Sectors Archives

Three new female partners tip the balance at Tees

Posted on 1 April 202030 March 2025 by Sarah O'Sullivan

Three new female partners have swelled the senior ranks at Tees Law, a Top 200 law firm with offices in Bishop’s Stortford, Brentwood, Cambridge, Chelmsford, Royston, and Saffron Walden. Letty Glaister, Eleanor Burroughs, and Kay Piper’s promotions to the partnership mean that female lawyers now comprise the majority of the firm’s partners. In a profession where women typically occupy less than a third of partnership roles, Tees is leading the way in supporting female lawyers to access senior positions and progress in their careers.

Commitment to diversity and equality

Tees’ head of HR, Amy O’Brien, commented: “Tees encourages and values diversity and is committed to equality for its entire staff. Fifty-three percent of partners at Tees are women, and having such a balanced split works really well for us. Each partner, be they male or female, brings different strengths and qualities to the team and contributes to driving the company forward. These principles of equality of opportunity and non-discrimination also extend to the manner in which our employees interact with our clients, our business partners, and our visitors.”

Kay Piper’s vision for commercial property

Kay Piper is head of Tees’ commercial property department in the Bishop’s Stortford office. Speaking of her appointment, Kay says: “I am looking forward to increasing the team’s presence and connections within the community, reaching out to build local awareness of Tees’ expertise in commercial property matters. I am also very keen to further develop a collaborative team within Tees, ensuring that we work together to deliver a joined-up service for our clients. Whilst the entire Tees team is currently working from home, we’re still working hard to keep connected with our clients and to each other. We’re actually finding that we’re communicating more than ever.”

Letty Glaister’s rural community focus

Letty Glaister, who heads up the Royston office, hopes to further strengthen her relationships within the rural community and cement Tees as the law firm of choice for farming clients throughout Hertfordshire and Essex. “It’s really important that our clients trust us implicitly, and that can only be achieved by making a real effort to strengthen our links with the surrounding community, especially during these difficult times when many rural families are feeling concerned and isolated due to social distancing measures,” she says. “Particularly in the rural world, maintaining close relationships is vital as we are dealing with farms that have been in families for generations, meaning that emotions can run high for all concerned.”

Eleanor Burroughs’ commitment to Saffron Walden

Eleanor Burroughs, who has been working at Tees’ Saffron Walden office for 11 years, heads up its residential property department. In addition to her partnership promotion, she has also been promoted to head of the Saffron Walden office, effective from April. Going forward as a partner, Eleanor says she is “looking forward to maintaining the close links we have worked so hard to build up with the local community, and to building the Tees brand.”

A message from the group managing director

Ashton Hunt, group managing director at Tees, is delighted by the three new partners’ success: “At Tees, we have always been assiduous in ensuring our female solicitors are supported in progression to senior roles. Letty, Eleanor, and Kay have all consistently demonstrated their excellence in their fields and commitment to our firm during their time here. Whilst leading their teams remotely during these challenging times, they continue to deliver a consistently excellent service to their clients. Their promotion to partner is thoroughly well deserved.”

Home to school transport – Appeals

Posted on 19 April 201827 March 2025 by Sarah O'Sullivan

Your child’s eligibility for home to school transport can have a big impact on which school you choose. Find out about the eligibility criteria for home to school transport.

Criteria for home to school transport

Eligibility for home to school transport is, in the first instance, calculated by walking distance from the school. To be eligible for home to school transport, your child must be attending their nearest suitable school and live at least:

2 miles from the school (for children under the age of 8)
3 miles from the school (for children over the age of 8, up to age 16).

The distance is measured by the nearest available safe route on foot.

When a child lives within walking distance of their school, the Local Authority is not ordinarily expected to provide transport. Although parents may consider the distance is simply too far for their child to walk, the law could differ. Many parents face the difficult prospect of arranging transport themselves.

Local Authorities are obliged to provide transport for children who attend a school outside of walking distance if:

The child attends that school out of necessity (rather than the parent’s choice)
No alternative travel arrangements are suitable.

Is my child eligible for home to school transport?

Some children who are within walking distance of their school may be eligible for home to school transport.

Children who may be eligible for home to school transport include:

Children who have special educational needs, disability or mobility problems (SEND) which mean they cannot reasonably be expected to walk to school (and there are no suitable alternatives to attend school nearer to home);
Children who live within ‘walking distance’ of their school but who could not reasonably be expected to walk due to the nature of the routes available (and there are no suitable alternatives to attend school nearer to home). This is often the case in rural locations, where there may not be a viable safe route for children to take to school;
Children aged 8-11 registered at a school more than two miles from home who are entitled to free school meals (this supersedes the 3-miles rule for children up to 11 years old);
Excluded children who are required to attend a school other than their registered school outside of walking distance;
Children over the age of 11 years old who are entitled to free school meals and who are registered at a qualifying school.

However, there are exceptions to the rule. Even where a child is deemed ‘eligible’ it is important to note that if there are other suitable travel arrangements available, the Local Authority may not be required to provide home to school transport.

Home to school transport appeals

“When choosing a school, the presence of school buses at the gate each day does not automatically mean that your child is entitled to a place on one,” says Polly Kerr, Senior Associate at Tees and specialist education law solicitor. “Schools have a duty to provide transport to eligible children – unfortunately, some children are simply not eligible. School transport can be somewhat of a minefield for parents with potential to cause practical problems. It’s important that parents understand, both when applying for school places and appealing them, when the Local Authority has a duty to provide school transport and when it does not. Understandably, transport provision can have a significant impact on choice of school and the family’s daily routine,” Polly continued.

Polly helps parents who need to appeal allocation of school places and home to school transport. If you need to make an appeal, Polly has the skills and experience to guide you through the process and help secure the best possible result for you and your child.

Call Polly on 03301 355806 or email polly.kerr@teeslaw.com for a confidential chat about your circumstances and how we can help.