A Pudsey law firm has appointed a former head teacher to tackle complicated school places appeals.

At the age of 54, Roy Woollard - who had ten years experience heading two secondary schools - is now a trainee solicitor.

John Wilson, head of a firm of solicitors based in Farsley but with consulting rooms in Thornton and Oakenshaw, said Mr Woollard's expertise would be invaluable in the growing education appeals work lawyers are undertaking.

Mr Woollard was head of a school in Leeds in 1988 when major new education legislation was introduced. He was part of a team which worked closely with lawyers responsible for the law's introduction throughout the Leeds district.

After gaining a thorough knowledge of education law, he continued to lecture on the subject and to expand his knowledge as other education reform was introduced.

"My interest in the law was heightened at that time," he said. After five years as head in Leeds and then another five years at a Mexborough secondary school, Mr Woollard took early retirement.

"I got bored and said to myself I had to do something that was going to be valuable."

He went to Leeds Metropolitan University for a one-year academic post-graduate course and then did another year-long law practice course, before being taken on as a trainee.

"There's a growing role for solicitors in the world of education. Education legislation is so massive," said Mr Woollard.

"Changes in the 1998 Act were in favour of the parent and the child as opposed to the Local Education Authority. Parents have been unaware of their rights and so couldn't function their rights."

Schools were also becoming more business-orientated and performance-related pay was being introduced, he said.

Mr Woollard added: "John Wilson has been taken on as a trainee and we see in him a genuine possibility and have given him a chance that other firms would not have done."

Mr Wilson, who lives in Bradford, said: "Many people seem to be under the impression that they just have to accept the decisions of the Town Hall and just grin and bear it. I'm quite convinced that countrywide people are getting a bit more fed up with the way they get treated with school allocations.

"Certainly we get one or two inquiries every year but now there are i ncreasing numbers about this sort of thing."

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.