What is the appeal process?

  1. Fill in the appeal form and send it to the Special Educational Needs and Disability Tribunal, SEND.
  2. SEND will register your appeal within 10 working days of receiving it.  They will tell you that they have registered your appeal and give you a date when your appeal will be heard.
  3. Depending on the type of appeal, they will also send you either a timetable for you to provide information and documents or a Further Information form for you to fill in and return.  They will also send a copy of your appeal to the local authority.
  4. The local authority has to respond within 30 working days.  They will send a copy of their response and any accompanying documents to both SEND and you.
  5. SEND will ‘case manage’ each appeal.  This may mean having a meeting or telephone conference before the hearing.
  6. At least 10 working days before the hearing, SEND will tell you where and when it will be held.
  7. The hearing usually takes half a day or a whole day.
  8. You should receive the Tribunal’s decision in writing within 10 working days of the hearing.

Further information