The Special Educational Needs Tribunal for Wales (SENTW) is a statutory tribunal.
SENTW is responsible for hearing and deciding appeals against decisions made by Local Authorities about a child’s special educational needs. SENTW is also responsible for dealing with claims of disability related discrimination in schools in Wales.
Appeals and claims can be made by a parent or the child or young person themselves. A child or young person who wants to make their own appeal or claim can do so on their own or with someone to help them.
Key facts
- The SENTW is an independent tribunal established in 2003, by Section 333 (1ZA) of the Education Act 1996.
- The tribunal covers the whole of Wales.
- The tribunal is funded by the Welsh Government but the tribunal, its members and decisions, are independent of Government and Local Authorities.
- The tribunal has two parts; the secretariat and tribunal members. Both work together, during the appeal and claim processes doing different jobs. It is the role of the tribunal members to hear and decide applications. It is the role of the secretariat to carry out administrative duties involving the processing of applications and appeals.