Celia Whittuck

Celia assists parents of school children, of all ages, with complaints against both state and independent private schools, as well as providing advice in relation to school admission appeals.

Prior to specialising in Education Law, Celia practised in childcare law representing children. As such, she has a particular interest in child safeguarding. Her empathetic approach, along with over 20 years of experience, means she is well placed to represent parents and their child(ren) when dealing with sensitive issues related to safeguarding children.

Celia is also keen to support and advise parents of children with Special Educational Needs, to navigate the processes involving Education Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) and the Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) Tribunal.

Additionally, her analytical mindset enables her to draft creative and persuasive legal arguments against Further and Higher Education institutions in relation to academic misconduct matters, academic appeals, including degree classification issues, fee status issues, and issues relating to PhDs. She also deals with complex cases involving multiple legal strands straddling both University internal procedures and regulations, and the court system.

Whether pursuing cases involving schools or universities, Celia frequently argues claims for breach of contract, negligence and discrimination, whether gender, racial or disability. She has a conciliatory and sensitive approach to dealing with education cases but is also a tenacious litigator if circumstances dictate this approach to be in her clients’ best interests, and is supportive of her clients, recognising that the legal disputes in issue are so emotive for them.

Celia is passionate about assisting all students to achieve their full academic potential. Celia has written various education articles and blogs. She is also keen to speak on a variety of education law topics. In particular, she has provided training to external bodies on the law surrounding school admissions and appeals and in relation to discrimination at universities.