What we do

We provide advice and training in relation to education law, including:

• Special Educational Needs (SEN) and / or Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) – including appeals to the SEND Tribunal and enforcement.
• Children missing schooling or out of school.
• Children from families with No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF) accessing the right education and support.
• School exclusions, internal exclusions and use of isolation.
• Discrimination in schools (for example, race, special educational needs) and the removal of school transport.

We also help organisations and frontline advice services by providing:

• Help with general queries and training sessions.
• Support for specific cases/advocacy by frontline organisations (for example, one-off advice or tactical guidance).

Who we can help

• Local organisations and charities that support parents and children in education matters.
• Frontline advice services who need support or referral routes for more complex education law issues.
• Our public law team may be able to assist with challenging decisions by the local authority such as where a child is out of school, the provisions of an EHCP aren’t being provided or in relation to transport.

Who we cannot help

We cannot assist with issues relating to further education, higher education, or negligence claims in education.

We do not currently have capacity to provide casework for parents or carers whose child needs an EHCP, or is being discriminated against at school.

We have limited capacity to assist families where a child has been excluded or has no school place and referrers should fill in the form below if either of these circumstances apply.

Education Law Casework

Southwark Law Centre now has some capacity to provide specialist education law advice and casework for children and families referred to us by professionals and community organisations.

We are particularly interested in referrals where:

• a parent or carer wants to challenge a decision to exclude a child from school; or
• a child does not currently have a school place or suitable educational provision, including where this follows an exclusion.

We know that some groups of children are disproportionately affected by school exclusion, including children with SEND, children eligible for free school meals, Black Caribbean children and Gypsy, Roma and Traveller children. We are particularly keen to work with organisations supporting these children and their families, helping parents and carers to challenge exclusions and, where necessary, secure suitable education for children who are out of school.

Refer a Child or Family

We currently accept casework referrals from professionals and organisations. If you are working with a child or family who may need our help, please complete our existing Education Second-Tier Advice and Referral Form.

Please provide as much information as possible about the circumstances of the case. In particular, please tell us:

• if the child is currently out of school and how long they have been without suitable education;
• whether the child has been excluded or is at risk of exclusion;
• whether the child has SEND or other additional needs;
• what steps have already been taken to resolve the problem; and
• details of any upcoming meetings, hearings, appeal dates or other urgent deadlines.

Education Second-Tier Advice and Referral Form

Or contact us:

• Phone: 020 7732 2008
• Email: education@southwarklawcentre.org.uk

Once your referral is received, our advisers will review your case and contact you to arrange an appointment.

Second-Tier Advice Service for Education Law

We offer a Second-Tier Advice Service for professional referrers and organisations working in education and children’s services. This is designed for charities, community groups, local authority teams, and other frontline services supporting children and families with education law issues.

What we offer

• One-off specialist telephone or email advice on education law issues.
• Guidance on complex matters such as EHCP appeals, discrimination, exclusions, and children out of school.
• Support to help your organisation better assist the families you work with by clarifying legal rights, next steps and referral routes.

For second tier support, please complete our digital referral form below:

Education Second-Tier Advice and Referral Form

Or contact us:

• Phone: 020 7732 2008
• Email: education@southwarklawcentre.org.uk

Please note that submitting a referral does not mean that we have accepted the case. Our education team will review the information provided and contact the referrer to confirm whether we are able to assist.

Why choose us?

• We are a charity governed by a local board of trustees with deep expertise in education law and discrimination.
• Our team understands the local context of Southwark and Lewisham, including issues faced by families with NRPF status and minority ethnic backgrounds.
• We provide free, confidential, quality advice and representation where eligible, enabling children to access the education to which they are legally entitled.

By working together, we can ensure children in South East London receive the education to which they are legally entitled, and that organisations supporting them have access to expert legal guidance when it matters most.

If you arrived here via a search engine, you may have looked for terms such as “education law adviser Southwark”, “SEN EHCP appeal Southwark”, “school exclusion legal advice Lewisham”, or “education discrimination law service South East London”. You’re in the right place—please scroll up or click through to find the support you need.