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Reading Borough Council
Data availableSouth East
74
appeals registered, 2024 (official DfE figure)
99
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.
- Reading Information Advice and Support Service for SEND — 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 · 0118 937 3421 - answerphone service only.
- 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 — 2022 ("this year" as of Jan 2023 response; exact period not restated by council; refusal to assess appeals only)
real, from FOI response
Resolved before hearing — 6 (46.2%)
Contested, council lost — 0 (0%)
Contested, council won — 7 (53.8%)
'Upheld' EXPLICITLY clarified as meaning the tribunal found FOR the council: council's answer was 'Of those seven were upheld by the tribunal and 6 were conceded with the remainder ongoing' and this batch's own caveat confirms 'Upheld here means the tribunal found for the council (i.e. upheld the refusal decision), consistent with official SENDIST terminology' -- opposite direction convention from Haringey elsewhere in this batch, so mapped confidently to contested_and_council_won=7. resolved_before_hearing=6 (conceded). 2 of the 15 explicitly left 'ongoing' at time of response, not counted in any bucket (15=7+6+2). Scoped to 'refusal to assess' appeals only, not this council's total SEND tribunal appeal volume -- see the other two Reading records in this batch for 'refusal to issue' and 'contents and placement' sub-totals from the same response, which are NOT included in this figure.
By decision type
By decision type — 2022 ("this year" per council; exact period unconfirmed)
| Category (council's own wording) | Appeals | Overturned |
|---|---|---|
| refusal to assess appeals | 15 | 6 |
| refusal to issue appeals | 1 | — |
| contents and placement appeals | 32 | — |
Freedom of Information responses
Successful
'How many refusal to assess appeals have been registered this year?' -- 'There have been 15 tribunals in response to refusals to assess.' 'How many of these were upheld?' -- 'Of those seven were upheld by the tribunal and 6 were conceded with the remainder ongoing.' 'How many refusal to issue have been registered this year?' -- 'One refusal to issue appeal was lodged this year and then was withdrawn by the parents.' 'How many of these were upheld?' -- 'It was withdrawn.' 'How many contents and placement appeals have been registered this year?' -- 'There have been 32 contents and placement appeals lodged this year.' 'How many of the parental preference for placement were named?' -- 'Of these 17 have named parental preference schools.' Also given: 1,734 children hold EHCPs in the LA (1,028 mainstream, 545 specialist, 154 other/EOTAS+AP settings); 19 children currently have no placement.
Caveat: 'This year' is not explicitly dated in the response; the request was made 2 Jan 2023, so the figures most likely refer to calendar year 2022 (or the 2022/23 academic year to date) -- confirm with the council before use. 'Upheld' here means the tribunal found for the council (i.e. upheld the refusal decision), consistent with official SENDIST terminology.