Tribunals: Special Educational Needs
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department has made an assessment of trends in SEND Tribunal outcomes since December 2024; and whether any changes in guidance or instructions have been issued to Tribunal judges regarding the consideration of appeals.
Answered by Sarah Sackman
The Ministry of Justice publishes trends in SEND Tribunal outcomes through quarterly published tribunal statistics. A link to the statistics can be found here: Tribunal Statistics Quarterly: July to September 2025 - GOV.UK
The Department and Ministers do not issue guidance or instructions to judges on how to determine appeals. Judicial office holders are independent. Since December 2024, the Chamber President of the First-tier Tribunal, Health, Education and Social Care Chamber has issued Presidential Practice Guidance No. 1 of 2025 on procedure for the preparation of appeals and claims in the Special Educational Needs and Disability, and Disability Discrimination in Schools jurisdictions. Further, the Senior President of Tribunals, with the approval of the Lord Chancellor, has issued a Practice Direction on the preparation of hearing bundles in those jurisdictions. These concern procedure and case preparation rather than the substantive consideration of appeals.
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