Academy Conversions and Projects

Just over 60% of secondary schools and 20% of primary schools have already obtained academy status as part of multi- or single academy trusts.

The academies programme has rapidly expanded over the last seven years and this is a fast maturing area of law with a large number of multi-academy trusts being established and an increasing number of conversions from single to multi-academy trust status, re-brokerages of academies and academy trust mergers. However, the number of law firms with experience of advising academies remains relatively small.

Our Education Group has the expertise to advise you in your academy project including:

Conversion to academy status
Establishment of single and multi-academy trusts
Conversion from single to multi-academy trust status
Establishment of Free Schools
Academy trust mergers
Re-brokerage of academies
Making a significant change to an academy trust
Amending articles of association
Amending funding agreements
Winding up academy trusts

Expertise in Advising Religious Designated Schools and Academies

Lupton Fawcett is unusual in having an Ecclesiastical and Charites Team which gives us an expert understanding of church schools and church issues and we have experience of advising on Church of England and Catholic designated academy projects. Our experience includes acting for both Diocesan Boards of Education and church schools on academy projects which allows us to see things from both sides of the coin and gives us an insight which is not available to many of our competitors.

Post-Conversion Support

We like to think that advising on your academy project is just the start of our relationship. As a Lupton Fawcett client you will have access to a wide range of legal services and we can advise on, for example:

Trustee training and Governance.
Employment and HR
Admissions and appeals
Exclusions
Special Educational Needs
Child protection and safeguarding
Health and Safety
Environmental regulation
Food standards regulation
Data protection
Commercial contracts and grant funding.
Property and estates
Planning
Construction and capital projects
Tax and trading
Establishing subsidiary companies.
Charity law
Ecclesiastical law
Corporate services
Collaborative ventures
Governance issues
Immigration
Training for Academy Trustees

Value for Money

We understand the importance to you in obtaining value for money and we have a range of pricing options for your academy project including capped fees and fixed fee arrangements.