Rulebook · Time limit

Council decides on a request to re-assess

The council must tell you whether it will re-assess. If it will not, it must say how to appeal.

How it is counted

Within 15 days of the day the council received the request: 15 days after that day.

Whose date it is

The council

What starts it

The council received a request for a re-assessment

What counts as done

The council told the family whether it will re-assess, or The council decided to re-assess on its own initiative, or The council sent written notice of a decision that can be appealed

Type of rule

Law (Act or Regulations)

Rule id

reassessment_decision

Rules version

england-2026.10

Law as at

30 September 2026

If the date passes

The council still has to make and send its decision. A late decision does not mean the answer is yes, and there is nothing to appeal to the Tribunal until a decision is made.

Steps people often take:

• Write to the council's SEN team, say which time limit has passed, and ask when it will be done.
• Make a formal complaint through the council's complaints process.
• If that does not resolve it, complain to the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman, which looks at delay.
• For serious delay, a solicitor can send a pre-action letter before a judicial review claim, which must be brought promptly and within 3 months.

Your own deadlines do not change because the council is late.

Sources

• SEND Regulations 2014, reg 25(1)Law (Act or Regulations)
• SEND Regulations 2014, reg 25(2)Law (Act or Regulations)
• Children and Families Act 2014, s 44(2)Law (Act or Regulations)

Work out your dates

The whole rulebook