Parents trapped in special needs tribunal backlog as disputes surge by 50%

Chantal Finch with her children Noah, 16, and Celeste, seven, at home near Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk. She describes a ‘constant battle’ for Send help. Photograph: Sophia Evans/The Observer

Parents are having to wait more than a year for tribunal hearings into ­inadequate provision for children with special educational needs after new cases surged by more than 50% in a year.

The National Audit Office last week highlighted the worsening ­crisis in the special educational needs and ­disabilities (Send) system, with ­cash-strapped councils unable to meet rising need amid a lack of ­suitable school and college places.