Barking and Dagenham
Data availableLondon
38
appeals registered, 2024 (official DfE figure)
59
appeals registered, 2025 (official DfE figure)
Data available. At least one Freedom of Information response gives real, extractable figures on tribunal appeals or outcomes for this council.
Thinking about appealing, or partway through it? These are free, independent sources of advice — not run by this site, and not run by any council.
- Barking and Dagenham Information Advice and Support Service — this council's own free SEND information, advice and support service. Every council is legally required to fund one, at arm's length from itself · 0208 593 4422.
- IPSEA — Free, independent legal advice on SEN law — including EHC plans and tribunal appeals.
- SOS!SEN — Free helpline and 1:1 advice specifically on preparing a SEND tribunal appeal.
- Coram Children's Legal Centre — Free education law advice line, including SEN appeals and EHC plan reviews.
- GOV.UK: appeal an EHC plan decision — The official government guide to the appeals process itself — who can appeal, mediation, costs.
Estimated outcome breakdown
Estimated, not reported
Resolved before hearing — 43 (71.7%)
Contested, council lost — 11 (18.3%)
Contested, council won — 3 (5%)
Partially split — 3 (5%)
This council's own answer doesn't give a usable outcome breakdown. This estimate applies the pooled England-wide outcome rate (no regional sample was large enough to trust on its own) to this council's own real, officially-published appeal volume for 2025 (59 appeals) — see how estimates work.
By decision type
By decision type — 2019/20
| Category (council's own wording) | Appeals | Overturned |
|---|---|---|
| Section B - SEN description (3i) | 0 | — |
| Section F - educational provision (3ii) | — | — |
| Section I - named school/institution (3iii) | 22 | — |
By decision type — 2020/21
| Category (council's own wording) | Appeals | Overturned |
|---|---|---|
| Section B - SEN description (3i) | 0 | — |
| Section F - educational provision (3ii) | — | — |
| Section I - named school/institution (3iii) | 17 | — |
By decision type — 2021/22
| Category (council's own wording) | Appeals | Overturned |
|---|---|---|
| Section B - SEN description (3i) | 0 | — |
| Section F - educational provision (3ii) | — | — |
| Section I - named school/institution (3iii) | 11 | — |
By decision type — 2022/23
| Category (council's own wording) | Appeals | Overturned |
|---|---|---|
| Section B - SEN description (3i) | 0 | — |
| Section F - educational provision (3ii) | 0 | — |
| Section I - named school/institution (3iii) | 6 | — |
By decision type — 2023/24
| Category (council's own wording) | Appeals | Overturned |
|---|---|---|
| Section B - SEN description (3i) | 0 | — |
| Section F - educational provision (3ii) | 0 | — |
| Section I - named school/institution (3iii) | 8 | — |
Freedom of Information responses
Awaiting classification
Response dated 19 February 2025 (ref 34547797) to Joel Benjamin. Q3 'For each financial year 2019-2024 how many SEND tribunal appeals (for children/young people under 25 years old) were registered against the Borough?' — answered per sole ground of appeal registered. 3i (Section B - SEN description): 2019/20: 0; 2020/21: 0; 2021/22: 0; 2022/23: 0; 2023/24: 0. 3ii (Section F - educational provision): 2019/20: exempt s.40 (suppressed, figure of 5 or below, third-party/identifiability risk); 2020/21: exempt; 2021/22: exempt; 2022/23: 0; 2023/24: 0. 3iii (Section I - named school/institution): 2019/20: 22; 2020/21: 17; 2021/22: 11; 2022/23: 6; 2023/24: 8. Q4 'how many SEND tribunal cases has the Borough defended?' (cases proceeding to final hearing), by financial year: 2019/20: 12; 2020/21: 11; 2021/22: 11; 2022/23: 12; 2023/24: 8. Q5 '% of SEND tribunal cases contested were won/lost by the Borough' (cases proceeding to final hearing), by calendar year: 2019 - 12 hearings (50% dismissed; 50% upheld); 2020 - 12 hearings (17% dismissed; 83% upheld); 2021 - 12 hearings (8% dismissed; 92% upheld); 2022 - 9 hearings (11% dismissed; 89% upheld); 2023 - 14 hearings (7% dismissed; 93% upheld); 2024 - 8 hearings (13% dismissed; 87% upheld). Q7 external legal support used: Yes overall; by year - 2020/21: No; 2021/22: Yes; 2022/23: Yes; 2023/24: Yes; 2024/25: not applicable to date. Q7i costs: 2020/21: NIL; 2021/22: 8,225 GBP; 2022/23: 3,095 GBP; 2023/24: 6,250 GBP; 2024/25: N/A.
Caveat: The document does not itself state whether 'dismissed' means ruled in the Borough's favour or the appellant's. Cross-checking against Hammersmith & Fulham's response to the identical template question (which explicitly ties its 'dismissed' count to its own stated 'won' percentage) suggests the convention is 'dismissed' = ruling for the council and 'allowed/upheld' = ruling for the appellant, but this council's own letter does not spell that out. Sections B and F (3i/3ii) are 0 or suppressed in almost every year, while Section I dominates; the council notes appeals are recorded under 'sole registration' of grounds (a case with multiple grounds is presumably counted once under one primary ground) so these should not be read as mutually exclusive full population counts. Q6 (internal legal hours) not held/not quantified. Question numbering mixes financial years (Q3/Q4) and calendar years (Q5/Q7) exactly as the original request was phrased.