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Nottingham City Council
Data availableEast Midlands
52
appeals registered, 2024 (official DfE figure)
73
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.
- Ask Us Nottinghamshire (joint Nottingham City & Nottinghamshire SENDIASS) — 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 · 0800 121 7772.
- 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 — 53 (72.6%)
Contested, council lost — 13 (17.8%)
Contested, council won — 4 (5.5%)
Partially split — 3 (4.1%)
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 (73 appeals) — see how estimates work.
By decision type
By decision type — 2023-2025
| Category (council's own wording) | Appeals | Overturned |
|---|---|---|
| Refusal-to-assess decisions challenged via appeal to First-tier Tribunal (SEND) | 17 | — |
Freedom of Information responses
Awaiting classification
Response to 'National FOI Request — SEND Performance Comparative Study' (ref IG-22767), questions 2 and 8 (other questions -- phase transfer, EP timeliness/provenance, complaints, LGSCO -- omitted as out of scope). Q2 Outcomes of challenges to refusal-to-assess decisions: (a) refusal-to-assess decisions challenged via statutory mediation: 2023-19, 2024-33, 2025-48. (b) challenged via appeal to First-tier Tribunal (SEND): 2023-1, 2024-6, 2025-10. (c) of (a)+(b), number where the Council changed position and agreed to assess (via mediation agreement, conceding appeal before hearing, or Tribunal order): 2023-13, 2024-19, 2025-33*1 (footnote *1: 'Moved away before hearing date reacted: 1'). (d) average time between refusal and decision to proceed: not held. Q8 SEND Tribunal appeals and concessions: (a) total appeals registered against Council decisions at First-tier Tribunal (SEND): 2023-41, 2024-50, 2025-67. (b) appeals conceded before final hearing, broken down: 2023 - Total 35 (LA:26, Parent:0, Agreement reached by both:0, Unknown:8, MA*1:1), Not reach hearing date:0. 2024 - Total 37 (LA:26, Parent:4, Agreement reached by both:3, Unknown:3, MA*2:1), Not reach hearing date:0. 2025 - Total 45 (LA:27, Parent:2, Agreement reached by both:1, Unknown:15), Not reach hearing date:20. Footnotes *1/*2: 'Moved away before hearing date reacted: 1' (one case each in 2023 and 2024).
Caveat: Council states: 'Please note although we record that the tribunal was resolved prior to the hearing date we often record the reason as ‘Consent Order’ or ‘Agreement Reached’ with no information as to how this was reached. As such there are a large number of outcomes for which I cannot provide a definitive answer as to whether they were conceded by the Local Authority or not.' The large 'Unknown' figures (8, 3, 15) and growing 'Not reach hearing date' figure for 2025 (20) reflect this genuine record-keeping limitation, not necessarily low concession rates.
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