£100m spent in England on failed efforts to block children’s Send support

Exclusive: Councils win just 1.2% of tribunals, as experts see signs provision is becoming a battle with desperate families

• Analysis: Why England’s Send system is buckling
• ‘Fobbed off and rejected’: Birmingham’s Send crisis

More than £100m was spent last year by local authorities and the government on failed efforts to block support for children and young people with special educational needs in England, according to analysis by the Guardian.

The enormous cost in legal fees and staff resources came after councils won just 136 out of more than 10,000 tribunals in 2022-23, a success rate of 1.2%, as record numbers of families took to the courts to challenge councils over agreements known as education, health and care plans (EHCPs).