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I have read on here in a post that an EP will not be available at an appeal
That is true, but appeal panels have been trained. A good LA will arrange training for its IAP members in topics such as education law, the Equality Act, the role of the ombudsman, understanding WISC/BAS reports, etc., etc.
In any case, one would hope that the EP explains his or her findings clearly in the report.
If it's complicated, you might be able to get your EP to attend the appeal hearing as a witness, although this would of course be an additional cost.
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..... not sure how much consideration will be given to the report at an all
It's impossible to say how much weight individual panel members might give to this particular piece of evidence - and in this respect there's no difference between a review panel and an appeal panel.
The fact that an appeal panel does not have the services of an educational psychologist should not be a factor in your decision.
There are other considerations to an EP report which we discuss in the Q&As, such as the cost, whether it will deliver the results you hope for, whether you think it's worth having for its own sake.