Appeals
You can appeal against any decision we make. This includes a decision to refuse assistance or if you believe the transport we provide is not suitable.
How to appeal
We will provide an online appeal form here during May 2024.
When making your appeal, you should say why you believe our decision should be reviewed. You must include details of any circumstances affecting you or your family that you believe should be considered when the decision is reviewed.
it's important you send us any evidence that supports your appeal. This could include:
- letters from your school, GP or social worker
- financial evidence, such as benefit receipts or recent bank statements
You can appeal for one or more reason but should think carefully whether you have enough new evidence to support your case.
Each appeal is considered on an individual basis in 2 stages.
Stage 1
In stage 1, your appeal will be considered by an officer more senior than the officer who made the previous decision.
We'll send you the outcome of stage 1 by email within 20 working days (Monday to Friday, excluding public holidays) of the date we receive your appeal request.
Stage 2
Within 40 working days of receiving your appeal request, a full and final decision will be made by a panel of senior staff within our Education service. Panel members will all be independent and not part of any previous decisions made about your application. The panel will invite you to a meeting at our Civic Offices in New Road, Grays, so they explain details of the decision.
We'll send you the outcome of stage 2 by email within 5 working days of the decision being made.
If your appeal is not successful
If your appeal is not successful, you cannot make another appeal for the same child and the same school unless you can prove your circumstances have changed significantly.
You can refer concerns to the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman if you believe either:
- we have failed to comply with our procedures
- the appeal was not handled correctly