EHCPs, SEN Support, school issues, exclusions, and exams, plus how to make the school system actually work for your child. 35 articles found.
Your child's placement isn't working and you want a change before the school year ends. The process differs depending on whether your child has an EHCP, and what to do if there's no place at all.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 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.
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.
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.
An EHCP is granted on your child's needs. The legal test, and what it means for ADHD, autism, dyslexia, dyspraxia and anxiety.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 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.
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.
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.
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. Here are the 8 conditions that must be met, and what to do if they're not.
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 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.
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.
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.
