Discrimination

School Legal Services or SLS is a multi-faceted legal and educational consultancy – one of our areas of expertise is discrimination.

The bulk of the queries that we receive relate to Disability and Race Discrimination that occurs in schools, in particular:

This list represents fairly typical day-to-day areas of complaint that we support families with – it is by no means exhaustive.

We support parents with their queries, complaints and appeals/claims to the Special Educational Needs and Disability Panel (formerly SENDIST) and the Independent Appeal Panels. The most common tasks that we are asked to carry out include:

• Giving advice and guidance (i.e. you may be asking “how do we pass the threshold for discrimination? What is the Disability Equality Duty?”)
• Drafting documents on your behalf, such as complaints with various technical issues and legal points involved.
• Representation at meetings with schools/LEAs.
• Representation at tribunal appeal hearings.

In a nutshell: acting as a sword and shield for your child.

Appeals/Claims
A claim is a ‘type’ of appeal. Here are some examples of discrimination appeals and claims that we support parents with:

1. Claims where a child has been treated less favourably because of his or her Disability – an example is where

2. Claims where a child has been placed at a ‘substantial disadvantage’ because of his/her race or disability – an example of this is where a school fails to pursue reasonable steps (i.e. allocating the right level of support), which results in a child suffering in school.

3. Admissions appeals – discrimination claims can also be made to the Independent Admissions Appeal Panel.

4. Exclusion appeals – likewise, discrimination claims can also go to the Independent Exclusion Appeal Panel for permanent exclusions while the SEND Tribunal can hear Disability Discrimination claims for fixed-term exclusions.

5. Complaints where a school or LEA are acting in any other way that places your child at a disadvantage because of their race or disability.

Complaints
We can provide support with complaints against schools, governing bodies, exam boards and LEAs, which tend to initially go to those organisations at first instance. If no progress is made, further action is often taken; for instance, taking the complaint to a higher level such as the DCSF.

No obligation free discussion
We are happy to have a no obligation discussion with you about your difficulties, so feel free to call us on 0208 523 0887.

Specific and tailored support
Unlike most solicitors or barristers, and other consultancies, we do not work on a ‘9 to 5’ basis. We will regularly be talking with parents at times that are convenient for you (such as 9pm in the evening) and at weekends.

Family friendly approach
We offer a family friendly approach – we always call our clients by their first names and write in plain English, in order to make a stressful experience as pleasant and informal as possible.

Again our aim is to provide a top quality legal service in a manner that is customer and parent focused to meet your needs.

At SLS we can appreciate and understand your concerns, so please do not hesitate to contact us for a free no obligation discussion and we will explore what your options are. If you have an discrimination query, or need any particular kind of support (even if it is not one of the above forms) do get in touch as we always aim to tailor our services and support to you, as an individual.