From April 2018 to March 2019, 6,374 appeals concerning children's special educational needs were registered with the Special Educational Needs and Disability Tribunal First Tier, an increase of 26 per cent on the previous year. This figure is set to rise again in the same period next year.

With an increasing volume of appeals, many concerning private school provision, it can be difficult for local authorities  to properly address the cases they face. This is in part because of the amount of evidence they have to file  within a relatively short time frame of six weeks, but also because the people assigned to defend the appeal sometimes do not realise the extent of evidence that is required, as tribunals sit outside their day-to-day focus.