By and large, most legal experts agree that the appeals process works. That said, the SEND tribunal is facing record numbers of appeals. This rise in appeals reflects deeper issues in how local authorities (LAs) assess and make decisions about SEND. There might even be an argument for Ofsted and CQC to strengthen their joint SEND inspections by reviewing a LA’s rate of SEND tribunal losses as an indicator of systemic failure. This process must neither overlook nor overstate challenges in the SEND appeals process.