37 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 government's SEND White Paper proposes replacing EHCPs with Individual Support Plans from 2029: what it means and what to do now.
The SEND Tribunal sounds intimidating. But parents win most appeals, and you don't need a solicitor. Here's what actually happens.
At 18, social care law changes completely. Your child's EHCP can continue, but everything else shifts. Here's what to prepare for.
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.
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.
