Home › West Midlands › Stoke-on-Trent City Council
Stoke-on-Trent City Council
Data availableWest Midlands
105
appeals registered, 2024 (official DfE figure)
176
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.
- Stoke on Trent SEND Information, Advice and Support Service — 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 · 01782 234 701.
- 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 — 128 (72.3%)
Contested, council lost — 32 (18.1%)
Contested, council won — 9 (5.1%)
Partially split — 8 (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 (176 appeals) — see how estimates work.
By decision type
By decision type — 2022 (calendar year)
| Category (council's own wording) | Appeals | Overturned |
|---|---|---|
| Refusal to assess appeals registered this year (tribunals) | 6 | — |
| Refusal to issue appeals registered this year | 14 | 2 |
| Contents and placement appeals registered for sections B, F and I (tribunals) | 68 | — |
Freedom of Information responses
Successful
'How many refusal to assess appeals have been registered this year? — 25 mediations and 6 tribunals. How many of these were upheld? — 9 were upheld at mediation. 4 are still in tribunal process. How many refusal to issue have been registered this year? — 14 cases. How many of these were upheld? — 2. How many contents and placement appeals have been registered this year? — 16 mediations and 68 tribunals registered for sections B, F and I. How many of the parental preference for placement were named? — 18.' Context also given: 2,875 children have EHCPs in the LA; 941 in mainstream settings; 452 in specialist; 33 with EOTAS; 50 children with special educational needs have no placement currently (EHCP only).
Caveat: Usefully distinguishes mediation-stage from Tribunal-stage volumes (e.g. 68 tribunals vs 16 mediations registered for contents/placement appeals), which most other councils' responses in this same 'Send Stats' batch do not do. The note '4 are still in tribunal process' means the refusal-to-assess 'upheld' figure (9, at mediation only) is not a complete picture of eventual Tribunal outcomes for that cohort. Response was delivered roughly six weeks past the statutory 20-working-day deadline; the requester had to chase for an update.
Re-use terms stated by the council: 'The information supplied may be used for domestic or journalistic purposes. Its use for commercial gain including issuing to the public, social media or computer blogs may be subject to the issue of a licence under the Reuse of Public Sector Information Regulations 2015.'