Form SEND7: Change a SEND Tribunal Hearing or Deadline

At a glance

• What SEND7 is for: asking the SEND Tribunal to change something in an appeal or claim that has already been registered — for example an extension of time, a different hearing date, a witness summons, permission to add a witness or amend your grounds, an observer at the hearing, or a strike-out/barring request.
• Mandatory first step: you must consult the other party before submitting. If you have not, your request is returned to you unconsidered. Allow a minimum of 5 working days from notifying the other party for a response, or to confirm they did not respond.
• Tribunal turnaround: HM Courts and Tribunals Service aims to deal with all requests within 15 working days of receipt.
• Send it to both sides: a copy of the completed form, including the other party's response, must go to the tribunal and the other party at the same time — send@justice.gov.uk, 0300 303 5857.
• Not the same as: Form SEND35 (or SEND35A) registers a new appeal; Form SEND8 withdraws an appeal completely. SEND7 only changes one that is already running.
• No fee. SEND Tribunal appeals, and requests to change them, are free to bring — nothing is payable when you submit Form SEND7.
• Legal basis: the underlying right of appeal to the First-tier Tribunal comes from section 51 of the Children and Families Act 2014.

What is Form SEND7?

Form SEND7 ("Request for change") is published by HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) for use in the Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) Tribunal — part of the First-tier Tribunal's Health, Education and Social Care Chamber. GOV.UK describes its purpose simply: "Use this form to ask the tribunal for something, such as an extension of time, a change to a hearing date, or permission to bring another witness." The form applies to England and is used once an appeal or claim is already registered with the tribunal.

The current version of the form is dated August 2023, when HMCTS updated it following changes to the guidance on notifying the other party before submitting a request. It was first published in November 2016.

SEND7 is used within two kinds of case: appeals against local authority decisions about a child or young person's EHC needs assessment or EHC plan (brought under section 51 of the Children and Families Act 2014), and disability discrimination claims against a school or other "responsible body." The form itself reflects this — it lets the person submitting it identify themselves as a parent, a parent's representative, a local authority or its representative, or a responsible body or its representative in a disability discrimination (DD) claim.

What you can ask the tribunal for

The official form lists eight specific requests you can make, plus a catch-all "other" category:

| Request | What it covers | |---|---| | Extension of time | More time to comply with a tribunal direction | | Change to the final hearing date | Moving the date the appeal or claim will be heard | | Witness summons | Compelling a witness to attend when they will not come voluntarily | | Permission to amend grounds of appeal/response | Changing the case you or the local authority are putting forward | | Strike out the appeal / LA barred | Removing an appeal, or barring the local authority, for non-compliance or lack of jurisdiction | | Permission to bring an additional witness | Exceeding the tribunal's usual limit on witness numbers | | An observer to attend the hearing | Permission for someone to watch a hearing that is otherwise private | | Other | Any request that does not fit the categories above |

You tick the relevant box (or boxes) on the form, set out your reasons, and attach the other party's response.

A note on strike-out and barring requests

A strike-out or barring request is different in character from the others — it is not something you ask for because circumstances have changed, but because the other side (or the case itself) is not complying with the process. Either party can ask the tribunal to strike out an appeal, or bar the local authority or responsible body, where a direction has not been complied with, or where the appeal is thought to fall outside the tribunal's jurisdiction. A party affected by a strike-out or bar can apply to be reinstated, explaining the reasons for the earlier non-compliance or why the appeal or party should be reinstated.

The mandatory first step: consulting the other party

Before you do anything else, the form is explicit: before submitting the request you must have consulted the other party — if you have not, your request will simply be returned to you. In practice this means writing to the other side (the local authority, the responsible body, or the parent/young person, depending on who you are), telling them what you want to ask the tribunal for, and giving them a chance to respond.

You must then allow a minimum of 5 working days from the date you notified the other party before you submit your request — either for their response to come back, or so you can tell the tribunal they did not respond within that time. Your completed Form SEND7 must include the other party's response or comments; a request that omits this is incomplete.

How to complete and send Form SEND7

The form asks for the child's or young person's name, the appeal or claim number, the type of appeal or claim, the local authority or responsible body involved, and the final hearing date (with a box to tick if the hearing has already been adjourned once). You then tick which request you are making, explain your reasons — continuing on a separate sheet if needed — and record the date you sent the request to the other party and their response.

Once complete, you must send a copy of the form, including the other party's response, and any supporting documents, at the same time to:

• the tribunal, and
• the other party.

If you do not send it to both, HMCTS guidance is direct: your request will be returned to you without being considered. The Special Educational Needs and Disability Tribunal can be reached at send@justice.gov.uk or by phone on 0300 303 5857, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm.

