The SEND Parents Help Blog
Clear, practical help for families navigating SEND in England, written by people who have walked the same road.
Yes, this picture was created with AI
We're a parent-led project running on tea and goodwill, so a photographer was never quite in the budget. We create our pictures with AI instead, and a real person picks each one to suit the post.
Two different processes decide your child's secondary school: normal admissions, closing 31 October, or EHCP naming, with its 15 February deadline. Your route decides the date that binds you.
Yes, this picture was created with AI
We're a parent-led project running on tea and goodwill, so a photographer was never quite in the budget. We create our pictures with AI instead, and a real person picks each one to suit the post.
Access to Work funds job coaches, equipment and travel for apprentices and supported interns with SEND. What it covers, who qualifies, and how to apply.
Yes, this picture was created with AI
We're a parent-led project running on tea and goodwill, so a photographer was never quite in the budget. We create our pictures with AI instead, and a real person picks each one to suit the post.
PDA isn't a stand-alone diagnosis, it's a profile within autism. What pathological demand avoidance actually is, why areas argue about the label, and what tends to help at home.
Yes, this picture was created with AI
We're a parent-led project running on tea and goodwill, so a photographer was never quite in the budget. We create our pictures with AI instead, and a real person picks each one to suit the post.
Four funded routes to equipment exist: DFG, NHS wheelchairs, council OT assessment, and charitable grants, each covering different needs.
Yes, this picture was created with AI
We're a parent-led project running on tea and goodwill, so a photographer was never quite in the budget. We create our pictures with AI instead, and a real person picks each one to suit the post.
SaLT is the most commonly specified and most commonly undelivered EHCP provision. If it's in Section F, the LA must secure it regardless of NHS waits.
Yes, this picture was created with AI
We're a parent-led project running on tea and goodwill, so a photographer was never quite in the budget. We create our pictures with AI instead, and a real person picks each one to suit the post.
More than a third of children with an EHCP were persistently absent in 2024/25, against one in seven of their peers with no identified needs. Here is what the official DfE data shows and your rights.
EBSA is not truancy. When your child can't attend school due to anxiety or unmet needs, the law provides protections most families don't know about.
If your child gets DLA higher rate mobility or PIP enhanced mobility, you can lease a car with insurance, tax, and servicing included. Who qualifies, what's included, and the reassessment risk at 16.
Dyscalculia is a specific learning difficulty with numbers. There's no NHS pathway to a diagnosis, and school must support the need anyway. What to ask for and how.
A direct inheritance can wipe out your disabled child's means-tested benefits. A discretionary or disabled person's trust in your will protects them instead.
A supported internship is a course that happens mostly at a real workplace, with a job coach alongside. Who qualifies, how the year works, and what happens to the EHCP.
EOTAS is education the council arranges and funds outside any school, under section 61. What a package contains, how it differs from home education, and how to ask.
The four PIP weekly rates for 2026/27, how the 4-weekly payments land at 16 plus, and why an award is tax free, ignores savings and sits on top of Universal Credit.
From September 2025, disabled young people studying fewer than 12 hours qualify. Missing the HMRC notification can cost up to £984/month.
DLA for children is paid at three care rates and two mobility rates. Here's the level of need each rate reflects, the age limits, and what an award can bring.
Every mainstream school in England must have a SENCO, a qualified teacher who coordinates SEN support. What they do, whether SENDCo means something different, and what they can't decide.
The SEND Code of Practice is the 2015 statutory guidance every council, school and NHS body in England must have regard to. What it is, and how to quote it.
A managed move needs your genuine consent. It isn't an exclusion, and a school can't force you to agree. What to check before you sign anything.
Dyspraxia, hypermobility, ARFID and Tourette's don't have a box on the DLA form. DLA is assessed on care and supervision needs, not the diagnosis label.
Family Fund awarded 89,493 grants last year. DLA doesn't automatically qualify you. Here's what does, plus other grants you might be missing.
NHS ADHD and autism assessment waits can run past six years in some areas. Right to Choose is a free legal right to ask for a different NHS provider instead.
An EHCP is granted on your child's needs. The legal test, and what it means for ADHD, autism, dyslexia, dyspraxia and anxiety.
Direct payments let you arrange your child's care yourself with council funding, no means test for children. What you can spend it on, and how to ask.
Just 3.1% of EHCPs in England came with a personal budget in 2025, and whether your child gets one depends enormously on where you live. Here is the data by council and your right to ask.
Every council in England must publish a Local Offer of SEND services by law. What it has to include, how to use it without an EHCP, and what to do if yours is thin.
SEND stands for special educational needs and disabilities. A plain-English glossary of the terms you'll meet in your first term: SEN, SENCO, EHCP and more.
SENDIASS is free, confidential, and impartial support every council must provide. What it can help with, what it can't, and how to find yours.
At 18, you lose automatic legal authority over your child. Three routes exist to maintain it, each with different costs, timescales, and requirements.
