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Rights & Legal

Which councils do parents appeal against most?

4 min read
SEND TribunalEHCP AppealTribunalLocal AuthorityAppealsSEND Rights
A parent sits at a desk preparing an appeal from a folder of documents.
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When a council refuses to assess a child, refuses to issue a plan, or writes a plan that does not meet a child’s needs, parents have the right to appeal to the First-tier Tribunal (SEND). More families are using that right than ever, and how often it happens varies enormously depending on which council you are dealing with.

In 2024 there were 22,276 appeals registered in England, around 35 for every 1,000 EHCPs in force. But that national rate hides a huge gap between councils, from about 5 appeals per 1,000 plans to more than 100. This report sets out what the Department for Education’s figures show, council by council, and points you to your right to appeal.

22,276
SEND tribunal appeals were registered in England in 2024
About 35 appeals for every 1,000 EHCPs, though the rate varies more than twentyfold
DfE, Education, health and care plans, 2025

A national right, used very unevenly

The number of appeals against a council depends partly on how it makes its decisions. Some councils end up at tribunal many times more often than others, relative to the number of plans they hold.

The most appealed council in the country, relative to its plans, was East Sussex, with 104.5 appeals for every 1,000 plans. A high rate is not proof that a council is doing everything wrong, and a low rate is not proof it is getting everything right; appeal rates are also shaped by how aware and supported local families are. But a council that is appealed against far more than its neighbours is worth a closer look.

Find your council

Interactive

Find your council

Type a local authority to see how many SEND tribunal appeals it faced in 2024 for every 1,000 EHCPs, and how that compares with the England average of 34.9.

Browse the full league table 151 councils ranked

Tap a column heading to sort. Highest is shown first by default.

Find your council, by local authority
#
1 South East516 104.5
2 South East111 82.7
3 South West252 81.8
4 South East1,559 75.6
5 East Midlands536 70.3
6 North East133 69.2
7 South West382 66.7
8 South East1,059 65.9
9 West Midlands161 64.3
10 South East106 64.1
11 North East344 63.8
12 London68 56.7
13 London116 54.7
14 South East396 54.2
15 West Midlands639 52.8
16 West Midlands435 51.4
17 North West349 51.2
18 East Midlands190 50.9
19 East of England709 49.8
20 Yorkshire and The Humber273 49.8
21 London213 48.5
22 Yorkshire and The Humber286 48.1
23 East of England613 47.4
24 South East101 45.8
25 East Midlands188 45.3
26 East of England532 43.8
27 South East127 41.8
28 West Midlands102 41.8
29 South West267 41.6
30 London123 41.6
31 London143 41.2
32 South West404 41
33 West Midlands152 39.9
34 London78 39.8
35 South West128 39.6
36 East Midlands178 39.1
37 South East115 38.6
38 South East64 38
39 South East74 37.6
40 North West82 37.6
41 South East350 37.6
42 London161 37.3
43 Yorkshire and The Humber279 37.2
44 South East659 37.1
45 North East83 36.1
46 Yorkshire and The Humber113 36
47 North East108 36
48 South West94 35.6
49 South West154 35.5
50 West Midlands123 35.4
51 West Midlands166 35
52 London90 34.9
53 East of England140 34.7
54 South East62 34.5
55 East Midlands184 33.9
56 London120 33.8
57 South West92 33.2
58 London53 33
59 South West145 32.7
60 West Midlands224 32.6
61 South East234 32.4
62 London26 31.7
63 East of England279 31.6
64 North East56 31.5
65 London101 31.1
66 West Midlands105 30.8
67 Yorkshire and The Humber78 30.5
68 London99 29.3
69 North West140 28.7
70 North West97 28.6
71 South East79 28.2
72 North West107 28.1
73 South East78 28
74 London40 28
75 South East61 27.8
76 North West101 27.7
77 South East64 27.7
78 London102 27.6
79 North East41 27.5
80 London87 27.4
81 East Midlands196 27.2
82 East Midlands52 27.2
83 North West334 27.1
84 Yorkshire and The Humber98 27
85 Yorkshire and The Humber81 26.6
86 South West123 24.9
87 North West68 24.4
88 East of England48 24.1
89 East Midlands97 23.9
90 South West39 23.7
91 North West65 23.2
92 North East22 22.8
93 North West80 22.8
94 North West65 22.5
95 East Midlands186 22.1
96 South West106 21.5
97 East Midlands8 21.3
98 North West103 21.2
99 Yorkshire and The Humber33 21.2
100 East of England169 21.1
101 Yorkshire and The Humber68 21
102 Yorkshire and The Humber126 20.7
103 South West50 20.3
104 Yorkshire and The Humber91 20.3
105 London41 20.3
106 West Midlands139 19.9
107 London35 19.7
108 London72 19.6
109 London59 19.6
110 North West33 19.3
111 South West123 19.3
112 North East47 19.2
113 North West70 18.7
114 London74 18.3
115 Yorkshire and The Humber70 18.1
116 West Midlands30 17.5
117 East of England49 16.9
118 West Midlands51 16.9
119 London46 16.8
120 Yorkshire and The Humber61 16.5
121 London85 16.2
122 North West37 16
123 London58 15.8
124 London76 15.3
125 North West53 15.3
126 North West45 15.2
127 North East58 15
128 East of England37 14.8
129 London48 14.7
130 North West52 14.5
131 North East44 14.2
132 London64 14.1
133 North West43 13.7
134 North West48 13.3
135 London43 13
136 North West21 12.6
137 London38 12.4
138 North West108 12.2
139 London46 12.1
140 London41 12.1
141 East of England26 12
142 North West18 11.8
143 North East23 11.4
144 London29 10.8
145 North West25 10.5
146 East of England28 10.3
147 West Midlands41 10.1
148 West Midlands27 8.6
149 North East8 7.1
150 Yorkshire and The Humber9 5.4
151 Yorkshire and The Humber10 5

