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Education

1
11KBW      
Matrix Chambers
2
39 Essex Chambers
3
3PB

Leading Silks

1
Jonathan Auburn KC – 11KBW ‘
Nicholas Bowen KC – Doughty Street Chambers 
Joanne Clement KC – 11KBW
Rory Dunlop KC – 39 Essex Chambers ‘Rory is very thorough, a safe and confident pair of hands and extremely good with complex cases and difficult clients.’
James Goudie KC – 11KBW ‘Authority, clarity, expertise and responsiveness.’
Jonathan Moffett KC – 11KBW ‘His client care skills are excellent and he is able to translate very complex legal issues into simple points’
Helen Mountfield KC – Matrix Chambers ‘Helen cuts through complex cases with precision and ease, such that she makes the trickiest issue seem straightforward. She is also pragmatic and client friendly.’
Peter Oldham KC – 11KBW ‘Peter’s strengths are that he quickly gets to grip with and understands the objectives of his clients which are being sought, he hones in on the relevant legislative framework, and provides sensible outcome focussed advice in a way that our clients can understand.’
David Wolfe KC – Matrix Chambers ‘David knows everything there is to know about education law.’
2
Nicola Braganza KC – Garden Court Chambers ‘Nicola is one of the finest KC’s I have ever instructed. Her kind approach, along with a razor sharp mind and her relaxed advocacy style always wins the ear of the court.’
Claire Darwin KC – Matrix Chambers ‘Claire has experience especially in SEN and equality cases. She is a strong and powerful advocate.’
Sarah Hannett KC – Matrix Chambers ‘Sarah is just excellent across the board; her written and oral skills are top class.’
Stephanie Harrison KC  – Garden Court Chambers ‘Excellent understanding of the law, driven and passionate with a huge knowledge of her field.’
Aileen McColgan KC – 11KBW
Fenella Morris KC – 39 Essex Chambers ‘ Fenella has a sharp intellect combined with a reassuring and approachable manner. A tenacious advocate who sees the bigger picture.’
Mathew Purchase KC – Matrix Chambers
Fiona Scolding KC  – Landmark Chambers
Andrew Sharland KC – 11KBW ‘Andrew is brilliant with people – even very difficult clients – also, very good at getting to the nub of any issue. Very down to earth and does not attempt to upstage instructing solicitors.‘
Daniel Squires KC – Matrix Chambers
Galina Ward KC – Landmark Chambers
Amanda Weston KC – Garden Court Chambers
Ian Wise KC – Monckton Chambers

2024 Silks

Steve Broach KC –39 Essex Chambers ‘Steve is tenacious, always pushes the boundaries, is an excellent black letter lawyer and very approachable. His community outreach work and training mean that he is constantly aware of current issues that impact his legal areas and therefore always ahead of the game.’  
Brendan McGurk KC  – Monckton Chambers

