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Sefton Metropolitan Borough Council
Data availableNorth West
70
appeals registered, 2024 (official DfE figure)
89
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.
- — 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.
- 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 — 62 (69.7%)
Contested, council lost — 16 (18%)
Contested, council won — 10 (11.2%)
Partially split — 1 (1.1%)
This council's own answer doesn't give a usable outcome breakdown. This estimate applies the pooled outcome rate from other North West councils with real reported figures to this council's own real, officially-published appeal volume for 2025 (89 appeals) — see how estimates work.
Freedom of Information responses
Partially successful
Table: 'The number of cases Sefton Local Education Authority has defended in the First-tier Tribunal (Special Educational Needs and Disability)': 2017 - 14, 2018 - 25, 2019 - 33. 'The number of cases at the Tribunal which Sefton Local Education Authority won, for each of those years': 2017 - Less than 5, 2018 - Less than 5, 2019 - Less than 5. 'The amount of money spent by Sefton Local Education Authority on legal costs for defending cases at the Tribunal, for each of those years': 2017 - N/A, 2018 - N/A, 2019 - N/A.
Caveat: Council gave win counts only as 'Less than 5' for each year rather than an exact figure (likely small-number suppression to avoid identifiability), and legal costs are given as N/A for all three years with no further explanation of why.