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Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council
Data availableYorkshire and the Humber
81
appeals registered, 2024 (official DfE figure)
86
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.
- SENDIASS Barnsley — 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 · 01226 787234.
- 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.
Structured outcome breakdown
Structured breakdown — 2012-2017 (aggregate, "last 6 years" per request wording)
real, from FOI response
Resolved before hearing — 47 (78.3%)
Contested, council lost — 5 (8.3%)
Contested, council won — 8 (13.3%)
Aggregate reconciles exactly with the sum of the per-year 'settled' table below. This is the KNOWN Barnsley lodged-year/settled-year mismatch already documented for this project; not re-flagged as new.
Freedom of Information responses
Successful
FOIA1666, response dated 29 January 2018 covering the previous six years (2012-2017). Total appeals lodged with SEND Tribunal 2012-2017: 60; no appeals currently lodged/active as of the January 2018 response date. Of the 60: Appeals withdrawn by parent: 47; Appeals concluded at final hearing found in favour of the LA (i.e. won by BMBC): 8; Appeals concluded at final hearing found in favour of parents: 5. Tribunals lodged by year (year the appeal was lodged): 2012 - 1, 2013 - 12, 2014 - 23, 2015 - 10, 2016 - 10, 2017 - 4 (total 60). Tribunal outcome by year (year the case settled/concluded) - Appeal withdrawn / Appeal dismissed / Appeal upheld: 2012 - 0, 0, 0; 2013 - 8, 2, 2; 2014 - 12, 2, 0; 2015 - 13, 3, 1; 2016 - 9, 0, 2; 2017 - 5, 1, 0.
Caveat: Council explicitly notes the two tables use different year bases and are not directly row-comparable: 'lodged by year' reflects when the appeal was filed, while 'tribunal outcome by year' reflects the year the case settled, since cases can run for more than a year or cross calendar years — an appeal lodged in one year may be recorded as concluding in a later year's outcome table. LA officer time spent on tribunal casework is stated as 'not recorded or quantifiable in relation to any particular case,' so no cost-of-defence figure was given despite being requested.