Mediation
If you disagree with our decision or are unhappy with the provision or education setting named in your child’s Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP), you may have to consider mediation before you can make an appeal to the SEND tribunal.
Mediation is a way for us to work together with you, to try resolve any issues you have with our decisions or in the finalised EHCP. This is different to a disagreement resolution meeting. A mediation advisor will talk you through each stage involved with mediation.
After the mediation, you’ll get a mediation certificate to make an appeal to the SEND tribunal.
When you have to go through mediation
You do not have to consider mediation if your appeal is only going to be against Section I (the named educational setting) of your child’s EHCP.
If you want to appeal against any other section of the EHCP, you will need a mediation certificate. If you do not want to enter mediation before making an appeal, you will need to contact our mediation service to get a certificate before you can make a tribunal appeal.
Getting in contact about mediation
Our current mediation provider is Global Mediation. They run a free mediation service and will make all the arrangements for you. You can contact them:
- by phone: 0800 064 448
- by email: SEN@globalmediation.co.uk
You must contact our mediation provider within two calendar months from the date on the decision letter. If not, you will not be able to go through mediation or make an appeal. In this situation, you will only be able to request a disagreement resolution meeting.
If you request mediation, we must attempt to complete this within 30 days. If we cannot do this, for any reason, our mediation provider will issue a certificate and you will be allowed to go ahead with your appeal.
Disagreement resolution meetings
Disagreement resolution meetings are available for both parents and carers of children and young people with SEND. It is not just for people who have an EHCP or who are having an EHC assessment.
It is an opportunity for you to sit down and talk about any issues you have, that have not been resolved in other ways, such as an education setting’s complaints process.
Disagreement resolution meetings are not mandatory, and we may not always agree to them.
A disagreement resolution meeting will not provide you with a mediation certificate that can be used to make an appeal.