2025 Silks

Tom Cross KC  – 11KBW

Leading Juniors

1
Leon Glenister  – Landmark Chambers ‘Leon is without doubt one of the top education barristers. He has the clearest legal analysis. He writes really well. He is excellent with clients, and works hard and fast.’
Paul Greatorex –11KBW
David Lawson – Serjeants’ Inn Chambers
2
Jack Anderson –39 Essex Chambers
Alice de Coverley –3PB ‘Alice has an exceptional eye for detail. She is particularly sought after in education cases involving discrimination and exclusion. However, she is equally excellent in appeals concerning special educational needs.’
Raj Desai –Matrix Chambers
Laith Dilaimi –Old Square Chambers ‘Laith is fantastic. Really responsive and helpful, extremely clever, and his written submissions are great. Orally he is fantastic too and clients really warm to him.’
Katherine Eddy –11KBW
John Friel - 3PB 'John is extremely well versed in all things education law and provides clear and astute tactical advice on how to progress matters effectively. An authority in SEN law.'
Zoe Gannon – 11KBW
Charlotte Hadfield –3PB ‘Charlotte is an excellent advocate and inspires confidence in all of her clients. She deals with complicated points clearly and succinctly.’
Hannah Slarks – 11KBW ‘ Hannah is very knowledgeable in her field. Her advice is clear and pragmatic, which clients really appreciate and her advocacy style is calm and precise, which appears to play very well to education law judges.’
Jennifer Thelen –39 Essex Chambers ‘Jennifer Thelen is an excellent, pragmatic advocate with a lovely manner with judges and in-depth knowledge of the law.’
Emma Waldron –3PB
3
Jennifer Agyekum –3PB
Shazia Akhtar – Gatehouse Chambers ‘Comprehensive legal expertise including education law. She has exceptional advocacy and client care skills. She has an excellent persuasive advocacy and client focused approach. Clients are always feel she gets to the heart of their cases and feel she thoroughly prepares for hearings.’
Katherine Anderson – 3PB ‘Katherine is a calm and organised barrister who is really helpful and clear with clients managing their expectations appropriately and helping to reassure them.  She is responsive to queries and goes out of her way to help.’
Alexander Line –Outer Temple Chambers
Gráinne Mellon – Garden Court Chambers ‘Gráinne has been instructed for many years in complex schools and children matters. She is a diligent and hardworking barrister who sees the issues in a case immediately and is able to then disseminate complex information into layman language for the client.’
Louise Price –Doughty Street Chambers ‘Louise is a tenacious advocate, who inspires trust from her clients, colleagues and the court.’
Sarah Steinhardt – Doughty Street Chambers
4
Katherine Barnes –39 Essex Chambers ‘Katherine is an exceptionally bright advocate, and her knowledge in this area is clear. Her attention to detail is excellent, and her advocacy skills are very strong.’
Aimee Fox – 3PB
Rhys Hadden – Serjeants’ Inn Chambers ‘Rhys is compassionate, collaborative, and crystal-clear in his approach. His extensive knowledge and wealth of experience, not just in the education sphere but in related fields such as in the Court of Protection shines through in his handling of the case.’
Harini Iyengar –11KBW ‘Harini is enormously experienced, very responsive and thorough.’
Shu Shin Luh –Doughty Street Chambers ‘Shu Shin is a great barrister to work with. She is quick and gets to grips with complicated cases very easily.’
Ben Mitchell – 11KBW
Jane Oldham –11KBW
Matthew Wyard - 39 Essex Chambers 'Matthew is a particularly skilled advocate. His technical legal skills are second to none. I have been very impressed by the quality of his drafting and ability to deliver pragmatic and realistic advice to clients.’

Rising Stars

Monique Bouffé  – Outer Temple Chambers  
Oscar Davies – Garden Court Chambers ‘Oscar is very knowledgeable when it comes to education law, with particular strengths in exclusion and discrimination.’
Mark Greaves – Matrix Chambers ‘Mark is a bright and personable barrister. He provided us with excellent support on a particularly difficult education matter and his in-depth knowledge of the inspection system and experience of school clients was invaluable.’
Raphael Hogarth – 11KBW
Alice Irving –Doughty Street Chambers ‘Alice is one of the leading junior education barristers, with particular expertise in relation to special educational needs.’
Nadia O’Mara  – Garden Court Chambers  ‘Nadia has performed brilliantly on a couple of permanent exclusion matters we have instructed her on. She is bright, hard working and focussed, always keeping the client’s objectives in mind.’
Ollie Persey – Garden Court Chambers ‘Ollie is a standout education law barrister. His technical skills are demonstrated by the numerous high profile judicial review cases he has successfully brought over the last three years.’
Jake Rylatt – Serjeants’ Inn Chambers ‘Jake is a rising star in the field of education law. He has impeccable client care, an exceptional grasp of the legislation and fantastic interpersonal skills. His client care is second to none.’
Katy Sheridan – Matrix Chambers
Rachel Sullivan – 39 Essex Chambers
Naomi Webber – 3PB

