SEND Tribunal Bundle Software UK | EHCP Appeals

BundleCreator

Aligned with Practice Direction No. 1 of 2025

SEND Tribunal Bundle Software. Your evidence pack, ready for the LA.

The local authority prepares the SEND tribunal bundle. Your job is to send them an evidence pack that is paginated, indexed, within the page limits, and impossible to ignore. BundleCreator makes it easier to get there, so you can focus on what matters: your child.

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Parent organising SEND tribunal evidence at the kitchen table to send to the local authority

Every SEND appeal route, one platform

The grey dots show where you prepare your evidence pack to send to the local authority. The coloured dots are the hearings the LA's bundle is built for. Choose your appeal type and start adding your evidence straight away.

Each stop is a step in your appeal. Larger ringed stops are hearings where you build a bundle; the amber diamond and smaller stops are mediation or process steps. Click any stop to see details.EHC = Education, Health and Care plan · FTT = First-tier Tribunal

← Swipe to explore the full journey →

Lines:EHC Plan AppealsGetting an EHCPProtecting an EHCPDisability DiscriminationSpecialist (Detained)After the DecisionUpper Tribunal

Stops:Bundle hearing — a court bundle is built hereProcess step — no bundle, just a procedural milestoneOptional step — dashed: not always applicable (e.g. only if needed or agreed)Form-filing endpoint — apply on a court form (warrant or enforcement)

Reading:Blog Insight — purple book icons link to a related article (opens in a new tab)

Timing:statutory — miss this and loserequired noticetypical wait

Laws:This journey summarises the procedure under Children and Families Act 2014, sections 51, 55, 73 and 83, Special Educational Needs and Disability Regulations 2014, Tribunal Procedure (FTT) (HESC) Rules 2008, Practice Direction No. 1 of 2025 (EHC needs — content of appeals; bundle), Equality Act 2010 s.85 (admissions discrimination claims) and Tribunal Procedure (Upper Tribunal) Rules 2008. General information only — not legal advice.

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Important: This journey map shows the typical stages of the relevant court or tribunal proceedings. It is general information, not legal advice. Every case is different. For advice about your specific situation, consult a solicitor or instruct a barrister directly.

The law, court fees and time limits can change. We work hard to keep this map accurate, but it may contain errors or become out of date, so please check anything important against the official source — for example legislation.gov.uk or GOV.UK. To the fullest extent permitted by law, Steleo Publishing Limited does not accept liability for any loss arising from reliance on this map. Each stop represents a stage where a separate bundle may be required; BundleCreator handles the formatting — it does not replace professional legal advice.

Quick Answer

The local authority. Practice Direction No. 1 of 2025, paragraph 20, makes it the LA's responsibility in every SEND case. The LA must prepare an electronic bundle that meets the format and page limits, send it to HMCTS by the deadline, and copy you in at the same time. Your job as a parent is to organise your own evidence — expert reports, witness statements, working document and supporting documents — into a paginated, indexed pack within the per-party page limit, and send it to the LA in time to be included. BundleCreator is online tribunal bundle software that helps you build that evidence pack and keep your own indexed personal copy for the hearing.

Appeal routes covered

Every SEND appeal type, ready to start

Source: BundleCreator template library

460

Total documents

Across all SEND appeal templates

Source: BundleCreator template library

172

Pre-loaded documents

Ready for you from day one

Source: BundleCreator template library

25,000+

Annual SEND appeals

Registered in 2024/25, and rising

Source: SEND Tribunal Annual Report

About BundleCreator

BundleCreator is a UK-built court bundle preparation platform for solicitors, barristers, McKenzie Friends, and litigants in person. It produces bundles structured for PD27A with automatic Bates pagination (per-section restart A1, A2, B1, B2 for non-financial-remedy Family proceedings; Arabic consecutive for financial remedy), hyperlinked indexing, and PDF bookmarks across over 370 templates in 24 areas of law — including family, employment, immigration, SEND, criminal, and commercial litigation. All data is hosted in the UK (London region) with AES-256 encryption at rest and TLS 1.3 in transit.

Key features include Rust-powered PDF compression (typically reducing bundle file sizes by up to 70%), a neurodiversity toolbox with 9 accessibility tools (OpenDyslexic font, reading ruler, colour overlays, and read aloud), and free tools including a court fee calculator, PD27A checklist, and court deadline calculator.

Pricing starts from £29.99 per bundle (pay as you go) or £19.99 per month (Essential subscription). BundleCreator is developed by Steleo Publishing Ltd (Company No. 15218702).

