Your Child Only Gets One Education
Where they receive it matters.
When a local authority refuses the specialist placement your child needs, names a school that cannot deliver the provision in the EHCP or leaves Section I unresolved, I build and lead the appeal needed to challenge that decision - from SEND35 to final hearing.
I take responsibility for the strategy, evidence, drafting and deadlines. You stay informed, make the important decisions and no longer have to hold the entire case together alone.
Two Ways I Can Help
Choose the route that most closely matches the stage your case has reached.
The Placement Decision Has Just Arrived
The final EHCP names an unsuitable school, refuses the specialist placement your child needs or leaves Section I unresolved. I review the decision, build the placement strategy and prepare or lead the appeal from the outset.
The Appeal Is Already Underway
The SEND35 has been submitted, the local authority has responded, the Working Document is in progress or a deadline or hearing is approaching. I review what has already happened and identify what can still be strengthened.
Clear Fees at Each Stage
You can instruct me at the stage your case has reached. You receive a written proposal confirming the work, fee and any later stages before you decide whether to proceed.
Case Strategy and SEND35 - £1,495
For families who have received an appealable decision and need the placement appeal prepared and lodged.
I review the final EHCP, decision letter and evidence; identify what must be challenged; develop the placement strategy; prepare the grounds of appeal; complete the SEND35; and organise the evidence for submission.
Ongoing Case Leadership - £150 per hour
Billed only in blocks agreed with you in advance.
Agreed correspondence, evidence review, Tribunal applications, school consultations and negotiations as the appeal progresses.
Working Document - £1,495
I prepare the amendments required to Sections B, F and I, connect them to the supporting evidence, review the local authority's proposed wording and identify what can safely be agreed and what must remain in dispute.
Hearing Preparation - £150 per hour
Billed only in blocks agreed with you in advance.
Review of the final bundle, remaining issues and evidence; development of the hearing strategy; and preparation with you for what to expect.
Hearing Attendance - £1,495
Representation at one SEND Tribunal hearing. The proposed representative and attendance arrangements are confirmed with you before this service is booked.
Recent Placement Outcomes
Every case depends on its own evidence and no future result can be guaranteed. These anonymised examples show the work undertaken and the outcome achieved.
Preferred specialist school named
The local authority proposed a placement the family believed was unsuitable. The family's preferred specialist school had not been properly consulted. I reviewed the evidence, prepared the Working Document and challenged both the consultation process and the suitability of the proposed alternative. Before the final hearing, the local authority changed its position and agreed to name the family's preferred specialist school.
Parent, Year 6 - Cornwall
A preferred specialist placement agreed within two months
“I can't praise John-Paul highly enough. He walked me through the steps of taking a case to tribunal. We were hoping for an alternative school placement which was refused on the grounds of inefficient use of funds. Once John-Paul got involved, my arguments were taken much more seriously by the LA & my daughter was given a place at our preferred school within two months.”
Parent, Buckinghamshire
Independent specialist placement and transport agreed
The local authority had named a mainstream school that the family believed could not meet their daughter's needs. I reviewed the evidence, identified the weaknesses in the local authority's position, prepared the appeal and supported the family as the case progressed. Before the final hearing, the local authority conceded the need for an independent specialist school, amendments to the EHCP and appropriate home-to-school transport.
Parent, Year 6 - Hampshire
Your Expert Partner in SEND
I Know the Territory
More than 20 years across education, health and public services means I can see how needs, professional evidence, EHCP provision and the proposed placement fit together - and where the case is vulnerable.
The Weight Is Shared
The reading, strategy, drafting, correspondence and agreed deadlines become my responsibility. You remain involved in every important decision without having to hold the entire appeal together alone.
You Receive an Honest Answer
If the decision is not yet appealable, the evidence does not support the placement being sought or my involvement is unlikely to make a material difference, I will tell you before you spend money on the wrong service.
Every case is personally reviewed and led by me.
Understanding placement decisions
Clear analysis of the decisions, evidence and Tribunal process involved when the right education placement has not been secured.
Frequently Asked Questions
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You do not have to instruct a solicitor to bring a SEND Tribunal appeal. My work focuses on education placement disputes involving Sections B, F and I. If your case requires legal advice or proceedings outside my scope - for example judicial review or a disability discrimination claim - I will tell you before you instruct me. I can also work alongside a solicitor who is already involved.
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No. You can enquire if you know that the placement named by the local authority is unsuitable but have not secured an offer elsewhere. I will consider whether the evidence identifies the type of setting required and whether assessment, consultation or placement-search work is needed first. I cannot guarantee that a particular school will assess, offer a place or hold that place during the appeal.
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Some disputes resolve after the appeal is lodged. Others continue through evidence gathering, the Working Document and a final hearing. You pay only for the stages and casework your appeal requires. Before you instruct me, I explain the likely route and anticipated costs; hourly work is agreed in blocks.
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No responsible adviser can guarantee a Tribunal outcome. The strength of the case depends on the evidence, the suitability of the placement sought, the local authority's proposed alternative and any arguments about cost or availability. I will give you an honest view of the strengths, risks and missing evidence. If I do not believe my involvement can materially improve the case, I will tell you.
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A SEND Tribunal appeal can take several months. The timetable is set by the Tribunal and varies between cases. Some placement disputes resolve through negotiation before the final hearing; others require the Tribunal to decide. At each stage, I identify the immediate actions and deadlines so you know what happens next.
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You receive written terms and a formal invoice before work begins. The website does not collect card or bank details. Payment instructions are sent directly with the invoice, and documents are handled securely and confidentially.
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Every case is reviewed and led by me. If final hearing attendance is required, the proposed representative and arrangements are confirmed before you book that service. No alternative representative is appointed without your agreement.
Tell me about the placement decision
You do not need to explain everything perfectly.
Tell me:
What the local authority has decided
What is currently named in Section I
Which placement or type of provision you are seeking
Whether an appeal has been registered
The date of the next deadline or final hearing
I will reply by email within one working day and tell you whether the matter falls within my specialist work, whether I have capacity and what the next step would be.
or email:
Documents are handled securely and confidentially.