am happy to travel further afield as required for hearings around the country.

For paperwork and advice by phone or email, distance is no object!

Is there any work that I cannot do?

There are detailed rules about barrister providing services directly to the public— fortunately, these do not really affect the service I can provide for school appeals. I can fill the appeal forms in for you to send, I can give you advice by phone or email and I can represent you at the appeal hearing. For more details of the rules on direct access to barristers, please click here.

If I am not available (e.g. I am already booked for a court hearing) or if there is a conflict of interests (e.g. I know one of the parties in the case), I will refer you to another direct access barrister or to a solicitor. Please note that I am a governor at St. John the Baptist Primary School in Leicester and cannot deal with any cases relating to that school.

Finally, if at any stage I feel that it would be in your best interests or the interests of justice for you to instruct a solicitor, I cannot act for you. My clerks will refer you to a suitable solicitor, and if you wish, the solicitor can then instruct me.

What will it cost?

I will quote a fixed fee for paperwork , conferences and hearings rather than charging by the minute. For hearings and meetings within a 100 mile radius of Leicester, I charge mileage only (not travel time). Please see above for my standard fees for admission appeals. In other cases, the fee will depend on the amount of preparation required, whether it is urgent and how complicated the matter is. However, under the direct access scheme you only pay for the barrister, not the solicitor as well. My fees agreed under the direct access scheme are payable in advance – that way, you are not paying a higher rate to cover someone else’s bad debt.