37% of disabled pupils face bullying. When bullying targets your child's disability, the Equality Act gives you legal routes the school can't ignore.
Your area says it does not recognise PDA, so the school will not act. Here is why your child's right to support does not depend on that label.
An EHCP runs from Section A to Section K: what each section holds, which are legally binding, and which you can appeal.
A disabled young person in education can claim Universal Credit in their own right under Regulation 14(b), but it can stop your Child Benefit and UC for them.
Moving council in England does not cost your child their EHCP support. The new authority must maintain the plan and deliver Section F from the transfer date, normally the day you move.
If your child can't attend school due to health, anxiety, or placement breakdown, the LA must provide full-time education. What Section 19 requires, and how to enforce it.
How nursery and pre-school support is funded in England: the SEN Inclusion Fund, the Disability Access Fund, and when to start the EHCP route early.
Your disabled child is automatically a 'child in need' under the Children Act 1989. Asking for a social care assessment, and what it can lead to.
78,577 children waited over a year for CAMHS in 2023/24. Your child still has rights while waiting. Here's what you're entitled to and how to get support now.
Schools in England must support pupils with medical conditions under section 100. What Individual Healthcare Plans must include, and what to do if support fails.
An EHCP does not end when your young person turns 16 or 18. It can continue to age 25 while they stay in education or training and still need the support.
When SEND support fails, the hardest part is knowing who can actually fix it. Here is which forum handles what, the deadlines, and how to avoid wasting months in the wrong one.
A diagnosis alone is not the DLA test. This guide shows how cerebral palsy and other physical needs map to the care and mobility components, and how to evidence them.
Reporting a change to your child's DLA is a legal duty. This guide covers changes, renewals, backdating, decision times, the qualifying period, and what DLA opens up.
You can request control over how your child's EHCP provision is funded. Three delivery options, how to request, and what to do when the LA pushes back.
A school saying it is full is not a lawful reason to refuse a child with an EHCP. The council must name a placement, and a named school must admit. Here is what to do.
An EHCP must be issued within 20 weeks of the assessment request. If the council has missed the deadline, here is who to chase and what to do next.
The Disabled Facilities Grant funds home adaptations up to £30,000. For children under 19, there's no means test. What it covers, who qualifies, and the process.
The EHCP says it, but it is not happening. The council, not the school, must secure Section F provision, and a funding or staffing shortage is no excuse.
PIP is scored on points, not diagnosis. You need 8 points for the standard rate and 12 for the enhanced rate. A plain look at how the descriptors work.
PIP for autism or ADHD is possible at 16, but a diagnosis alone isn't the test. What the points measure, and what changes when your child turns 16.
860,000 children were receiving Disability Living Allowance in August 2025, and the number has roughly doubled in a decade. Here is what the official data shows about who gets it and what it pays.
There were 718,838 EHCPs in force in England in January 2026, up 12.5% in a year and more than double the 2019 total. See DfE data on which needs they cover.
More than 22,000 appeals were registered at the SEND tribunal in England in 2024, and how likely your council is to end up there varies more than twentyfold. Here is the data, council by council.
There were 913,000 suspensions in England's schools in 2024/25, the first fall in years. But children on SEN support fell further behind, not closer to their peers. The data and your rights.
Appeals to the SEND tribunal hit a record 25,000 in 2024/25, and 99% of the cases that reached a decision went in the family's favour. Here is what the official data shows.
Just 46.1% of new EHCPs were issued within the 20-week legal deadline in England in 2025, the lowest share in seven years. Search every local authority to see how your council compares.
Schools routinely put SEND children on part-time timetables. Most are unlawful. Here are the 8 conditions that must be met, and what to do if they're not.
A child with ADHD can qualify for DLA, and it turns on the supervision and prompting they need, not the diagnosis. How the care and mobility tests work, and how to describe ADHD on the form.
Autistic children can qualify for DLA, and it turns on the help they need, not the diagnosis. How the care and mobility tests work, and how to describe autistic needs on the form.
More than 200,000 Carer's Allowance overpayment cases are being reviewed. The average debt is nearly £1,000. Here's what's changing and what to do if you're affected.
AI feels like it's everywhere, but few of us feel we understand it. Here's a plain English explanation of what it is and how it can help with SEND.
A calm, step-by-step walkthrough of setting up a free ChatGPT account so you can use the SEND Parents Help assistant. No payment needed, about two minutes.
Once you can put a document in front of the assistant, it stops giving general answers and starts reading your child's actual EHCP, DLA form or letter. The full walkthrough, plus a word on privacy.
Refused an assessment, refused a plan, or unhappy with what's in it? Use the free SEND Parents Help assistant to understand the decision and build your appeal.
You get 15 days to respond to a draft EHCP, and the wording decides whether the support is enforceable. The free assistant audits every line before you sign it off.
Nobody hands you a list of what you can claim for a disabled child. Build your own personal benefits sweep with the free SEND Parents Help assistant.