What happens after you submit

HM Courts and Tribunals Service aims to deal with all requests within 15 working days of receipt. Where your request is agreed by the other party and is not urgent, it may instead be dealt with at the Case Management Review that is already scheduled in your case, rather than decided separately beforehand. If the tribunal needs more information, or the other party disputes what you are asking for, expect the process to take longer, and continue to comply with the existing directions and hearing date unless and until the tribunal confirms otherwise.

Common requests explained

Changing the final hearing date

The tribunal will not usually allow a final hearing to be delayed. If you want to ask for a different date, you must first ask the other party whether they agree, include their comments in your request, and propose 3 mutually agreed dates. The guidance also suggests considering dates that are earlier than the current hearing date, or asking the tribunal to determine the appeal on the papers instead, without either party attending a hearing.

Applying for a witness summons

If a witness has been asked to attend and refuses, the first question is whether their evidence can be presented another way — typically through a written witness statement or report. Only if no other means of presenting the evidence is available should you apply for a summons. The request must explain what efforts you made to secure the witness's attendance, confirm they refused (or are unlikely to attend voluntarily), and give their full name, occupation and address so the tribunal can arrange service.

Amending your grounds of appeal or response

Either party can ask the tribunal at any point in the proceedings to amend their grounds — for example, changing the amendments sought to sections B, C, D, F, G or H of the EHC plan, or the school named in section I. Early warning to the other party of an intention to change the grounds matters, and the request should explain the reasons for the change.

Bringing an additional witness or an observer

The tribunal limits the number of witnesses to keep hearings efficient and proportionate, and will only allow additional witnesses in exceptional circumstances where their attendance is necessary and their evidence relevant. All witnesses, including any additional ones, should provide a written statement setting out their evidence in advance. Separately, because SEND Tribunal hearings are held in private, either party can apply for an observer to attend and must explain why their presence is required. If permission is granted, the observer cannot take part in the hearing or take notes — only observe.

Worked example: asking to move a final hearing date

A parent, fictionally named Priya, has a final hearing listed in six weeks' time but a close family bereavement means she cannot prepare her evidence in time. She writes to the local authority explaining the situation and proposing three alternative dates that work for her, all falling within the following eight weeks. The local authority replies within four working days confirming it does not object to two of the three dates.

Priya waits until the fifth working day has passed, then completes Form SEND7, ticking "a change to the final hearing date," setting out her reasons, attaching the local authority's written response, and listing the three proposed dates with the two the local authority has agreed to highlighted. She sends the form and her supporting evidence to the tribunal and to the local authority on the same day. Because the request is agreed rather than contested, the tribunal deals with it well within its 15 working day target.

Form SEND7 compared with SEND35 and SEND8

It helps to be clear which form does which job in a SEND Tribunal case:

• Form SEND35 (or SEND35A where the local authority refused to carry out an EHC needs assessment) is used to register a new appeal, generally within 2 months of the local authority's decision letter, or 1 month from the date of a mediation certificate — whichever is later. In most cases you must obtain a mediation certificate before you can appeal at all, unless your appeal is only about the school or institution named in section I of the plan.
• Form SEND7 is used once your appeal is already registered, to change something about how it proceeds.
• Form SEND8 is used to withdraw an appeal completely.

After an appeal is registered using SEND35, the tribunal aims to respond within 25 working days, confirming whether there will be a hearing and setting a deadline for further information; the local authority then has 30 working days to respond to the appeal. Any changes needed to that timetable — a later hearing date, more time to respond, extra witnesses — are what SEND7 is for.

What to do next

1. Check the appeal or claim number and hearing date from your tribunal correspondence before you start the form.
2. Contact the other party first. Explain what you want to ask for and why, and keep a record of their reply (or lack of one).
3. Wait at least 5 working days from notifying the other party before submitting, unless they respond sooner.
4. Complete Form SEND7 in full, ticking the relevant request, giving your reasons, and attaching the other party's response and any supporting documents.
5. Send it to the tribunal and the other party at the same time — send@justice.gov.uk or by post, and to the local authority, responsible body, or parent/representative as applicable.
6. Keep complying with existing directions and the current hearing date until the tribunal confirms your request has been granted.
7. If your situation is complex — a contested hearing date change, a witness summons, or a strike-out application — consider getting advice on how to frame your request before you send it.

This guide provides general information about Form SEND7 and the SEND Tribunal process in England. It is not legal advice and is not a substitute for advice tailored to your specific circumstances. The position described was accurate as at August 2026 and is subject to change — always check GOV.UK for the current form and guidance.

Last reviewed: August 2026 by a non-practising solicitor · Next review due: August 2027 or on legislative change.