The Concept
Any parent can request an EHC Needs Assessment for their child (Children and Families Act 2014, s.36).
The LA must consider whether your child:
- Has or may have special educational needs, AND
- May need special educational provision to be made through an EHCP
You don't need to prove your child definitely has SEN. You need to show there's reason to assess.
What to Include
A strong request letter typically includes:
- Your child's basic information — Name, date of birth, school
- Why you're concerned — What difficulties is your child experiencing?
- Impact on learning — How are these difficulties affecting education?
- What's been tried — What support has the school provided?
- Why SEN Support isn't enough — Why do you believe more is needed?
- Evidence — What reports, assessments, or documentation support this?
Describing Needs
Decision-makers need specifics, not generalisations.
| General | Specific |
|---|---|
| "Struggles with reading" | "Reading age of 6.2 years (chronological age 9.4). Cannot access age-appropriate texts independently." |
| "Has trouble focusing" | "Needs individual prompting every 2-3 minutes to stay on task. Leaves seat 15+ times per lesson." |
| "Gets upset at school" | "3-4 meltdowns per week lasting 20-30 minutes. Has been sent home early 6 times this term." |
Same-Age Comparison
The request should show how your child's needs differ from a same-age child without SEN.
"A typical Year 4 child can follow a 3-step instruction independently. Sophie needs each step repeated individually, with visual support, and still requires prompting to complete the sequence."
What Aubis Does
Request Writer guides you through describing your child's needs:
- Asks about daily life and learning
- Prompts for same-age comparisons
- Pulls evidence from your uploaded documents
- Produces a draft letter in your voice
You describe what's happening. Aubis helps you say it clearly.
You talk. Aubis writes. You send.