The Children's Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026 introduces school registration, off-rolling protections, and home education changes. Here's what matters for SEND families.
You've asked nicely for months and nothing's changed. Turn that into a focused written complaint, with a free AI assistant to help you draft it.
You've heard the horror stories about AI getting things wrong. Here's an honest look at whether it's safe to use for your child's SEND paperwork.
The brown envelope says no, and the anger is real. Channel it into a focused reconsideration letter with help from a free AI assistant.
Section A of the EHCP is the one part written in your voice. Turn your lived experience into clear parental views with the free SEND Parents Help assistant.
A year of reports, one meeting that shapes the next. Use the free assistant to compare Section F against what actually happened and walk in prepared.
A 14-page report about your own child, and you can't quite parse it. Decode SEND letters and reports with the free SEND Parents Help assistant.
The DLA form asks you to catalogue your child's hardest days across 40 pages. Work through it, page by page, with the free SEND Parents Help assistant.
You don't need a solicitor to ask for an EHC needs assessment, just a letter that names the legal test. The free assistant turns your notes and school reports into one you can send today.
DLA, Carer's Allowance, and Universal Credit rates all changed on 6 April 2026. Here are the new figures that matter for SEND families.
Most families stand up at tribunal without a lawyer. A walkthrough of using the free assistant to organise your bundle, anticipate the LA's case, and rehearse the hearing.
The SEND White Paper consultation closed on 18 May 2026: what it asked, what the government does with your responses now, and how to stay involved as the legislation takes shape.
The government's SEND White Paper proposes replacing EHCPs with Individual Support Plans from 2029: what it means and what to do now.
Your child may be entitled to extra time, rest breaks, or other adjustments in exams. The school applies, but you need to know what's possible.
Your local authority has a legal duty to provide short breaks for families of disabled children. Most families have never accessed them.
You have a legal right to an assessment of your own needs as a carer. Most SEND parents don't know it exists.
You don't need to do everything at once. The first steps are: talk to the SENCO, check DLA eligibility, and find your local SENDIASS.
The SEND Tribunal sounds intimidating. But parents win most appeals, and you don't need a solicitor. Here's what actually happens.
The Equality Act 2010 protects your child from discrimination at school. What counts as discrimination, and the steps to challenge it.
At 18, social care law changes completely. Your child's EHCP can continue, but everything else shifts. Here's what to prepare for.
DLA stops and PIP starts around age 16. The assessment is different, the criteria change, and many families lose money. What to do to protect the award.
Your council may be legally required to provide free school transport, even if your home is close to the school. When the duty applies, and how to challenge a refusal.
DLA is based on needs. EHCPs are based on needs. School support is based on needs. You can access all of these right now.
NHS wait times for autism and ADHD diagnosis can stretch to years. The process step by step, what Right to Choose means, and why you don't need to wait.
Children on SEN support are permanently excluded six times as often as children with no identified SEN. But many exclusions are unlawful.
If your child's school isn't providing the right support, you have options. From informal conversations to formal complaints and beyond.
Your child's school has legal duties to support children with SEN, even without an EHCP. This covers what they should be doing.
If your child gets DLA, your UC should include extra money. Many families miss this because they don't report the DLA award.
If your child gets DLA higher rate mobility, they're automatically entitled. But many children qualify through the discretionary route too.
If your child gets DLA middle or higher rate care, you could be entitled to Carer's Allowance. Most eligible parents don't claim it.
Between 90% and 98% of refusal-to-assess appeals are won by families. A refusal to assess isn't the end. Here's what to do next.
You can request an EHCP assessment yourself. No special form needed. Here's exactly how to do it and what evidence to include.
An EHCP is a legal document that forces your council to provide specific support. The signs your child might need one, and what to do next.
Around 60% of DLA cases that reach tribunal are decided in the family's favour. Here's what to do next.
The DLA form is long and the criteria feel vague. This guide walks you through every step, from eligibility to evidence to what happens after you apply.
Practical guides, policy updates, and plain-English advice for parents and carers navigating the SEND system in England, written by a parent who has been through it.
Step-by-step sets of posts that build on each other. Start at part one or dip in.
New to AI? Start here. Three short guides that take you from never having used a chatbot to confidently asking the assistant for help with SEND paperwork.
A step-by-step series on using the free assistant for the SEND jobs parents dread, from the DLA form to a tribunal bundle.
What an EHCP is, how to ask for one, and how to make the support inside it actually happen, with plain-English guidance for parents in England.
Disability Living Allowance is the gateway benefit for disabled children. How to apply, what to do if you are turned down, and what changes at 16.
Beyond DLA: the other benefits and grants a disabled child may be entitled to, how they connect, and the order to claim them in.
When a decision is wrong, this is how you challenge it, step by step, from a refusal to assess all the way to a SEND Tribunal hearing.
Have a question about your own child's situation? The assistant can help you work through it in plain English.
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