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Education Appeals Specialists

Photo: We can help you to appeal education and benefit decisions

Our Education Appeals Specialists give independent advice and support to young people and parents of deaf children on special educational needs across the UK.

Together with the Helpline and Advice and Guidance Officers, we provide specialist advice if you disagree with a decision and want to challenge it.

What we can help you with

We provide advice to parents of deaf children and young people up to the age of 25, including:

  • appealing against a decision not to issue an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) in England, an Individual Development Plan (IDP) in Wales, a Statement of Special Educational Needs in Northern Ireland or a Coordinated Support Plan (CSP) in Scotland
  • appealing against the contents or the nursery, school, or college in the statement or plan
  • complaints about the health or social care provision provided by a local authority or education authority
  • disability discrimination issues in education.

How we’ll help you

We can help you by giving you advice and identifying what your rights are, so that you can make informed choices and feel more confident about your case.

We will help you to:

  • understand what the rules and options are, how to achieve the outcome you want and your chances of success
  • know what will help your case and develop the right arguments
  • prepare appeal paperwork and get the right evidence and information.

We aim for your case to be resolved as early as possible, but sometimes it has to be heard at an independent appeal tribunal.

If this happens, we will guide you through the process and, in some cases, we may be able to provide representation when it's needed.

If we take on your case, you will have a named Education Appeals Specialist. Sometimes we use pro-bono legal volunteers to help, but we will continue to have responsibility for your case.

Getting the most out of an appeal

So that we can give you the best possible support, it's helpful if you can tell us about:

  • any deadlines that you have coming up
  • what has happened already
  • important letters or other papers related to your case
  • if anyone else is helping you.

Contact an Education Appeals Specialist

You can contact our Freephone Helpline who will be able to give you some advice and guidance. If you need more specialist advice, they will refer to you an Education Appeals Specialist. You will need to become a member before an Education Appeals Specialist can help you – membership is free, and our Helpline can help you register.

If you are referred, an Education Appeals Specialist will either contact you remotely (using technology like Zoom, Microsoft Teams and FaceTime) or set up a face-to-face meeting if needed.

If they cannot take on your case, they will give you guidance and find other ways you can be supported.

Do you need free independent advice? Contact the Helpline

Landline: 0808 800 8880

Monday to Thursday 9am – 5pm and Friday 9am - 12:30pm

Free from all UK landlines and major UK mobile providers

SMS: 0786 00 22 888 (SMS)

Monday to Thursday 9am – 5pm and Friday 9am - 12:30pm

Texts are charged at your standard network rate or taken from your monthly allowance

BSL Interpreter: SignVideo

Monday to Thursday 9am – 5pm and Friday 9am - 12:30pm

Contact us by making a free video call with a BSL interpreter

Enquiry Form: Contact form

Complete our online contact form at any time and receive a response within 10 days

Live Chat: Live chat

Monday to Thursday 9am – 5pm and Friday 9am - 12:30pm

Chat to a member of the Helpline team online for free

Please note, based on research and recommendations from the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, it is our policy that we do not speak to people on the phone while they are driving, including those using hands-free devices. We ask drivers to wait until they are safely parked or arrive at their destination before calling.