Blake Morgan advises the shareholders of Partnership Education on its sale to Redsquid Communications
Blake Morgan has advised the shareholders of Partnership Education Limited (PEL) on its strategic sale to Redsquid Communications Ltd (Redsquid). A key feature of the transaction was the involvement of an Employee Ownership Trust (EOT), as PEL’s majority shareholder, reflecting strong employee backing for the deal.
The sale will position PEL for its long‑term growth, enabling the business to expand and scale as part of Redsquid’s growing education sector offering, strengthening its ability to support schools and academies across the UK. Following completion, Matthew Perrett has been appointed Director of Education for the Redsquid group, leading the group’s education strategy.
Matthew Perrett said:
Blake Morgan have been an invaluable partner through our acquisition journey. They have provided expertise in a range of areas (HR, tax, legal, finances) and been a sounding board throughout what was a stressful process. As an employee-owned business, they had the expertise in-house to deal with the subtle nuances of EOTs and helped us through the myriad of hurdles that come with an unconventional governance and legal structure. For anyone looking to sell their business, I would highly recommend the Blake Morgan team.
Blake Morgan provided a full-service legal team on the transaction, advising across corporate, tax, pensions, property and National Security and Investment Act considerations (NSIA).
The Blake Morgan team was led by Corporate Partner Martin Kay, supported by Karen Foong and Aleksia Zivanovic. Specialist support was also provided by Rob Thomas and Skye Patridge (Tax), Rupert Graham‑Evans (Pensions), Matthew Ivey (Property), and Anthony Woolich (NSIA).
Martin Kay, Partner at Blake Morgan, commented:
This transaction demonstrates how a company with a strong organisational culture can harness the support of its employees to support the next stage of its growth. There was clear support from employees for the move, and the EOT played an important role in enabling Partnership Education to take its next step as part of the Redsquid group. It was a pleasure to work with Matt and the wider team on a deal that positions the business for future expansion while recognising the commitment of its people.
Partnership Education is an established education-focused technology provider supporting schools and academies across the UK, and the acquisition represents Redsquid’s largest to date as it continues to scale its specialist education capability.
This transaction further highlights Blake Morgan’s experience in advising on employee ownership structures, including EOT set-ups, sales and wider strategic transactions. Blake Morgan is a multi-disciplinary corporate and commercial law firm that takes a joined-up approach to their clients’ needs, providing solutions to often-complex legal requirements. Find out more about their corporate and commercial services here.
Share:
If you need advice on a range of corporate legal issues
Speak to a member of our Corporate team
Arrange a callHow can we help?
To get in touch with one of our legal experts please fill in your details.
