The number of parents in Bristol taking the city council to court for issues with special educational needs provision tripled last year. The rapidly increasing number of tribunal appeals shows the scale of anger among parents with the city’s long-standing education problems.
Parents can take their local council to a first-tier tribunal for several reasons if they are unhappy with a decision about special educational needs and disability (SEND) provision. These tribunals can take more than a year to settle, delaying children’s education.
Education chiefs at Bristol City Council faced questions about the increasing number of tribunal appeals, during a meeting of the people scrutiny commission on Monday, March 13. The number of appeals jumped from 37 in 2021 up to a staggering 120 appeals last year.
