firm to run academy conversion conferences for schools on the
south coast and in Oxfordshire
Blake Lapthorn, one of the leading law firms in the UK, is
running two conferences on academy conversions, which will take
place at its Southampton and Oxford offices on Tuesday 13 and Friday 16
September 2011 respectively. The half-day conferences will focus on
the latest legal developments that schools should be aware of for
the process of converting to academy status and the issues they
will need to face post-conversion.
Each conference will begin with a welcome and introduction from
Elizabeth
Davis, a partner and head of the Charities group at Blake
Lapthorn, in which she will run through the schedule for the
conference and provide an update on the work that Blake Lapthorn
has done for schools and academies. Elizabeth will then deliver a
presentation on the pros and cons of converting to academy status,
where she will describe the preparation needed for conversion with
some common pitfalls and case studies.
A talk entitled 'Strictly education - academy conversion, not
academy confusion' will follow from Nickolas Morrissey, commercial
director of Strictly Education and Iain Maris, its corporate head
of finance, during which they will cover some of the key areas for
consideration when making a decision to convert including around
HR, property and finance.
The afternoon session will comprise three presentations that
will be kicked off by James Hawkeswood, a partner in the Corporate
department at Blake Lapthorn, who will focus on corporate
governance and discuss the duties and responsibilities of an
academy director. A talk from Stephen Murfitt, a partner in the
Professional Regulatory team at Blake Lapthorn, will follow. He
will focus on disciplinary issues with recent case studies. Debbie
Sadler, who is an associate in the Employment team at Blake
Lapthorn, will finish off the afternoon's presentations with a talk
focusing on planning for post conversion. Debbie, a trained
teacher, will describe the roles and responsibilities of the
employer regarding issues such as recruitment and
re-structuring.
The conferences, which are aimed at those schools wishing to
convert, or have recently converted, to academy status, will
provide attendees with an informative and insightful session. The
conferences will finish with a panel question and answer session,
where attendees will have the chance to discuss the day's issues
with the presenters and other delegates.
Elizabeth
Davis said: "We are delighted to be running these
conferences, which we hope will provided attendees with a
comprehensive overview of the most important issues schools should
be aware of for the process of converting to academy status and the
issues they will need to face post-conversion. We are currently
advising 40 schools on their academy or free school conversions.
The work often requires a cross-disciplinary approach, drawing on
expertise from our Regulatory, Employment and Real Estate teams, as
well as Charities and Education skills."
View the
link for further information on the academies conference on Tuesday
13 September in Southampton.
View the
link for further information on the academies conference on Friday
16 Septmber in Oxford.