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Last reviewed: 25 April 2026 by Stevie Hayes

SEND Tribunal Bundle UK: In Brief

A SEND Tribunal evidence pack is the documentation a parent sends to the local authority for an appeal against an EHC needs assessment, EHC plan content, or refusal to make a plan. Appeals are heard at the First-tier Tribunal (Health, Education and Social Care Chamber) — Special Educational Needs and Disability jurisdiction. Under SEND Practice Direction No. 1 of 2025 the local authority prepares the formal bundle from the evidence the parent supplies.

Appeal routes: Sections 36, 37, 51 Children and Families Act 2014; refusal to assess, EHC plan content, ceasing to maintain a plan (s.45 with appeal right under s.51(2)(e)), placement disputes
Time limits: 2 months from the local authority decision letter; mediation certificate required under s.55 CFA 2014 (or s.55 exemption)
Key documents: Notice of Appeal (SEND Tribunal Form), Working Document, parent's witness statement, professional reports (Educational Psychologist, Occupational Therapist, Speech and Language Therapist, paediatrician)
Jurisdiction: First-tier Tribunal (HESC) — SEND jurisdiction; appeals on points of law to the Upper Tribunal (Administrative Appeals Chamber)
Bundle size: SEND PD No. 1 of 2025 — local authority prepares the formal bundle; parent's evidence pack typically 50-200 pages; up to 1,000 pages supported

Official guidance: SEND Tribunal — Practice Direction No. 1 of 2025

UK SEND Tribunal key facts (2025/26)

Primary UK references on EHC needs assessments, appeals, and the new Practice Direction page limits.

Stat	Value	Source
Governing statute	Children and Families Act 2014, Part 3	Children and Families Act 2014
Appeal deadline	Within 2 months of LA decision	Tribunal Procedure (FtT) (Health, Education and Social Care Chamber) Rules 2008
Mandatory mediation step	Required before most appeals (some exceptions)	Section 55, Children and Families Act 2014
Bundle structure (in force after 15 July 2025)	Seven Parts; per-party limits 75-100 pages	Practice Direction No. 1 of 2025
Core Tribunal Bundle (Part One)	100 pages	PD No. 1 of 2025 para 20
EHC Plan Part Two	150 pages including Section K appendices	PD No. 1 of 2025 para 20
Court fee — appeals	No fee — SEND tribunal appeals are free	GOV.UK SEND tribunal guidance

THE PROBLEM

The evidence is the barrier — not because parents lack a case, but because the rules are unforgiving

Estimates suggest fewer than 10 per cent of eligible families appeal, and most of those who do reach a decided final hearing succeed (per published SEND Tribunal statistics and IPSEA's analysis of decided cases). The local authority will prepare the formal bundle. Your evidence pack is what decides whether the LA has the right material to include — and what you walk into the hearing with.

Why Parents Choose BundleCreator

Without BundleCreator

Practice Direction No. 1 of 2025 sets per-party page limits that change with the appeal type, and most parents do not know what their allowance is
Expert reports have to fit 15 A4 pages including a 2-page executive summary, with numbered paragraphs and 12-point font, and reports older than 3 years are usually excluded
Witness statements must not exceed 10 A4 pages, must be signed and dated, and must be in numbered paragraphs
Evidence has to reach the LA before the final evidence deadline, in a state the LA can include without reformatting
When the LA's bundle arrives, you have to check every document against your own records to make sure nothing has been missed
If anything is missing, late, over the limit, or non-compliant, you need the right form (SEND7) and the right reasons to ask the tribunal for permission

With BundleCreator

Real-time page-limit tracking against your appeal type, so you know exactly where you stand against your party allowance
Expert report templates with the 2-page executive summary, numbered paragraphs and 12-point font built in
Witness statement templates that meet the 10-page limit, signed and dated formatting, and the numbered paragraph rule
A clean, paginated PDF evidence pack to send to the LA, so it can be added straight to the bundle
Share your evidence pack directly with your LA caseworker — View, Upload or Edit access, with a record of who accessed what and when
Your own indexed personal copy of the LA's bundle to use at the hearing, with bookmarks, highlights and the notes you need
A complete record of what you sent and when, so you can challenge missing items through the SEND7 Request for Change form with confidence

“In all SEND or DD cases, it will be for the Local Authority or Responsible Body to prepare a Tribunal Bundle comprising the written evidence to be considered.”
— Practice Direction No. 1 of 2025, paragraph 20 — Sir Keith Lindblom, Senior President of Tribunals

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Evidence pack formatting from £29.99

The local authority prepares the SEND tribunal bundle itself. BundleCreator helps with the formatting, pagination and indexing of your evidence pack so you can send it to the LA in good shape. For legal advice on your case, contact a SEND solicitor, IPSEA, SOSSEN, or your local SENDIASS service.

