Matt has appeared regularly as a guest on BBC Breakfast News, BBC News 24, Radio 5 Live, LBC Radio Breakfast News and Nick Ferrari programmes to talk about school admission appeals. He has also in the last year been acting as the legal consultant to the BBC who have been working on a documentary relating to securing school places.
Matt no longer works for the above mentioned borough and is now available to share his expertise and experience with parents to attempt to help them successfully appeal for a place at the school of their choice.
Matt has recently launched School Legal Services - the sister company of School Appeals Services - following the company's success. SLS has the same values, levels of professionalism and customer service as SAS but is targeted at the education law and advice areas of SEN, exclusions, bullying and discrimination.
So successful has School Appeal Services been, that to meet the demand of parents who want assistance, Matt has five highly qualified Associates working with him (see below). This now means that School Appeal Services has national coverage the length and breadth of England and Wales.
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Jeremy Haw B.A. (Hons) ICSA. |
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Jeremy Haw
Jeremy has 22 years experience of Education Appeals, having been a former Head of Democratic Services in a City Council in the North of England and before that in london boroughs. As an experienced and well-respected professional in education appeals work, his views are widely sought and have appeared in the Daily Mail, the Guardian, the Daily Telegraph and the Independent. He has detailed knowledge of the framework which Appeals take place within and has trained both Panelists and Clerks. His personal experience of hundreds of Appeals is supplemented by having also overseen thousands of others in a managerial role. He has 15 years experience in local government and 9 as a private Consultant. Jeremy has consistently brought these dual experiences to bear, with proven success and an outstanding winning record at appeals hearings.
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Jeremy is our lead Associate for the Central and Northern area of England (and when we are snowed-under occasionally helps out further South). He is equally familiar with the whole range of Appeals - Community, Grammar, Voluntary-Aided, Faith, Academies and Primary.
Having gone through the process of an Appeal on a personal level as a parent recently, he is more aware and sympathetic than ever of the stress that parents go through at this critical time in their children’s upbringing. By means of a well-established and thoroughly professional service he will help ease you through the process to facilitate the school of your choice.
To view testimonials from parents that Jeremy has helped recently click here.
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Laura Berman BSc (Hons) |
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Laura Berman
Laura qualified as a solicitor in 1996 and has 13 years experience in private practice in the field of Education. She is a specialist in a broad spectrum of educational issues and is an experienced parental advocate, having supported parents in appeals to the Special Educational Needs and Disability Tribunal (SEND) and in both admission and exclusion appeals.
Laura has been quoted as a leader in the field of education in the Chambers Directory for 5 consecutive years since 2005 and has represented clients on ground-breaking cases such as Bradford Smart v West Sussex County Council (the first bullying case in the High Court) and Phelps v London Borough of Hillingdon and Anderton v Clwyd County Council (precedent setting cases in the House of Lords). |
Laura was a previously a partner and head of department at a highly respected city law practice.
Laura has supported parents of children with a wide variety of special educational needs. As a parent herself and with her experience in the field, Laura is sympathetic to the stress that parents go through at what can be a life changing time for their children. Laura provides a thoroughly professional, but also approachable and friendly service and by doing so she will help you through the appeals process so that you may secure a school place of your choice.
Laura is based in London, but is able to travel.
Laura is not currently practising as a solicitor so any advice given is in her capacity as an associate of School Appeals Services and not as a lawyer.
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Nabil Dance LLB (Hons) BVC |
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Nabil Dance
Nabil is an experienced paralegal and parental advocate who has completed the vocational stage of Barrister’s training.
As well as working in private practice, Nabil has supported parents in their appeals to the Special Educational Needs and Disability Panel Tribunal (SEND) as a Legal Advisor for the National Deaf Children’s Society, and as a Tribunal Support Representative volunteer for the Independent Panel for Special Education Advice (IPSEA.) These roles involved supporting parents of children with a wide variety of difficulties ranging from hearing and visual impairments to those on the autism spectrum.
Nabil is particularly keen to empower parents by helping them to understand what is usually a bewildering process of getting the right level of support for their children. |
To view testimonials from parents that Nabil has helped recently click here.
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Mike Teahan B.Ed (Hons), PG Dip Education Management. |
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Mike Teahan
Mike joined School Appeal Services LLP after a successful career in education in a large London local authority.
Most recently Mike was Head of Admissions developing admission policy and managing the day to day delivery of the admission service for 225,000 residents. He worked with other London Admission Officers in developing the Pan-London admission scheme. He also assisted in training panel members to assist their understanding of admission procedures.
As Head of Admissions Mike has presented hundreds of appeals annually for the past nine years and has a thorough knowledge of the Admission and Appeal Codes, the education system and the impact of additional children in classes. |
Previously he was a primary school head teacher for thirteen years in the same local authority area and has long experience of parental aspiration to achieve a place at their chosen school.
