Swindon families applied to tribunals to overturn dozens of council decisions on disabled children's education last year, figures reveal.

Ministry of Justice data shows 56 appeals were submitted to the Special Educational Needs and Disability tribunal in Swindon in 2020.

The number was up from 36 the year before and more than four times the 13 appeals in 2014.

Children and young people who require extra support for their education are assessed by the local authority.

If it is deemed their needs cannot be met in mainstream education, an Education Health and Care plan is issued, defining the support the child needs.

This is reviewed every 12 months.

Families who disagree with the local authority's decision not to assess or reassess a child, or not to change their Education Health and Care plan, can lodge an appeal to the SEND tribunal.

In 2020, 2,172 decisions which had the potential of being appealed were made across Swindon, with families appealing 2.6% of them to the tribunal – higher than the 1.6% rate the year before, and the 1% rate recorded in 2014.

Disability charity Contact said the system for getting support in school was not working for many children and dedicated funding was needed to prevent an increase in SEND appeals in the future.

Amanda Batten, Contact's chief executive, said: "Families were so busy not only home schooling, but also being nurse, physio and therapist.

"While the guidance was that schools remain open to some children with SEN during lockdown, in practice many were not in school.

"In addition, the support disabled children sometimes access through school including physiotherapy, speech and language therapy and psychotherapy disappeared, and in some cases they are still not back to pre-pandemic levels."