Lydia Dunford-Anderson

Lydia Dunford is an exceptional and meticulous Special Educational Needs (SEN) solicitor. For the past five years, Lydia has been the guiding light for our family in what is often a deeply overwhelming and adversarial SEND system. As the father of a secondary school pupil with autism and complex learning difficulties, I found the fight to get my daughter the right education and support to be the most stressful experience of my life. From the moment we instructed Lydia, however, we knew we had a true champion in our corner. Over our five-year journey together, Lydia’s expertise and relentless dedication changed the trajectory of my daughter’s life. Among her many achievements on our behalf, she: - Helped us win two SEN Tribunal cases: Lydia expertly guided us through two separate SEND tribunals, navigating the complex legal hurdles with precision, strategic brilliance, and an unmatched understanding of SEN law and associated processes. - Secured the right educational placement: Thanks to her meticulous preparation and tenacity, we secured our daughter's placement at the most suitable secondary school; a placement the local authority had strongly resisted for years, despite acknowledging its full suitability. - Enshrined essential provision in Section F of the EHCP: Crucially, Lydia fought to ensure that the Education, Health and Care Plan legally bound the local authority to provide the exact support our daughter requires to thrive. Beyond her formidable legal expertise, what truly sets Lydia apart is her profound empathy. She never treated us like just another case file. She took the time to truly understand my daughter’s unique needs and offered us the best options with extreme clarity and compassion during the darkest, most stressful moments of the appeals process. Last but not least, she managed to organize a whole team of experts to fight our case, whose independent, professional insights were absolutely instrumental in securing our daughter's future. Fighting a local authority for five years takes a heavy toll on a family, but having Lydia by our side gave us the strength to keep going. She gave my daughter a voice and secured her fundamental right to a meaningful education. I cannot recommend Lydia highly enough to any parent facing a battle for their child’s SEN provision. She is an exceptional solicitor, a fierce advocate, and a deeply compassionate professional.

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Lydia Dunford-Anderson

We instructed Boyes Turner to assist with our appeal to the First Tier SEND Tribunal. We were allocated Lydia Dunford-Anderson who gave clear advice and guidance throughout the process, especially as we headed towards the hearing date itself with everything being thrown at us by our Local Authority. Lydia was approachable and always responded to any query in a timely manner. Her advice was always measured and based on her knowledge and experience. We were successful in all parts of our appeal, and I would not hesitate to recommend Lydia or Boyes Turner if requiring legal advice on SEND educational matters.

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Lydia Dunford-Anderson

Lydia Dunford-Anderson

20/08/2025

Thank you for your lovely review. I am delighted at the outcome for all of you and wish the best of luck for September!

We were at our wits end when we turned to Boyes Turner for help with our son’s education. Following two failed school placements, he was worryingly depressed and withdrawn. We had no clue how to navigate the EHCP process or the SEN education system in general. Lydia guided us through it all, got us the evidence we needed to write our son a watertight EHCP giving him the correct support and finally - after a battle - got him into the right, specialist setting. It was a stressful and difficult process - local authorities know this complex system inside out whereas parents don’t - however having Lydia’s expert help made it feel a lot less stressful than it could otherwise have been. I always felt confident that we were getting the best advice and help out there. The best part of all is that this positive outcome has been life-changing for our son. He’s gone from talking about ‘having no life’ to being happy in school and making plans for his future. We feel that Lydia was really instrumental in getting his life back on track and giving him a chance at a successful future.

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Lydia Dunford-Anderson

Lydia Dunford-Anderson

25/09/2024

Thank you so much for your lovely review! I'm delighted with the outcome for all of you! Lydia

My child has ASD, and their EHCP is quite clear that they require additional support - but the Council gave a place in an inappropriate mainstream school. I asked Boyes Turner for help with my appeal to the SEN Tribunal about the allocation. Lydia Dunford was amazingly helpful - she provided great advice, was always fast and responsive, and went above and beyond in drafting impactful submissions to the Tribunal. She offered coaching about how I should approach the hearing itself. Thankfully, the Tribunal judge found in our favour and the Council agreed to place our child in the school and ASD unit of our choice.

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Lydia Dunford-Anderson

Lydia Dunford-Anderson

07/08/2024

Thank you for your lovely review, and I hope all goes well for starting secondary school!

Our son did not get a place at the Secondary School we had as our first choice, despite it being our closest school, him attending the nearest Primary feeder School and being the only child to apply from his year with an EHCP. Faced with the daunting prospect of appealing the decision with the SEND Tribunal , we decided to instruct a solicitor to give us the best possible chance of winning. After some research, I got in contact with Boyes Turner and within minutes knew I was making the right choice. Lydia Dunford took on our case and I was amazed at the sheer level of professionalism, organisation and empathy that she had. We were constantly updated throughout the process and every question answered. She was able to challenge the Local Authority regarding inaccuracies in the EHCP and get them rectified before even filing the appeal - something I likely would never have noticed until it was too late. The Local Authority conceded a matter of weeks into the case and I am in no doubt that it was because we had Boyes Turner on our side. I will be forever indebted to Lydia's work and highly recommend the firm to anyone who is looking to appoint legal representation.

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Lydia Dunford-Anderson

Lydia Dunford-Anderson

09/07/2024

Thank you so much for your kind words, and I hope all goes well for starting secondary school! Lydia