Tees Law

Disputes and Education

Senior Associate

Polly has extensive litigation experience, advising in both commercial and civil disputes but, over the years, she has become a highly specialist education lawyer, assisting parents and schools in a multitude of education-related matters; both contentious and non-contentious. Being the only lawyer from a family of teachers, the niche field of education law was a natural career progression for her. Examples of the kind of educational legal work she undertakes includes:

• Special Education Needs advice; requesting Education Health and Care Needs Assessments, draft EHCP reviews, Annual and Emergency Reviews, Appeals in the First Tier Tribunal, Appeals to the Upper Tribunal
• School Exclusions
• Disability Discrimination
• Other forms of discrimination
• Educational Negligence
• School Admission Appeals
• Failure to Ensure Attendance Prosecutions
• University Disciplinary Processes, including some of the most serious allegations including sexual assault and rape, physical assault, harassment etc.
• Allegations of academic malpractice
• Judicial Review
• Change to status of schools.
• Reputational Risk
• Safeguarding

As a result of her experience in the practice of education law, she has been a governor of several schools over the last 16 years (including primary, secondary, and specialist setting. She is also a trustee of SPACE, a Hertfordshire-based charity for neurodiverse children and young people and their families.

She is a regular contributor of articles to an education-centric publication in Essex and has previously had an article published in the Education Law Association's circular. She has recently appeared on ITV news, to speak about SEND.

Polly has delivered training to schools, local authorities, and parents in relation to Special Educational Needs and the law in practice and provides support monthly to the local branch of a national charity attending their special educational needs focused advice clinics to support their volunteers.

Client Intervention Worker, The Sunflower Centre, 2005-2006; Adjudicator, The Furniture Ombudsman, 2006-2007; Trainee, Tees Law, 2007 -2009; Solicitor, Tees Law, 2009; Associate, Tees Law, 2014; Senior Associate, Tees Law, 2016-present

English

Member of the Education Law Association

LLB Law, De Montfort University, 2002-2005; LPC College of Law, London, 2005-2007

Polly has two boys, the youngest of whom has special educational needs. This means that, not only does Polly work within the field of education law, but she understands the difficulties faced by parents on a practical level. This experience enables Polly to approach matters pragmatically, creating inventive solutions for her clients, which often achieves the desired outcome more quickly than the legislative framework often allows.

Polly sings twice a week with a choir based across Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, and Essex. She enjoys performing at different venues in the region and was fortunate enough to record with the choir at Abbey Road Studios.