Global Mediation

Special Educational Needs and Disability

Mediation and disagreement resolution meetings aim to resolve your disagreements in a quick, informal way using a neutral third party, a mediator, to help you reach a resolution that is mutually satisfactory.

Mediation aims to help resolve disagreements for children and young people that are being assessed for or have an EHC Plan, whilst disagreement resolution arrangements are available for parents of and all children and young people with SEND, not just those who are being assessed for, or have, an EHC Plan, where it has not been possible to resolve those issues though the normal routes such as a school or college complaints process.

If it has not been possible to reach an agreement with Wandsworth Local Authority over the assessment process or the provision of or content of an EHC Plan, you have the right to appeal to SENDIST. SENDIST is an independent first-tier tribunal who hear and decide parents or young peoples’ appeals against the decisions of the Local Authority in relation to special educational needs.

In order to register an appeal you must first contact an independent Mediation Adviser and obtain a certificate to prove that you have done so. The Mediation Adviser will provide you with factual information about mediation.

If parents or young people want it to, mediation can take place following decisions by a local authority:

• not to carry out an EHC needs assessment
• not to draw up an EHC plan
• after they receive a final EHC plan or amended plan
• following a decision not to amend an EHC plan or
• a decision to cease to maintain an EHC plan.

However, if you wish to appeal about a named school or setting, or type of school or setting, there is no requirement to go through mediation beforehand

Global Mediation’s Mediation Adviser can be contacted by telephone: 0800 064 4488 or email: SEN@globalmediation.co.uk . This service is free of charge and your conversation is confidential.

Once you have received mediation advice it is up to you to decide whether you want to go to mediation before any appeal you might make to the Tribunal.

If you do not want to try mediation, the Mediation Adviser will issue you with a certificate so that you can register your appeal.

If you do want to try mediation, our SEND Case Manager will make all the arrangements for you. 

Your right to appeal is not affected if you do not have mediation first and no inference will be drawn by the Tribunal if you have not used the mediation services.

Contact Global Mediation’s SEND Case Manager by telephone: 0800 064 4488 or email: SEN@globalmediation.co.uk.

This service is free of charge and your conversation is confidential.