Free

IPSEA, SOSSEN and your local SENDIASS service for impartial legal advice

£150–£350/hr

Specialist SEND solicitor or consultant for case strategy. Parents who arrive with a well-organised evidence pack typically need fewer hours of their time.

£29.99

BundleCreator evidence-pack formatting — one pack, no subscription

The SEND tribunal evidence rules in plain English

Who prepares the bundle, what your evidence pack must contain, and the page limits set by Practice Direction No. 1 of 2025

Who prepares the SEND tribunal bundle

It is the local authority that prepares and serves the bundle. Practice Direction No. 1 of 2025 states this in plain terms at paragraph 20: in all SEND cases, it will be for the LA or Responsible Body to prepare a tribunal bundle comprising the written evidence to be considered.

Your job is different, and just as important. You gather your evidence, format it correctly, stay within your party page allowance, and send it to the LA in time to be included. When the LA's bundle lands, you check it carefully against your own pack.

SEND Tribunal appeals at a glance

The First-tier Tribunal (Health, Education and Social Care Chamber) hears SEND appeals. Around 25,000 appeals were registered in 2024/25 and the volume keeps rising. Most that reach a final hearing are decided in favour of families.

You can appeal a refusal to assess, a refusal to issue an EHC Plan, the contents of Sections B, F or I, a placement decision, or a decision to cease to maintain a Plan. The same Chamber also hears disability discrimination claims against schools.

EHC Plan structure (Sections A to K)

Education, Health and Care Plans follow a standardised structure under the Children and Families Act 2014. Knowing what each section is for helps you decide which parts you want to challenge.

Section A: the child or young person's views, interests and aspirations
Section B: special educational needs
Section C: health needs related to the SEN
Section D: social care needs related to the SEN
Section E: outcomes sought
Section F: special educational provision
Section G: health provision
Section H: social care provision
Section I: placement (the school or institution named)
Section J: personal budget (where applicable)
Section K: advice and information

Page limits under Practice Direction No. 1 of 2025

The 2025 Practice Direction, issued by Sir Keith Lindblom, Senior President of Tribunals, sets bundle-level limits and per-party evidence limits that vary by appeal type. The limits are not a target. Smaller, focused evidence packs are encouraged. If you go over, you must apply for permission using the SEND7 Request for Change form.

Part One (Core Tribunal Bundle): 100 pages
Part Two (EHC Plan and Section K appendices, where relevant): 150 pages
Refusal to assess or reassess: 75 pages each party
Refusal to issue an EHC Plan: 100 pages each party
Sections B and/or F appeal: 100 pages in total each party
Section I (placement) appeal: 75 pages each party
Cease to maintain: 75 pages each party (plus the relevant section limits if you appeal sections too)
Health or social care recommendation (extended appeal): 75 pages each party

Templates for every appeal route

Notice of appeal forms and supporting templates pre-loaded for every SEND appeal type. Pick your route and start adding your evidence.

EHC Plan content appeal

Challenge Sections B, F or I content. Notice of appeal and working document templates pre-loaded.

Placement appeal (Section I)

Section I placement disputes. Mediation certificate is not required where the appeal is solely about the school or institution named.

Refusal to assess

Appeal an LA refusal to conduct an EHC needs assessment. SEND35A form pre-loaded.

Refusal to issue an EHC Plan

Challenge an LA decision not to issue an EHC Plan after assessment.

Disability discrimination

Claims against schools under the Equality Act 2010. Notice of claim form and schedules pre-loaded.

Extended appeal

Appeals including health (Sections C, G, H1) and social care recommendations alongside the main SEND appeal.

Cease to maintain

Challenge an LA decision to cease maintaining an EHC Plan under section 45 of the Children and Families Act 2014.

View all SEND templates

Free tools for your case

Picked for the page-limited SEND tribunal evidence pack (Practice Direction No. 1 of 2025).

Free

Bundle Page Estimator

Project total pages, dividers and file size before assembly.

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Free

Bundle Checklist Generator

Find every document you need for your specific hearing type.

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Free

Court Deadline Calculator

Filing deadlines from your hearing date — family, civil, ET.

