If your child has been permanently excluded from an independent school and you would like to avoid them having a permanent mark on their academic record, you should contact us at Match Solicitors immediately. At Match, we have had considerable success in persuading schools to retract decisions to exclude and allow parents instead to withdraw their pupils. Ultimately, your chances of having the school change their decision depend on the specific circumstances of your child's exclusion, but in many cases, there is some room for negotiation.
The right to challenge the decision
Due to the fact that independent schools are different to state schools and have more flexibility in respect of how they manage their processes and procedures; parents of children who attend such schools often feel particularly vulnerable when disputes arise. They tend to imagine that the status of such schools means they have no legal protection. This is not the case, however, and independent schools are still subject to Independent School Standards Regulations and importantly it is important to consider the contractual terms that exist between you and the school and seek advice relating to your rights.
The school will set out its procedures in respect of the potential challenge that can be advanced against the sanction that has been issued. In many cases, parents feel that the accusations of poor behaviour/conduct their child faces are unfair and they seek to challenge this.
Challenging the decision may not always be necessary
If you do seek to challenge the decision, Match Solicitors can help you prepare your case, advising you as to the supporting evidence you need to gather and liaising with representatives of the school on your behalf. In cases where parents wish to have the opportunity to withdraw their child rather than have them excluded, however, we have repeatedly achieved positive outcomes for parents and their children.
In many cases, we have been able to negotiate with head teachers so that they have agreed to withdraw their decision to permanently exclude the child and thus allow the parents the opportunity to withdraw their child themselves. Furthermore, we have also been very successful in arranging for schools to provide positive reference to support the important step of finding another school.
At Match, we have a team of specialist education solicitors who are experts at persuading independent schools and their head teachers to focus on achieving the best possible outcomes for children and their ongoing education. Therefore, if your child has been excluded and you'd like the opportunity to discuss the benefits of having them withdrawn instead, call us at Match today.