Source: DfE, Education, health and care plans, Reporting year 2025, SEND tribunal appeals (calendar 2024) over plans in force (January 2025). The 151 councils shown account for all 22,276 appeals registered in 2024.
22,276
appeals to the SEND tribunal in England in 2024
99%
of appeals that reach a decision succeed

The second number is the one to hold on to. Across England, almost all appeals that reach a tribunal decision go in the family’s favour, around 99% in 2024/25. The odds at a hearing are strongly on your side, wherever you live. Our report on who wins at the SEND tribunal looks at that in detail.

Important

Most appeals never reach a hearing. A large share are settled or conceded by the council beforehand, often because the evidence is clearly on the family’s side. Lodging a strong appeal frequently brings a council back to the table well before the tribunal date.

What this means, and how to appeal

If your council has made a decision you disagree with, appealing is not a long shot. The process is designed for parents to use without a lawyer, and the deadlines are strict.

Tip

You normally have two months from the date of the council’s decision letter to appeal, and you must usually have a mediation certificate first (you do not have to go through mediation itself, but you do have to contact a mediation adviser). Do not let the two-month clock run down while you decide.

Methodology and sources

The appeal figures are from the Department for Education’s official statistics release Education, health and care plans, reporting year 2025, which now publishes appeals registered by local authority for the 2024 calendar year. The number of plans in force for each council is taken from the same release at the January 2025 snapshot.

The rate we show, appeals per 1,000 plans, is our calculation, dividing one by the other. Note the two figures are on slightly different calendars: appeals are counted over the 2024 calendar year, while plans in force are the January 2025 snapshot, so the rate is a fair comparison between councils rather than an official statistic. The DfE’s own appeal rate (3.2% nationally) uses a different denominator, the number of appealable decisions made in the year. The 151 councils shown account for all 22,276 appeals registered in 2024; a small number of authorities with no recorded appeals, or that have since been reorganised, are not shown. The 99% success figure is from the Ministry of Justice tribunal statistics for 2024/25. Data accessed June 2026.