EHCP
Your EHCP has been refused: a step-by-step plan for what happens next
96% of SEND Tribunal appeals are decided in the parent's favour. The 2-month deadline, mediation, evidence-building, and the IPSEA/SOSSEN free advice routes.
Read the guideAsk me anything, even the questions that feel too small or too messy. New diagnosis, tricky behaviour, a letter from school you don't understand. I'll help you make sense of it and leave you with something useful to keep.
Information and support — not clinical, legal or educational advice.
Trusted UK guidance
Where our answers come from
Answers about anything procedural or legal are grounded in our own maintained, UK-specific content — informed by the law, official advice services, the SEND Tribunal and complaints routes, NHS clinical information and national charities. The assistant never diagnoses or gives medical or legal advice — for that, the right people are linked below.
In-depth guides for parents
Long-form, plain-English guides written and reviewed by SEND specialists — the same library the assistant draws on. Free to read, no sign-up.
EHCP
Preparing for your child's Annual Review: a SENDCO's parent guide
The four-week run-up, what to bring, what to push on in the meeting, the three possible LA outcomes, and what to do if you disagree. With statutory deadlines.
Read the guideEHCP
Section F and Section B of an EHCP: why these two parts matter most
How to read the two most enforceable sections of an EHCP. 'Detailed, specific and quantified' explained. The weasel words to delete on sight. The redraft template.
Read the guideSchool attendance
EBSA (Emotionally Based School Avoidance): a parent's first-month action plan
A week-by-week first-month plan when anxiety is keeping your child out of school. What to do, when to escalate, and the legal duty schools rarely mention.
Read the guideBehaviour at home
The morning meltdown: why it happens and how to stop it derailing the day
Why your SEND child falls apart every morning, what to change tonight, and the school-day adjustments you're owed under the Equality Act.
Read the guideStrategy
Co-regulation explained: helping your child without taking on their dysregulation
Co-regulation is the developmental process that builds self-regulation. Dan Siegel's window of tolerance, the scripts by state, the long arc from co- to self-regulation.
Read the guideDiagnosis
Telling your child about their autism or ADHD diagnosis
When to tell, by age. The three-component conversation. What not to say. The progressive-disclosure approach NAS and ADHD Foundation advise. UK book and resource list.
Read the guideDiagnosis
Signs of autism in girls aged 5 to 11: the school-age presentation you might be missing
When school keeps saying she's fine but home tells you otherwise: a UK guide to the school-age masking pattern and what to ask for while you wait.
Read the guideParent wellbeing
SEND parent burnout: recognising it and what actually helps
For SEND parents in deep burnout: under-used statutory routes, the GP language that works, and crisis support if you've had thoughts of self-harm.
Read the guideTransitions
Primary to secondary school transition for SEND children: a 12-month parent plan
The phase-transfer process starts in Year 5, not Year 6. A SENDCO-reviewed 12-month plan with the statutory deadlines, s.39 refusal grounds, and what to push for.
Read the guideDiagnosis
Right to Choose for autism and ADHD assessment: how it actually works
Right to Choose is NHS-funded, not private. How it works, the 2026 funding cap reality, the under-18 picture, and the GP conversation that activates it.
Read the guideBenefits & finance
DLA for children: how to write the form so you get the right rate
Around half of initial DLA claims for children are refused or underawarded — almost always because of how the form is filled in. Cerebra's guide, the diary week, the specific-examples technique.
Read the guideLaw & statutory guidance
The legislation and official guidance that sets out your rights and your local authority's duties in England.
RESOURCE
TYPE
WHAT IT COVERS
Statutory guidance
The core statutory framework for SEN support, EHC needs assessments, EHCPs, annual reviews and the graduated approach.
Primary legislation
The Act that created EHCPs, the duty to assess, parental rights and the SEND Tribunal route.
Regulations
Detailed rules on assessment timescales, EHCP content, reviews and reassessment.
Primary legislation
Disability discrimination, reasonable adjustments and schools' duties towards disabled pupils.
Departmental guidance
How the Equality Act applies in schools, including reasonable adjustments and exclusions.
Statutory guidance
Suspensions and permanent exclusions, including extra protections for children with SEND.
Statutory guidance
The framework for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children.
Statutory guidance
Schools' duties to support children with medical conditions, including individual healthcare plans.
Official advice & information services
Free, impartial bodies that explain the system and your options — many are funded specifically to support parents.
RESOURCE
TYPE
WHAT IT COVERS
Legal advice charity
Legally based advice on EHC assessments, plans, appeals and exclusions, plus model letters.
Statutory advice service
Free, impartial, confidential SEND information, advice and support in every local authority.
Sector body
Policy, the IASS network and resources on the SEND system and participation.
Government overview
Plain-English overview of help at school, EHC plans, and what to do if you disagree.
Legal information
Education law information on admissions, attendance, exclusions and SEN.
Helpline charity
Independent helpline and advice for parents navigating SEN support and EHCPs.
Parent-led resource
Parent-written, expert-checked guides and flowcharts on the SEND process.
Rights charity
Guidance on disabled children's and young people's rights, benefits and transitions.
Parent carer network
Local parent carer forums that shape services and connect families.
Tribunals, complaints & redress
Where to turn if you disagree with a decision, or if something has gone wrong.
RESOURCE
TYPE
WHAT IT COVERS
Tribunal
Appeals against refusals to assess, refusals to issue a plan, and EHCP content or placement.
Government guidance
How and when to appeal, deadlines, and the mediation step that usually comes first.
Dispute resolution
Contacting a mediation adviser, getting a mediation certificate, and how mediation works.
Ombudsman
Complaints about how a council handled SEN processes (outside the Tribunal's remit).
Government guidance
The steps for complaining about a school, academy or the way SEN support was provided.
Health, diagnosis & wellbeing
Trusted clinical information. The assistant never diagnoses or gives medical advice — these are where to go for that.
RESOURCE
TYPE
WHAT IT COVERS
Clinical guideline
Evidence-based standards for recognition, referral and support.
Mental health charity
Children's and young people's mental health, plus a parents' helpline.
Specialist charity
Practical, evidence-based help with children's sleep, including SEND-specific advice.
National charities & support organisations
Condition-specific and family-support charities with helplines, guides and communities.
RESOURCE
TYPE
WHAT IT COVERS
National charity
Autism information, sensory and behaviour guidance, education advice and a helpline.
National charity
Benefits, EHCPs, money, and family support across all conditions; helpline and workshops.
National charity
Practical guides, a legal entitlements research project, and sleep advice for disabled children.
National charity
Support for children's speech, language and communication needs.
National charity
Dyslexia information, assessment guidance and support for families and schools.
National charity
Support and resources where a severe learning disability is linked to behaviour that challenges.
Family support charity
Parenting support and a confidential helpline for any family worry.
Behaviour, sensory & everyday life
Practical, affirming approaches for the day-to-day — built on the idea that behaviour is communication.
RESOURCE
TYPE
WHAT IT COVERS
Guidance
Understanding sensory sensitivity and seeking, and practical adjustments.
Guidance
What meltdowns are, why they happen, and how to help before, during and after.
Evidence review
Evidence-based classroom strategies for supporting pupils with SEND.
Specialist guidance
Tailored sleep support for children with neurodevelopmental conditions.
Guidance
Preparing for the move to adulthood, post-16 and education-to-work transitions.
Links to external organisations are provided for information. Remarkable Minds isn't responsible for the content of external sites, and a listing here isn't an endorsement of any specific advice. Always check the date and country of any guidance you rely on.