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How Should Parents Prepare for an Upcoming SEND Tribunal Hearing?
An upcoming SEND Tribunal hearing can feel daunting, particularly if you have spent months gathering evidence and trying to resolve disagreements about your child’s Education, Health and Care Plan.
Good preparation can make the day itself much easier.
In a recent video on our Education Law TikTok channel, Beverley Watkins, Managing Partner at Watkins Solicitors, explains some of the practical things parents should check before their hearing.
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Book on EventbriteHow Should Parents Prepare for an Upcoming SEND Tribunal Hearing?
Beverley Watkins explains the practical steps families can take before the hearing, including checking the Tribunal bundle, identifying what remains in dispute, making sure the right witnesses are available and preparing properly for the hearing day.
Video by Beverley Watkins, Managing Partner at Watkins Solicitors.
Read the Tribunal Bundle Carefully
One of Beverley’s first recommendations is to check the hearing bundle.
The bundle contains the documents and evidence that the Tribunal will use when considering the appeal. Do not assume that everything you submitted has automatically been included.
Check that important documents are there, including:
Your evidence
Professional reports
Relevant correspondence
Annual Review documents where relevant
The EHCP and its appendices
Evidence about the proposed school or college
The current working document where the appeal concerns EHCP contents
Official Tribunal guidance makes clear that the local authority cannot simply choose which evidence from the parent to include and leave other parental evidence out of the bundle.
If something important appears to be missing, raise it as soon as possible and follow the directions in your case.
Be Clear About What Is Still in Dispute
By the time a case reaches the hearing, some issues may already have been agreed.
Make sure you understand exactly what the Tribunal still needs to decide.
Identify What Remains Disputed
Pinpoint the specific wording, provision or placement issues that the Tribunal still needs to determine.
Match Evidence to Each Issue
Prepare a short list of the remaining issues and identify the evidence that supports your position on each one.
Make Sure Your Witnesses Are Available
Think carefully about the issues that remain in dispute and which witnesses are needed to give evidence about them.
For example, if speech and language provision remains a significant issue and you are relying on recommendations from a speech and language therapist, consider whether that professional needs to attend the hearing to answer questions about their evidence.
The same may apply to an educational psychologist, occupational therapist or representative from a proposed school or college.
Witness details should be dealt with in accordance with the Tribunal’s directions and relevant case review paperwork. The Tribunal can also issue a witness summons in appropriate circumstances where a person’s attendance is essential.
Prepare Practically for the Hearing Day
SEND Tribunal hearings can take place by video or in person. The Tribunal will tell you when and how your hearing will take place.
If your case has been listed for a full day, plan on the basis that you may need to be available for most or all of that day.
Beforehand:
Arrange childcare or other caring responsibilities if needed
Make sure you have easy access to the Tribunal bundle
Have your notes and list of outstanding issues ready
If attending remotely, check your internet connection, camera and microphone
Make sure your witnesses know when and how they are expected to attend
Keep the hearing day free rather than assuming the case will finish early
Hearings do not always run exactly to the timetable expected, so having practical arrangements in place can reduce unnecessary pressure.
Do Not Try to Memorise the Whole Case
You do not need to remember every page of a large bundle.
What matters is knowing the key issues, understanding the evidence you rely on and being able to find important documents when they are discussed.
The Tribunal panel is independent and will ask questions about the issues it needs to determine. Parents attending a hearing can also present their case and ask questions.
How Can Watkins Solicitors Help?
Preparing for a SEND Tribunal hearing can involve substantial evidence, complex EHCP wording and difficult decisions about witnesses and placement.
Watkins Solicitors has a specialist, multi-award-winning Education Law team experienced in preparing and representing families in SEND Tribunal appeals.
Our Education team was named Team of the Year at the Bristol Law Society Awards 2025, alongside Watkins Solicitors being named Regional Law Firm of the Year.
We can help review the Tribunal bundle, identify outstanding issues, consider professional evidence, work through the EHCP working document and advise on preparation for the hearing itself.
If your hearing is approaching, it is better to seek advice early rather than discover shortly beforehand that important evidence or witnesses are missing.
Preparing for an Upcoming SEND Tribunal Hearing?
If you would like help reviewing the bundle, working document, outstanding issues, professional evidence or witness arrangements before the hearing, our specialist Education Law team can advise and provide representation where appropriate.
Watch the Video and Get Support
The full video, featuring Beverley Watkins answering this parent question, is available above and on our Education Law TikTok channel.
If you are preparing for an upcoming SEND Tribunal hearing and would like specialist advice or representation, our Education Law team is here to help.
You can contact us by emailing education@watkinssolicitors.co.uk or calling 0117 939 0350.
Education Law TikTok
Our Education Law TikTok features short videos from the Watkins Solicitors Education Law team answering common questions about EHCPs, SEND provision, school placements, Annual Reviews and SEND Tribunal appeals.
Follow @watkinssolicitors.sen for practical explanations from our specialist team and to see our latest SEND and Education Law videos.