Stone King LLP

Chris is a Senior Associate in the Education Team advising Trustees and Senior Teachers in Academy Trusts on a wide range of education law issues that impact on the operation of schools. He is an experienced trainer and regularly delivers seminars on complaints, exclusions and admissions.

Increasingly his work involves the successful defence of claims in the First tier Tribunal (disability discrimination), resolving complex and vexatious parental complaints and challenging Local Authorities on their inappropriate placement of pupils with EHCPs.

Chris advises Academies on the operational aspects of education law including:

• Admissions and admission appeals;
• Exclusions & Behaviour (including Head Teacher’s decision permanently exclude to Governor and Independent Review Panel stages, including complex incidents of sexual and physical assault and drugs);
• SEND (including responding to EHCP consultations and representation in the First tier Tribunal in disability discrimination cases);
• Equality Act duties and issues;
• Attendance (including removal from roll and education welfare);
• Policies;
• Family law issues and parental responsibility in a school context;
• Parental Complaints and referrals to the ESFA;
• School Leadership Support;
• Funding;

As well as representing schools in the First Tier Tribunal, Chris also works with schools in responding to judicial review claims.

Prior to joining the firm, Chris worked for the in-house legal team of a large Local Authority where amongst a varied case load of contentious and non-contentious work he acted as clerk for admission appeal and exclusion review panels. He also appeared in the Magistrates’ Court to prosecute school non-attendance offences.

Chris read Politics and American Studies at the Universities of Keele and Maryland. He obtained a Masters degree in International Law from the University of Hull before becoming a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives (CILEX).

Chris sits on Stone King's Wellbeing Strategy Group which sets the agenda for firm-wide wellbeing policy and initiatives. He is also a Mental Health First Aider and takes an active role in promoting wellbeing in the Cambridge office and across the firm. For example, this includes for example running our popular book club.