BPP Law School

BPP University Law School is a private, for-profit provider of professional and academic legal education in the United Kingdom and one of the founding schools of BPP University. It has seven branches in Birmingham, Bristol, Cambridge, Leeds, London (Holborn and Waterloo) and Manchester. The school is owned by BPP Holdings, part of the Apollo Education Group.

BPP University Law School
Parent schoolBPP University
Established1992
School typePrivate, for-profit
DeanAndrew Chadwick
LocationBirmingham, Bristol, Cambridge, Leeds, London (Holborn and Waterloo) and Manchester, United Kingdom
Enrollment5,500
FacultyLaw
Websitewww.bpp.com

In June 2019, Times Higher Education reported that BPP owners, the Apollo Education Group, were looking to sell the University just two years after ownership changed hands in 2017. [1]

In December 2019, The Lawyer reported that "BPP Law School has been taken off the market following six months in which no potential buyer willing to pay the asking price was found."[2]

History

BPP Law School was the founding school of what is now BPP University. It takes its name from the surname initials of Alan Brierley, Richard Price and Charles Prior who founded a college in 1976 to provide exam training to accountancy students.[3] The BPP Law School was founded in 1992 to offer training to students wanting to qualify as solicitors or barristers in England and Wales. It was set up by Mike Semple Piggot and run by Carl Lygo and Professor Peter Crisp. In 2005 the law school joined forces with the newly formed BPP Business School under the name BPP College. Both became part of BPP Holdings Ltd.[3]. Through its parent institution, the law school has degree awarding powers, awarded by the Privy Council in 2007.[4][5]. BPP Holdings was sold to the Apollo Group in 2009. BPP College was granted university status and renamed BPP University in 2013.[6][7]

BPP University Law School has ties to a consortium of "Magic Circle" and "Silver Circle" law firms to educate their future trainees.[8] The school is used by more than 60 City of London law firms to educate their lawyers.[9] The law school's pro bono centre runs a number of projects delivered by BPP law school students with guidance from qualified lawyers.[10]

BPP's parent company, Apollo Education Group, was sold to a trio of private equity companies in February 2017.[6] In March of that year, Carl Lygo, the law school's CEO and first Vice Chancellor stepped down. The departure of the law school's Dean, Peter Crisp, followed in June.[11][12] Crisp went on to become a pro vice chancellor of the University of Law.[13]

In July 2017 Andrew Chadwick was appointed Dean of the Law School [14]

BPP University Law School had set up its first Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) degree programmes in 2009. The undergraduate LL.B. programme was suspended in May 2018 pending a review of the law school's entire programme portfolio. Enrollment in the LL.B. had reached a high of 665 undergraduates in 2014 but had fallen to 105 students by 2017. According to Andrew Chadwick, dean of the law school, the suspension did not effect BPP's solicitor apprenticeship programme, "which incorporates a distinct and purpose-built LLB".[15]

BPP closed its Liverpool branch at the end of June 2018. The existing 37 students there, all of whom were studying part-time, were advised to continue their legal studies at the University's Manchester campus.[16]

In 2019, Department for Education banned BPP Law School from recruiting new apprentices.[17] This was announced following an 'Inadequate' rating by Ofsted in November 2018.[18]

In December 2019, BPP University Law School was appointed as the exclusive provider of training to the City Consortium [19]

In December 2019, BPP University's Companies House entry revealed the termination of the appointment of current Dean John Chadwick as a director.[20] Andrew Chadwick resigned from his statutory role as a Director of BPP University Limited on 12 December 2019.[21]

Programmes

The school is a vocational provider of the Legal Practice Course (LPC) for future Solicitors. The school also offers the Bar Training Course (BTC) (formerly known as the Bar Professional Training Course, or the BPTC) for future barristers and awards the Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL) (for those coming directly from a non-LL.B. qualification), Graduate LL.B. (GDL Conversion) and Master of Laws (LL.M.) degrees. In June 2017 BPP was ranked "Bronze" in the Teaching Excellence Framework, a government-backed initiative to make teaching standards more transparent for students, with the categories for education institutions being "Bronze", "Silver", and "Gold".[22]

References
  1. Morgan, John (19 June 2019). "BPP sale set to test appetite for for-profit investment". Times Higher Education. Retrieved 19 June 2019.
  2. Simmons, Richard The Lawyer (16 December 2019) "BPP off the market for now as no buyers found". Retrieved 17 December 2019.
  3. "BPP FAQs: A little bit of history". BPP Website. Archived from the original on 4 December 2010. Retrieved 15 May 2011.
  4. Sharman, Andy (10 October 2007). "BPP Law School: Forget students, this college has 'clients'". The Independent
  5. Dunne, Elisbaeth (ed.) (2013). The Student Engagement Handbook: Practice in Higher Education, p. 125. Emerald Group Publishing. ISBN 1781904243
  6. Connelly, Thomas (6 February 2017). "BPP Law School owner Apollo Education Group completes £760 million sale". Legal Cheek. Retrieved 20 December 2018.
  7. Willetts, David (2017). A University Education, p. 285. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0198767269
  8. Kalia, Jaishree (2 June 2015). "Having lost two Magic Circle clients, University of Law sold to GUS less than three years after purchase". Legal Business. Retrieved 2 June 2016.
  9. Moore, Tom (10 February 2016). "BPP Law School changes hands in $1.1bn private equity deal". Legal Business
  10. The Law Society (4 October 2017). "National Pro Bono Week 2017". Retrieved 20 December 2018.
  11. Aldridge, Alex (8 March 2017). "BPP University chief exits after 20 years at legal education giant". Legal Cheek. Retrieved 20 December 2018.
  12. King, Katie (9 June 2017)."CEO of BPP Law School steps down". Legal Cheek. Retrieved 20 December 2018.
  13. Baker, Tom (31 October 2017). [ "ULaw continues fightback to bring in high-profile former chief of arch rival BPP"]. Legal Business. Retrieved 20 December 2018.
  14. . Legal Cheek. Retrieved 23 December 2019.
  15. King, Katie (29 May 2018). "BPP suspends law degree in face of solicitor super-exam". Legal Cheek. Retrieved 20 December 2018.
  16. Walters, Max (28 March 2018). "BPP to shut Liverpool base". The Law Society Gazette. Retrieved 20 December 2018.
  17. https://feweek.co.uk/2019/02/15/dfe-confirms-ban-on-recruitment-of-apprentices-at-bpp-university-months-after-ofsted-warning/ "DFE confirms ban on recruitment of apprentices at BPP University after months of warning"]. FE Week. Retrieved 21 May 2019.
  18. https://feweek.co.uk/2018/11/01/ofsted-slams-private-sector-giant-bpp-for-being-unaware-of-the-slow-progress-apprentices-make/ ["Ofsted slams private sector giant BPP for being unaware of the slow progress apprentices make"] FE Week. Retrieved 21 May 2019.
  19. https://www.legalcheek.com/2019/12/city-law-firm-consortium-appoints-bpp-as-super-exam-prep-course-provider/
  20. Companies House (12 December 2009) "BPP UNIVERSITY LIMITED". Retrieved 17 December 2019.
  21. Slingo, Jemma (17 December 2019). "BPP law school dean resigns as director in boardroom shake-up". The Law Society Gazette. Retrieved 23 December 2019.
  22. Rogers, Matthew (23 June 2017). "ULaw beats BPP in undergraduate teaching excellence". Solicitors Journal. Retrieved 20 December 2018.
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