Education and Health Care Plans have been with us since 2015. That’s six years, and yet there is still so much misinformation about them. I still, regularly come across schools that don’t fully understand the law.

The work of a SEND parent is rarely over. No sooner than you’ve managed to get a fit for purpose EHC Plan finalised, you are on to the next thing. Make sure it gets implemented.

There’s a feeling of excitement and frisson when you hear the LA will write an Education and Health Care Plan (EHCP) for your child. It might be they call you to let you know (that was my experience), or you might receive an email. Alternatively, the first you hear about it might even be when the draft plan drops through your letterbox.

SEN, SEND, Special educational needs. This terminology is used to describe a relatively complex concept, and yet, rarely is this acknowledged.

All too often I hear stories of how school staff or Local Authority (LA) staff have been unhelpful or provided incorrect information to parents. We are quick to rush to blame, when people we deem as ‘professionals’ give the wrong information, particularly where our children are concerned.

It’s such a dilemma, isn’t it? On the one hand, you can see the harm that school is doing, and on the other, you feel that if you take them out, it might be worse. Could it be a case of out of sight out of mind?