Education in London Bar

11KBW


11KBW remains a leading set in the education market and it houses barristers who advise and represent an array of clients across the full spectrum of education law issues. Aileen McColgan  has extensive experience in the education sector, with a particular focus on advising and litigating in cases related to gender-questioning children, equality and contractual claims. Peter Oldham KC was counsel for the defendant in R (British Medical Association and Dr Karmakar) v Royal College of GPs, which involved a disability discrimination claim in relation to the college's exam resit policy. Zoe Gannon acted as junior counsel in The King (on the Application of Free Speech Union Limited) v Secretary of State for Education, which is a high profile judicial review case involving the decision of the Labour government to not commence the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act, which was passed in the previous parliament. Tom Cross KC  took silk in the 2025 round.

Les références

‘The clerks are very responsive. Michael Smith in particular is extremely supportive.’

‘The service from the clerks is always consistently excellent.’

‘Excellent clerks’

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39 Essex Chambers


39 Essex Chambers is well-recognised for its expertise in the education sector, with a varied practice the barristers work on education claims for judicial reviews, tribunal appeals, discrimination, educational negligence and employment matters. Rory Dunlop KC acted for the school in Wells v Eastbourne College, which concerned the definition of disability as applied to teenagers at school. Steve Broach KC represented the claimant in R (AA and CC) v Secretary of State for Education, concerning the ability of the first-tier tribunal to order schools to pay damages for disability discrimination. Jennifer Thelen acts as junior counsel for the defendant in Free Speech Union v Secretary of State for Education, where the claimant challenged the Labour government’s decision not to commence the Higher Education (Free Speech) Act. Matthew Wyard joined the team in August 2025.

Les références

‘The strong clerking team at 39 Essex Chambers is one of the reasons that they stand out from their competitors. In particular, Theo Mitchell, is incredibly proactive and competent.’

‘Fantastic set, with a great location and great clerking team.’

‘The clerks are all brilliant and very helpful.’

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Matrix Chambers


The barristers at Matrix Chambers possess significant expertise in education law, and they regularly advise and represent clients in a wide range of education law matters encompassing individual students, parents, the Department of Education and other statutory bodies. David Wolfe KC, represented the claimants in Holland Park School Parents & National Education Union v Secretary of State for Education, challenging a decision to turn the school into part of a multi-academy trust. Helen Mountfield KC - in addition to serving as principal of Mansfield College, Oxford - advises a variety of clients on free speech issues in higher education, equality, scholarships and welfare. Claire Darwin KC acts as counsel for the claimants in Hamon and others v University College London, a high-profile case group action bought by students after their studies were impaired by COVID-19 lockdown measures. Raj Desai acts as junior counsel to the National Union of Students Charity in various issues relating to free speech in higher education.

Les références

‘The clerking is professional and efficient.’ 

‘My view is that Matrix are No1 chambers for education law. Significant strength at all levels.’ 

‘The barristers we instruct are responsive and easy going as well as technically brilliant.’ 

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3PB


The barristers at 3PB handle the full range of education disputes including SEN issues, school exclusions, discrimination, educational negligence and higher education disciplinary actions among many others. Alice de Coverley successfully represented the claimant in KG and KG v The Governing Body of B School, a disability discrimination appeal. Charlotte Hadfield represents various clients on education matters with particular expertise in discrimination claims, safeguarding, and freedom of speech. Matthew Wyard left the set in August 2025.

Les références

‘The clerks are always friendly and approachable and respond to enquiries promptly. Matthew Scanlan was particularly helpful when arranging instructions and was always willing to answer any queries.’

‘We have a particularly good working relationship with Gemma Faulkner who always does her best to assist and ensure that a good range of counsel is available.’

‘The Clerks are fantastic, Gemma Faulkner in particular is first class. I always get a timely response and anytime they cannot offer counsel I had originally asked for I will receive good alternatives.’

Principaux dossiers