Polly Kerr
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:
\tSpecial 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
\tSchool Exclusions
\tDisability Discrimination
\tOther forms of discrimination
\tEducational Negligence
\tSchool Admission Appeals
\tFailure to Ensure Attendance Prosecutions
\tUniversity Disciplinary Processes, including some of the most serious allegations including sexual assault and rape, physical assault, harassment etc.
\tAllegations of academic malpractice
\tJudicial Review
\tChange to status of schools.
\tReputational Risk
\tSafeguarding
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.
