Elizabeth Fortin

Elizabeth specialises in advising mainstream and special schools and academies (SATs and MATs) in operational matters concerning their pupils. She advises on all aspects of education law, including admissions, exclusions, safeguarding, data protection and parental complaints. She is passionate about supporting schools and academies with matters relating to: the Equality Act, including all aspects relating to protected characteristics; The Children and Families Act, including all aspects relating to SEN and EHC processes (including LA obligations). Elizabeth frequently advises clients on hearings in the First Tier Tribunal (Special Educational Needs and Disability) and in responding (at the pre-action stage) to judicial review claims, with clients being successful in a significant majority of cases. Particular highlights include: applications to strike out disability discrimination claims upheld by the Tribunal; claimants withdrawing claims before they have gone to court or Tribunal; and supporting a MAT in its successful complaint against the Department for Education under the FOI regime (which was then upheld by the Tribunal). Her experience includes: Equality Act (e.g. disability and transgender); SEN and school/LA obligations towards pupils with EHC plans; exclusions (preparing governors for reviews of exclusions and schools for Independent Review Panels); Parental complaints; and Safeguarding. · Stone King LLP