Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, for what reason the First-tier Tribunal (Special Educational Needs and Disability) has not extended the six month deadline for complaint submission to 12 months to reflect disruption caused by the covid-19 outbreak, in line with the Department for Education's deadlines.

During COVID-19 restrictions, the Department published school complaint guidance on GOV.UK and provided advice on telephone helplines, and in writing, when parents or carers requested advice on appeals to the Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) Tribunal and other bodies.

There was no specific advice given in this guidance regarding appeals to the SEND Tribunal as this is a separate process and does not require completion of the school’s complaints procedure to proceed. The timescale for registering an appeal with the SEND Tribunal has remained unchanged throughout the COVID-19 outbreak.