He took up the post as Head of Admissions in order to work in a post that had a wider strategic influence but also one that touched the lives of a wider group of parents.
Mike no longer works for local authorities and is now available to use his unique blend of professional experience to assist parents who are seeking a school place with the support of an experience.
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Vincent Monaghan LLB (Hons) BA (Hons) DipLit DipEurHum MCIOB |
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Vincent Monaghan
Vince first became involved with School Appeal Services in 2005 after Matt ran a successful appeal for one of Vince’s friends. This gave Vince inspiration and, given his legal background, he came on board as an Associate in 2006. Out of season he continues to offer advice on employment issues and personnel injury and is a specialist in legal advice to the construction industry.
Whilst he has experience in all school admission appeals, Vince is particularly expert in grammar school appeals being successful in many appeals for schools such Queen Elizabeth Boys School, Woodford County High School for Girls , Skinners and Watford Boys. We affectionately call him the “Grammar King” after he won an appeal at a prestigious grammar school that had not had a successful appeal on 10 years (see our Testimonials page). He is based in London but able to travel to the home counties, south east and the midlands.
Vince is experienced in appeals for the Jewish schools in London and for faith schools throughout the South East.
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Vince is able to help parents in their appeals with primary schools, year 7 and causal appeals, 11+ and 12+ and complaints to the LGO following unsuccessful appeals.
Vince is flexible enough accommodate your needs, regularly working on both Saturdays and Sundays in the peak season of appeals He understands that this is extremely stressful and is able to communicate with parents in a manner that will assist in the preparation of their case and how to perform on the day.
To view testimonials from parents that Vince has helped click here.
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Solicitor |
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David Boobyer
David qualified as a solicitor in 1993 and is a member of the Educational Law Association. As well as working with School Appeals Services, David is a Director for Tollers LLP, a large legal practice, and specialises in the following types of educational issues:-
- School appeals -representing parents before the Appeals Panel.
- Legal issues involving school closures.
- SENDIST applications in relation to Statements of Special Educational Need.
- Educational Negligence.
- Contractual issues arising from private education.
- Advice on School Exclusions.
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David has spent many years volunteering at a Youth Agency in Northampton, training as a Counselor and offering legal advice on a wide range of legal issues.
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Solicitor |
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Samantha Wells
Samantha qualified as a Legal Executive in 2006 and as a solicitor in 2008. Samantha specialises in the following types of educational issues:-
- School appeals
- SENDIST applications in relation to Statements of Special Educational Need
- Educational Negligence
- Advice on School Exclusions.
Also as a personal injury solicitor Samantha has run a number of cases for injuries sustained at school including post traumatic stress arising as a result of bullying. |
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Janet Tobin
Janet has nine years experience in education appeals, having responsibility for the co-ordination of the admission appeals for a London Authority. She has arranged over 5800 appeals in that time and personally attended as clerk to more than 2000 hearings.
She recruits and trains panel members and advises on the legal framework governing admission appeals. She also has an extensive knowledge of how admission arrangements and procedures work and how the process has changed over recent years. |
Being a parent herself she appreciates the need to secure the right school for your child. She will use her many years experience as clerk to guide you through the appeals process and to help you improve your chances of success.
Having gone through the application process for Secondary and Primary transfer she understands the pressure parents and carers find themselves under to secure the right school. She has attended appeals on a personal level and sympathises with the further stress that it causes.
Janet is able to help parents with their appeals for primary schools, year 7 transfer, causal and 6th form appeals. She will also deal with complaints to the LGO following unsuccessful appeals where appropriate.
She lives in Middlesex and will dedicate her time to helping as many parents as possible.
To view testimonials from parents that Jane has helped click here.
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Ellen Heaney BA (Hons) |
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Ellen Heaney
Ellen has worked for a large County Council for four years. She has extensive knowledge of appeals procedures and law, particularly the recent changes in the appeals legislation and she has personally clerked hundreds of appeals, trained appeal panel members and supervised other clerks.
Ellen is based an hour north of London and covers appeals in the Home Counties and Midlands.
As a parent herself she appreciates the need to see your child settled into a safe and supportive environment and will use her experience of clerking appeals and assisting parents going through appeals to improve your chances of success. |
There are a number of ways in which School Appeals Services can help you. These being:
- by purchasing the detailed 80 plus page manual written by Matt entitled "Secure the School of your Choice".
- by providing individual and personal advice relating to your and your child's personal circumstances at a one off telephone advice session , and
- by providing a full consultant service that conducts the appeal for you from, if you wish, the moment you learn that you have been unsuccessful in securing the place you wanted to the admission appeal hearing itself.
For more details on all of the above, click on the "121 service " link button on the home page.
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