interesting article about tribunal

[bjkmummy]

www.specialeducationalneeds.co.uk/lsquothe-send-tribunal---a-view-from-the-insidersquo.html

not sure about the bit about LA now producing the tribunal bundles

Pmsl - two appeals and my la didn't bring their bundle for either. I hope they do get automatically barred!

That 2400 page one wasn't yours was it?

no but they have set the bar now for me haven't they :-) I think my next one will be easily over 1000 pages as its a combination of all of the previous appeals.

interesting that so few refusal to assess get to a full hearing but then only 30% then win. wonder how many NIL appeals ended up with statements.

interesting about the costs as well - 29 applications, 11 were successful so better odds than we are led to believe but no one really applies for them

Thanks bjk its interesting to read what goes on behind the scenes, cant believe only 32 people do all that work preparing for 4000 tribunals!!

It must be manic!

i would so love to do that job - would move up there if I ever got offered a job with them but would have to wait until the kids finished school first.

2 months today to my next hearing......

Bjk - I think you should set your sights higher excellent archivist but also excellent independent research skills, including of legal precedent and then the oscar winning/Ellen Brokovitch (?sp) skills of self advocacy.

On first hearing I like the idea of LAs producing bundles (although I feel for the man photocopying tens of thousands of pages per week - maybe he is retiring?). My LA would definitely have been barred from hearing for DS1 and I would have saved 5k.

Bjk - I think you should set your sights higher

YY

I'd completely missed that bit about LA responsibility for bundles too! Feel bad now, I chewed someone's head off a few weeks back for suggesting that this was a thing.

LAs are now being barred from hearings for not complying with these (bundle production) deadlines

I would love to know how consistently this is being applied - and whether/why this is the only breach of the COP that Tribunal considers as grounds for barring LA attendance.

The comments from Judge MT are interesting, particularly:

She would like to see the Judiciary doing some more active case management

Would be a definite step forward. But are there enough judicial / administrative employees to make this happen?

Well if these figures are anything to go on and given my ref number for my appeal, my LA is about 12% of their workload

DH works as a finance manager for HMCS. Active case management is targeted as saving costs when cases aren't 'ready' for hearing - ie court costs resulting from cases not being ready - requests for evidence to be submitted on the day, LA offering provision/placement at hearing, failure to work on working document before hearing etc. This was a target years ago but the LA did not conform and the tribunal did not make them because for cost reasons they want to sort it on the day regardless of what happened on the run up. Maybe compliance is better achieved by shifting responsibility for producing the bundle for all parties. Then they just have to set a deadline that gives enough time to reschedule court use.