Sensory Sorted Guide
What Is Sensory Processing Disorder?
Understanding your child's sensory profile — which is often the foundation of what goes into their SEN Support plan or EHCP.
The UK's special education system can feel like a maze of acronyms and processes. Here's a plain-English guide to what's actually available for your child — and what to do when the system isn't working.
I'm a parent, not a lawyer or SEND specialist. This article is based on my experience navigating the UK SEND system with two children, and on publicly available information from sources including GOV.UK, Scope UK, IPSEA, Norfolk SENDIASS, and the National Autistic Society. The SEND system is complex and varies by Local Authority. For specific legal advice on your child's situation, I'd strongly recommend contacting your local SENDIASS service (it's free) or IPSEA. Both are better placed than I am to advise on your specific circumstances.
When Ella's difficulties first became apparent, I walked into our first school meeting armed with basically nothing. I didn't know what the SENCO's job actually was. I didn't know the difference between SEN Support and an EHCP. I didn't know I had the right to request anything at all. I sat there and nodded at things I didn't understand, because I didn't know the right questions to ask.
It took me years of experience — and a lot of talking to other SEN parents, reading everything I could find, and occasionally making expensive mistakes — to get a proper grasp on how the system works. This is the page I wish I'd found in year one.
I want to be clear upfront: the UK SEND system is genuinely complex, it varies by Local Authority, and for complicated situations you need actual legal advice from services like IPSEA or your local SENDIASS, both of which are free. But understanding the basics makes every conversation easier, and knowing your rights means you're less likely to accept less than your child is entitled to.
In England, there are essentially two levels of formal educational support for children with special educational needs. Understanding the difference between them is the foundation of everything else.
| Factor | SEN Support | EHCP |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | School-level help, funded from school budget | Legal document issued by the Local Authority |
| Who provides it | School (usually coordinated by the SENCO) | Local Authority, in collaboration with school, health and social care |
| Legal force | Schools must follow the SEND Code of Practice | Legally binding — provision specified must be delivered |
| Who can request | School or parent can raise concerns and ask for support | Parent or school can request EHC needs assessment directly |
| Diagnosis needed? | No — based on need, not diagnosis | No — based on need, not diagnosis |
| What it includes | Adaptations, interventions, teaching assistant support | Education, health and care provision across all areas of need |
| School choice | No priority for school admissions | Named school in EHCP gets priority in admissions |
| Review | Regular reviews as part of Assess-Plan-Do-Review cycle | Annual review legally required |
| Can you appeal? | Limited formal appeal routes | Right to appeal to SEND Tribunal if refused or unhappy with content |
SEN Support is the starting point. Under the Children and Families Act 2014 and the SEND Code of Practice, schools have a duty to identify children who might need additional support and put appropriate help in place. This happens without any formal application — it's supposed to be just what schools do when they notice a child is struggling.
The framework schools use is called the Graduated Response, a four-step cycle of Assess, Plan, Do, Review. In theory this means regularly looking at how a child is doing, planning support based on what they find, putting it in place, and reviewing whether it's working. In practice, the quality of this varies enormously from school to school.
SEN Support can include a wide range of things: extra time, small group work with a teaching assistant, visual timetables, modified seating arrangements, movement breaks, access to a quiet space, differentiated teaching. None of it requires an EHCP. The school uses its own budget for this — approximately £6,000 per pupil is the "notional SEN budget" schools are expected to draw on before seeking additional Local Authority funding.
"With Jude, SEN Support has actually been enough — a wobble cushion, a visual schedule, and a key adult who understands him has made a significant difference. With Ella, the needs were more complex and we did end up going down the EHCP route. Neither path is better — it depends entirely on the child. But knowing both exist, and knowing you can ask for either, makes you a much more effective advocate."
Separate from SEN Support, schools have a legal duty under the Equality Act 2010 to make reasonable adjustments for disabled pupils. Autism and ADHD both meet the definition of disability under this Act. This duty exists regardless of whether a child has an EHCP, SEN Support, or any formal diagnosis at all.
Norfolk SENDIASS, which provides free independent SEND advice, is clear that the duty to make reasonable adjustments is anticipatory — schools need to think in advance about what disabled children might need, rather than waiting to be asked. Schools cannot charge parents for reasonable adjustments. The cost must come from school budgets.
What counts as "reasonable" is not precisely defined in the law, which can feel frustratingly vague. But some examples of adjustments that have been recognised as reasonable for neurodivergent children include:
If a school is refusing a sensory adjustment that seems clearly reasonable — for example, refusing to allow your child to wear ear defenders — it's worth putting your request in writing and referencing the Equality Act 2010. In most cases, a written request changes the conversation.