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Guides & Articles

Appealing a Refusal to Assess: EHC Needs Assessment Tribunal Guide

How to appeal a local authority's refusal to carry out an EHC needs assessment. Covers grounds of appeal, evidence requirements, the 2-month deadline, and preparing your tribunal bundle.

12 min read

SEND Tribunal Working Documents: What They Are and How to Use Them

Guide to SEND tribunal working documents. Covers the purpose of working documents, how they differ from the bundle, what to include, and how to use them effectively at your hearing.

10 min read

SEND Tribunal Page Limits: Practice Direction No. 1 of 2025 Explained

Understanding the SEND tribunal page limits under Practice Direction No. 1 of 2025. Covers standard limits, how to apply for extensions, executive summary requirements, and organising evidence within the limits.

11 min read

Expert Reports for SEND Tribunal: Commissioning and Presenting Evidence

How to commission and present expert reports for SEND tribunal appeals. Covers choosing experts, instructing educational psychologists, speech and language therapists, occupational therapists, and the executive summary requirement.

13 min read

SEND Tribunal Bundle: A Comprehensive Guide for Parents (2026/27)

Comprehensive guide to SEND tribunal bundles for parents. Covers page limits under the 2025 Practice Direction, what documents to include, filing deadlines, format requirements, and where to get free help with your appeal.

14 min read

SEND Tribunal Hearing Centres

BundleCreator covers the First-tier Tribunal (SEND) venues across England and Wales. Pick your venue for specific evidence-pack guidance.

London

Pocock Street Tribunal Hearing Centre

Browse all 356 UK courts and tribunals →

See it in action

A short walkthrough — what BundleCreator looks like inside, before you sign up.

1:39

Walkthrough

Creating Your First Bundle

From the dashboard to a court-ready bundle in under two minutes — pick your area, pick your hearing type, and BundleCreator pre-loads the templates the matter typically needs.

Watch the walkthrough→

SEND tribunal evidence pack FAQs

Common questions parents ask about who prepares the bundle, what their evidence must look like, and how Practice Direction No. 1 of 2025 applies

BundleCreator's SEND Tribunal template produces a First-tier Tribunal (HESC) SEND evidence pack: the Notice of Appeal, the Local Authority's response, the EHC Plan under appeal (with proposed amendments tracked), educational reports (EP, SALT, OT), parental witness statements, school evidence, and authorities. The output is a working document bundle with section comparisons (LA's draft vs parent's proposed amendments) — paginated continuously, OCR'd, hyperlinked-index, and bookmarked for the SEND tribunal's electronic filing.

EHCP appeal bundles need: the EHC Plan in working-document format showing the LA's version, the parent's proposed amendments, and the differences between them (Section A through I). Supporting evidence: educational psychology reports, speech and language therapy reports, occupational therapy reports, school reports, parent's witness statement, and any private assessments. BundleCreator's SEND Tribunal template produces the working document in the standard format the SEND tribunal expects, with hyperlinks from each EHC Plan section to the supporting evidence.

SEND tribunal appeals are designed to be navigable by parents without legal representation. BundleCreator's SEND Tribunal template guides through: the Notice of Appeal (SEND35 form), the LA's response, the EHC Plan and proposed amendments, the parent's evidence (school reports, private assessments, medical evidence), and the parent's witness statement. The output is paginated, OCR'd, and ready for the tribunal's electronic filing — designed to help parents prepare without legal training. See guidance from IPSEA and SOS!SEN for practical advice.

Multi-disciplinary expert reports for SEND appeals (Speech and Language Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Educational Psychology) sit in the evidence section of the working-document bundle. BundleCreator's SEND Tribunal template orders them by report type, chronologically within type, with a brief expert summary at the front of each section. The hyperlinked index lets the tribunal panel jump from a specific EHC Plan provision to the supporting expert evidence.

SEND35 is the Notice of Appeal form for SEND tribunal appeals. BundleCreator's SEND Tribunal template structures the bundle around the SEND35: the form itself, the contested EHC Plan with proposed amendments, supporting evidence (educational reports, medical evidence, school inputs), parental witness statement, and the LA's response and supporting documents. Output as a single PDF with continuous pagination, hyperlinked index, OCR throughout, and section bookmarks for the SEND tribunal's electronic filing system.

