SEND appeals hit record high as parents challenge support plans
The rise is attributed to the continued impact of the 2014 SEND reforms, which introduced EHC plans and extended support to age 25, together with expanded tribunal powers to make non-binding health and social care recommendations and a growing number of children with EHC plans
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Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) appeals have reached a record high, with 25,000 cases registered in the 2024/25 academic year – an 18% rise on 2023/24, according to the latest figures from HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS).
The new figures from HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) show 20,000 SEND appeals were disposed of over the same period, up 19%. Open SEND caseload climbed to a new peak of 15,000 cases in the second quarter of 2025/26, underlining mounting pressure on the system.
Of the 25,000 appeals, 24% challenged a refusal to secure an Education, Health and Care (EHC) assessment, while 61% related to the content of existing EHC plans.
The rise is attributed to the continued impact of the 2014 SEND reforms, which introduced EHC plans and extended support to age 25, together with expanded tribunal powers to make non-binding health and social care recommendations and a growing number of children with EHC plans.
In 2024/25, there were 20,000 recorded outcomes to SEND appeals. Of these, 71% (14,000) were decided by the tribunal and 99% of decided cases were in favour of the appellant, the same proportion as in 2023/24, indicating that parents and young people continue to succeed in the vast majority of contested appeals.
Appeals concerning disability discrimination remain a small but rising part of the workload, with 400 registered in 2024/25, up 12% on the previous year, and 180 disposed of.