For some children, SEN Support — even well-delivered SEN Support — genuinely isn't enough. The question of when to pursue an EHCP is one many SEN parents wrestle with, and there's no clean rule of thumb. But some indicators that it might be time to consider an EHC assessment:
An important thing to know: if your child is academically performing at or above their age group, schools may sometimes suggest they don't need an EHCP. This is not always correct. Scope UK is clear that academic performance is not the only consideration — a child can have high academic achievement and still have complex needs that require legally protected support. Emotional regulation, sensory processing, and social wellbeing are all legitimate grounds for an EHCP.
An Education, Health and Care Plan is a legal document — the key word is legal. Unlike SEN Support, the provision specified in an EHCP must be delivered. Schools and Local Authorities cannot decide it's inconvenient or too expensive and ignore what's in the plan. If they do, you have enforceable rights.
An EHCP covers your child from birth to age 25 (as long as they're in education or training) and spans education, health and social care — not just school. It is reviewed at least annually, and you have the right to be involved at every stage.
As IPSEA (Independent Provider of Special Education Advice) notes, parents can also name a preferred school in an EHCP — and this gives children with EHCPs priority in school admissions, ahead of many other applicants. For families who want access to a specialist school or unit, an EHCP is often the only route in.
This is where many parents get stuck — either because they don't know they can request one directly, or because they've been told by school it's not worth it.
The first thing to know is that you don't need school's agreement to request an EHC needs assessment. You can write directly to your Local Authority. Scope UK confirms that parents can apply directly even if the school doesn't support the request. You also don't need an educational psychologist report to apply, although one can help strengthen your case.
Send a letter or email to the SEN team at your Local Authority requesting an EHC needs assessment for your child. IPSEA has a free template letter on their website. State clearly that your child has needs that may require support beyond what the school can provide, and explain how those needs are affecting their education and wellbeing. GOV.UK confirms the LA must respond within six weeks.
You don't need a folder the size of a textbook, but evidence helps. A diary of how your child's needs are affecting them day to day, school reports and communications, any reports from professionals (GP, CAMHS, OT, speech and language therapist), and a clearly written account of your own observations as a parent are all valid evidence. Your perspective as a parent carries genuine weight in this process — it is not a formality.
Once the Local Authority agrees to assess, they commission reports from various professionals and gather information from school. You will be asked to contribute your own views and those of your child. The full process — from request to final plan — has a legal timeframe of 20 weeks. As of 2024, the Changing Lives SEN research found that only 46.4% of EHCPs were issued within that time. Keep records of all dates and communications, and follow up in writing if deadlines pass.
If the assessment concludes your child needs an EHCP, the Local Authority issues a draft plan. You have at least 15 days to comment on it. Read it carefully — and particularly Section F, which specifies the provision. Provision in an EHCP must be specific and quantified: "speech and language therapy once a week for 45 minutes" rather than "access to speech and language therapy." Vague provision is harder to enforce. You can ask for it to be made more specific.
After your comments, the Local Authority issues the final plan. This then goes to the named school, which has 15 days to accept or raise concerns. The plan is reviewed annually, and you can request an early review if your child's needs change significantly.
Local Authorities can refuse to carry out an EHC needs assessment. They can also carry out an assessment and then decide not to issue an EHCP. Both decisions can be appealed.
The SEND Tribunal (officially the First-tier Tribunal) is the independent body that hears these appeals. An appeal is free, and you don't need a solicitor — though IPSEA and your local SENDIASS can both help you navigate it.
This matters: Government tribunal statistics for 2023–24 show that around 95% of decided SEND Tribunal cases were found in favour of parents. This doesn't mean the system is stacked against Local Authorities — it means parents who appeal often have strong cases and succeed. An initial refusal is not the end of the road.
SENDIASS (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Information Advice and Support Services) provides free, confidential, impartial advice to families navigating the SEND system. Every Local Authority in England has one. They can help you understand your rights, draft letters, prepare for meetings, and support you through appeals.
Find your local SENDIASS on the Council for Disabled Children website at councilfordisabledchildren.org.uk. It is entirely free, and I cannot recommend using it strongly enough.
The honest version of this process is that it takes longer than it should. The legal timeframe of 20 weeks exists, but as noted above, less than half of EHCPs were issued within that window in 2024. BBC News reporting in 2024 found eight Local Authorities where plans were issued within the legal deadline in fewer than 5% of cases.
This is deeply frustrating when your child needs support now. Some practical things that help: keep everything in writing, note every date, and follow up politely but persistently when deadlines pass. Contact your SENDIASS if you feel things have stalled unreasonably. Delays do not mean a refusal — they mean the system is under significant pressure — but you have every right to push for progress.
"The thing nobody warns you about is how exhausting the system is to navigate alongside everything else you're doing. You're already parenting a child whose needs are significant — and now you're also expected to become fluent in education law. It's a lot. Be kind to yourself. Ask for help. And know that understanding even a small part of this system makes the next conversation easier."
These are the resources I have found genuinely useful, and that I'd point any parent to:
The things parents ask me most about navigating the SEND system.