Could your child be missing out on free school meals?
From the start of the 2026 school year, every pupil whose household is on Universal Credit will have a new entitlement to free school meals. Read more
How the nursery, school or college should help
You might be concerned that your child may have special educational needs that haven’t been identified by their previous setting or in previous years, or their needs haven’t been properly met. Read our information about how nurseries, schools and colleges should identify and support children and young people with SEND. Read more
Is your child without a school place?
Particularly at the start of a new school year, far too many children with SEND are without a school to attend. This is an extremely worrying situation to be in and we’ve produced guidance, which you can read here, to help parents and carers who are in this situation. Read more
Has the local authority failed to organise your child's transport to school or changed the arrangements?
There are often difficulties at the start of a new school term because the local authority has failed to organise transport to a new school in time, or because changes have been made which mean the new arrangements aren’t suitable. Find out more about local authorities’ duties to make suitable travel arrangements. Read more
Taking action when the provision in an EHC plan is not being made
If your child already has an EHC plan and you’ve been concerned in previous years that they are not receiving all of the special educational provision that is in the plan, read our guidance here about your local authority’s duty to secure that provision and how to complain. Read more
Is your child going into their last year of primary or secondary school?
Local authorities have a legal duty to review and amend an EHC plan when a child or young person transfers from one phase of education to another and they must comply with statutory timescales. You should therefore shortly be notified that a review of the EHC plan is going to take place. Find out more, and what to do if this doesn’t happen. Read more
First few weeks into term and your child is already being excluded?
Sometimes a change of school or teacher, combined with returning to school after the long summer holidays, can impact on children's behaviour and lead to them being excluded. Read all about the steps schools must take when a child is excluded, and what you can do. Read more
Concerned your child with SEND is being left out?
Mainstream schools and maintained nursery schools (but not further education institutions) must ensure that children with SEND engage in the activities of the school together with children who do not have special educational needs. Read more about this. Read more
Concerned your child is being treated unfairly because of their disability?
If someone is treated unfairly because of their disability, or because of something arising from their disability, this may be discrimination. Learn more about the types of disability discrimination and the steps you could take to challenge this. Read more
Is your child's anxiety affecting their school attendance?
Many children are a little anxious at the start of a new school year, but for children with SEND this can be a major problem. Additionally, children not previously identified as having SEND may develop anxiety to the point that it becomes a special educational need. Read our guidance on school anxiety. Read more
What happens if my child is unable to attend school due to a medical condition?
There’s a duty that applies to schools in relation to children of compulsory school age who have been recorded as absent due to illness, and where the school think they’re likely to miss 15 school days or more (whether consecutive or cumulative). The school has a legal duty to tell your LA as soon as possible via a “sickness return”. Your LA then has a legal duty to secure suitable, full-time alternative education if they won’t otherwise receive it. Find out more here. Read more
Are you worried that the school will demand medical evidence if your child is off sick from school?
The statutory guidance 'Working together to improve school attendance' says that schools are not expected to routinely request that parents provide medical evidence to support illness absences. Read more about this on our page on illness. Read more
Do you feel your child is unable to attend school full-time?
The statutory guidance 'Working together to improve school attendance' confirms that in some circumstances a pupil’s education may be provided partially at school and partially somewhere else. We have a FAQ in our section on home education and ‘education otherwise’ dealing with some of the issues that you might encounter when trying to arrange something other than full-time attendance at school. Read more
Has the local authority named a school in your child's EHC plan which you haven't agreed they will attend?
Sometimes local authorities finalise EHC plans by naming a school the parent is unhappy with, and they may believe the child must be added to the school roll as soon as the school is named in a plan. This is incorrect; a child's name must only be added to the new school roll on the date they begin to attend or the date that it has been agreed they will start to attend. You can read more about this in our related FAQ. Read more
Do you want to learn more about SEND law?
Our SEND law training for parents and carers empowers families to secure the education their child is legally entitled to. Learn more about our upcoming training sessions, delivered virtually via Zoom, and explore our range of modular self-paced online SEND law courses. Read more
Latest
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Back to school: your questions answered
We have brought together all the information that might be helpful for parents and carers of children with SEND at this key point in the year.
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Level 1 SEND law: 3 November
An introduction to the SEND legal framework for professionals advising or supporting families of children and young people with SEND
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I’m thinking of making a judicial review claim against my LA for failing to secure the provision set out in Section F of my child’s EHC plan. I'm worried I may have to pay costs if my claim fails. Will I have to pay the LA costs if I don't win?
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My local authority refused to issue an EHC plan for my child. I requested mediation about this. Just before mediation, my local authority changed its mind and said it would issue an EHC plan. When must the final EHC plan be issued?
Most read
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Asking for an EHC needs assessment
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Template letters
Download and make changes to our template letters to fit your situation
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Template letter 1: making a request for an EHC needs assessment
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EHC needs assessments
An EHC needs assessment is an assessment of a child or young person’s education, health and care needs
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Advice Line
Book an appointment for free and independent next-step legal information, advice and support on any educational issue that is a result of a child or young person’s SEND
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Choosing a school/college with an EHC plan
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What happens in an EHC needs assessment
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The annual review process
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Contact us
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Appealing to the SEND Tribunal
The SEND Tribunal is an independent national tribunal which hears parents’ and young people’s appeals against LA decisions about the special educational needs of children and young people
How you can help IPSEA
Have you found the information on our website helpful today? If so, please consider donating! At IPSEA, we rely on your donations and fundraising efforts to help keep our vital services running. Read more
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