The SEND tribunal has page-limit and executive-summary expectations under Practice Direction No. 1 of 2025 (in force 21 January 2025), which directs parties to keep bundles proportionate and to provide executive summaries for longer bundles. There is no fixed numerical equivalent to PD27A's 350-page Family Court ceiling — the test is reasonableness and proportionality to the issues. In practice most SEND appeal bundles run 200-400 pages; complex multi-section EHC Plan disputes run higher. BundleCreator's SEND Tribunal template handles bundles up to 1,000 pages per bundle, with paginated output, OCR, and section bookmarks so the panel can navigate efficiently regardless of size.

BundleCreator's SEND Tribunal template is designed for the SEND advocacy community: parents working with IPSEA, SOS!SEN, ACE Education, or other charity advocates, and small-firm SEND solicitors. The Essential tier (£19.99 a month, 15 total bundles) suits parents preparing one-off appeals; Pro (£39.99, 40 bundles) suits volume practices. Output is a working-document bundle with continuous pagination, OCR, hyperlinked index, and section bookmarks for the SEND tribunal.

BundleCreator runs on Google Cloud's London region (europe-west2) — primary storage, backups, and processing all in the UK. AES-256 at rest, TLS 1.3 in transit. Sensitive child information including medical records, EHC Plan content, educational psychology reports, and SALT/OT assessments stay within UK borders. Aligned with UK GDPR Article 9 special-category data requirements for health and educational data, and the solicitors' professional duty of confidentiality.

Still have questions? Contact our team

BundleCreator helps SEND families organise tribunal evidence packs, but we are not a law firm and nothing here is legal advice on your child's particular situation. For free, specialist advice on EHC needs assessments, EHC plans, and appeals to the First-tier Tribunal (SEND), please contact IPSEA (0300 456 8860), SOS!SEN (020 8538 3731), or your local SENDIASS service. Every local authority is required to provide one free of charge.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best tool for a SEND tribunal evidence pack for an EHCP appeal?

How do I prepare an EHCP appeal bundle template with working document?

How do I prepare an SEND appeal as a parent and litigant in person?

How do I bundle SALT, OT and EP reports for the First-tier Tribunal HESC?

How do I prepare an SEND35 working-document bundle for an EHCP appeal?

What's the page limit for a SEND tribunal bundle in 2026?

Is there a bundling tool that supports IPSEA and SOS!SEN parent advocates?

Is there a UK-hosted bundling tool for SEND appeals — child medical records under UK GDPR?

Built by Stevie Hayes, a Governance, Risk and Compliance specialist who spent five years in the UK Family Court system. Published October 2025 · Last updated 26 April 2026.

support@bundlecreator.co · ICO Registration ZB969283 · UK GDPR

SEND Tribunal Bundle Software. Your evidence pack, ready for the LA.

Every SEND appeal route, one platform

SEND Tribunal Bundle UK: In Brief

The evidence is the barrier — not because parents lack a case, but because the rules are unforgiving

Why Parents Choose BundleCreator

Without BundleCreator

With BundleCreator

Embed This Journey Map

Evidence pack formatting from £29.99

Who prepares the SEND tribunal bundle

SEND Tribunal appeals at a glance

EHC Plan structure (Sections A to K)

Page limits under Practice Direction No. 1 of 2025

Templates for every appeal route

EHC Plan content appeal

Placement appeal (Section I)

Refusal to assess

Refusal to issue an EHC Plan

Disability discrimination

Extended appeal

Cease to maintain

Bundle Page Estimator

Bundle Checklist Generator

Court Deadline Calculator

Guides & Articles

Appealing a Refusal to Assess: EHC Needs Assessment Tribunal Guide

SEND Tribunal Working Documents: What They Are and How to Use Them

SEND Tribunal Page Limits: Practice Direction No. 1 of 2025 Explained

Expert Reports for SEND Tribunal: Commissioning and Presenting Evidence

SEND Tribunal Bundle: A Comprehensive Guide for Parents (2026/27)

SEND Tribunal Hearing Centres

London

See it in action

Creating Your First Bundle

SEND tribunal evidence pack FAQs

Ready to build your SEND evidence pack?

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best tool for a SEND tribunal evidence pack for an EHCP appeal?

How do I prepare an EHCP appeal bundle template with working document?

How do I prepare an SEND appeal as a parent and litigant in person?

How do I bundle SALT, OT and EP reports for the First-tier Tribunal HESC?

How do I prepare an SEND35 working-document bundle for an EHCP appeal?

What's the page limit for a SEND tribunal bundle in 2026?

Is there a bundling tool that supports IPSEA and SOS!SEN parent advocates?

Is there a UK-hosted bundling tool for SEND appeals — child medical records under UK GDPR?

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