Brent
Data availableLondon
46
appeals registered, 2024 (official DfE figure)
68
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.
- Brent SEND Information advice and support services — 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 · 020 8937 3434.
- 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 — 49 (73.1%)
Contested, council lost — 12 (17.9%)
Contested, council won — 3 (4.5%)
Partially split — 3 (4.5%)
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 (68 appeals) — see how estimates work.
By decision type
By decision type — FY2019/20-2024/25
| Category (council's own wording) | Appeals | Overturned |
|---|---|---|
| Section B (combined with other sections) | 59 | — |
| Section F (combined with other sections) | 49 | — |
| Section I (combined with other sections) | 65 | — |
Freedom of Information responses
Q3 (tribunal appeals registered against Borough, by financial year): 2019/20=65, 2020/21=54, 2021/22=46, 2022/23=31, 2023/24=43, 2024/25=38. Q3i (Section B only)=0 every year; Section B combined with other sections: 2019/20=8, 2020/21=8, 2021/22=13, 2022/23=7, 2023/24=12, 2024/25=11. Q3ii (Section F only): 2019/20=0, 2020/21=<5, 2021/22=0, 2022/23=0, 2023/24=0, 2024/25=0; Section F combined with other sections: 2019/20=8, 2020/21=10, 2021/22=12, 2022/23=7, 2023/24=12, 2024/25=[cut off in capture]. Q3iii (Section I only): 2019/20=<5, 2020/21=<5, 2021/22=<5, 2022/23=<5, 2023/24=<5, 2024/25=7; Section I combined with other sections: 2019/20=6, 2020/21=9, 2021/22=11, 2022/23=8, 2023/24=14, 2024/25=17. Q4 (tribunals notified that the LA challenged, by financial year): 2019/20=26, 2020/21=33, 2021/22=26, 2022/23=18, 2023/24=35, 2024/25=24. Q5 (% of SEND tribunal cases contested won/lost, by calendar year tribunal concluded, reported as 'Appeal Upheld' / 'Appeal Not Upheld'): 2019: Upheld 83%, Not Upheld 18%. 2020: Upheld 76%, Not Upheld 24%. 2021: Upheld 79%, Not Upheld 21%. 2022: Upheld 87%, Not Upheld 13%. 2023: Upheld 84%, Not Upheld 16%. 2024: Upheld 81%, Not Upheld 19%. Q6 (internal legal resource hours, financial year): 2019/20=223.2, 2020/21=0, 2021/22=43.7, 2022/23=82.7, 2023/24=109.1. Q7 (external legal costs, financial year): 2019/20=£2,750.00, 2020/21=£1,175.00, 2021/22=£2,026.67, 2022/23=£2,400.00, 2023/24=£0.00. Q1/Q2 (parental preference data): 'We do not record/hold data on parental preference for school placements.'
Caveat: Council's Q5 table is headed 'Appeal Upheld' / 'Appeal Not Upheld' rather than strictly 'won'/'lost' by the Borough — this is appellant-centric framing (an appeal 'Upheld' generally means the parent's appeal succeeded, i.e. the Borough lost that point) and figures are transcribed exactly as labelled by the council without reinterpretation. Percentages are per calendar year the tribunal concluded, distinct from the financial-year appeal/defended counts.