Empowering Parents: Your Essential Support Services
At Defining Dyslexia, we understand that navigating the complexities of educational support can be overwhelming for parents. Our Parent Support Services are specially designed to assist you in realising the full potential of your child’s educational journey. We offer expert guidance on Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs), SEND Advocacy and support for Disability Living Allowance (DLA) applications, ensuring you have the necessary tools to secure the resources your child needs.
Supporting EHCP Needs Assessments
EHCP Needs Applications
Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) are vital for children with special educational needs. Our dedicated consultants will walk you through the EHCP needs assessment process, providing personalised advice and support to help you articulate your child’s unique requirements effectively. With our expertise, you can ensure that your child’s educational institution is aware of and can accommodate their needs.
Paperwork support such as Disability Living Allowance (DLA)
Maximise financial support for your child
Applying for Disability Living Allowance (DLA) and Personal Independent Payment (PIP) can often be a daunting task.
At Defining Dyslexia, we offer tailored assistance to parents, helping you to navigate the DLA and PIP application process smoothly.
Our knowledgeable team understands the criteria required and can help you highlight your child’s specific challenges to strengthen your application, ensuring you receive the support you deserve.
Personalised Reviews
Unlocking potential with the right tools
Every child deserves access to the right educational resources tailored to their individual needs.
We can assist you in identifying appropriate tools and resources that can aid your child's educational development whether it be in a special educational school or a mainstream educational institution. We can provide a report to support the education setting on the next steps. Our comprehensive support means that you are not alone in this journey.
Engaging Parent Workshops
Learn and connect with other parents
We believe that connection and knowledge are key components of effective parental support. Our workshops are designed for parents to learn about their rights, available resources, and how to advocate for their children effectively. Join our community of empowered parents, share experiences, and gain valuable insights that will benefit your child’s educational journey.
SEN Journey
Navigating the Special Educational Needs (SEN) journey in the UK can feel overwhelming for parents, with assessments, support plans, and ensuring the right interventions in place for your child. Defining Dyslexia is here to guide you every step of the way, offering expert advice, tailored resources, and advocacy to empower your family. Together, we help unlock your child’s potential and ensure their unique needs are met with understanding and care.
Getting Started
If you are just starting to explore what your child might be entitled to in terms of support for special educational needs, you will not be alone. We speak to many parents in your position.
Before you get in touch, it might be a good idea to have a read through our website as it might help with some of the basics. It has a lot of information and detail that we share regularly with parents who are in a similar situation, and we hope it’s helpful.
The Law on SEND
The SEND Code of Practice 2015 is the statutory guidance for how children and young people with SEND should be supported. It’s worth taking a look.
It contains law as well as guidance regarding SEND and additional support.
Many other laws apply to send such as the Childrens and
Get to know your SENCO
It’s important that you engage and talk to the SENCO at your school to find out how the school can support your child. It’s vital that you provide the school with any information that you already have to ensure they have insight into your child’s difficulties.
Schools have an obligation to identify and support needs where possible. Make sure you ask to see a written plan that will set out the support your child will receive.
Perhaps you are not sure the extent to which your child has SEN, or you already know they do.
What should your school or setting be doing to support them?
It is useful to be aware of the definition in the SEND Code of Practice at 6.15 – “A pupil has SEN where their learning difficulty or disability calls for special educational provision, namely provision different from or additional to that normally available to pupils of the same age.”
Where else can you get information and support?
Each LA must publish a Local Offer website setting out what services/support are available across education, health and social care for children and young people with SEND for whom they are responsible. This must include for those who do not have an EHCP.
The Local Offer should also contain details and policies for how education settings should be identifying needs of children and young people with SEND.
Parent Carer Forum (PCF)
You will typically find details on your Local Offer website. The PCF is a group of parents who support parents and families of children with SEND and help ensure the voice of children and young people is heard in consultations with the LA.
SENDIASS
SENDIASS is the local SEND information and advice service in your local area that provides fact-based information to parents. It is the responsibility of the LA but is typically managed ‘separately’ so as to give confidence to parents although it is not technically independent but in my experience they are always fair and supportive.
I would always recommend taking the above steps before contact us for serivces.
Support in Education
How should education settings be supporting a child or young person without an EHCP?
Mainstream schools and academies have a range of duties found in the SEND Code of Practice 2015 that set out how they should identify and support children with SEN.
Special schools do not have the same duties as they are specifically set up to provide for children with SEN. Typically many children in a special school will have an EHCP.
Needs are typically set out in four categories
- Communication and interaction
- Cognition and learning
- Social, emotional and mental health
- Sensory and/or physical needs
Schools should plan and set out how they will support each of these areas of need and ensure that their staff have relevant training. This activity is managed by the SENCO, whose role it is to coordinate the provision in the school.
The school’s approach to SEN support should be documented in its SEN policy which should be available on its website.
Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS)
This is the statutory framework for children aged 0-5 years. All early years providers in the maintained, voluntary and independent sectors that a LA funds must have arrangements in place to support children with SEND which includes a clear approach to identifying and responding to SEND.
Maintained nurseries must use best endeavours to ensure that a child with SEN gets the right support.
The EYFS framework includes 2 specific points for providing written assessments for parents and other professionals at 2 years and at the end of reception year.
Early intervention is important as delay can lead to learning difficulties and lack of self esteem
All settings should adopt a graduated approach to provision: Assess, Plan, Do, Review are the four stages of support required for a child without an EHCP.
Schools
Every school is required to identify and address the SEN of the pupils that they support.
Mainstream schools (including maintained schools and academies that are not special schools), maintained nurseries, 16-19 academies, alternative provision academies and pupil referral units (PRUs) must use best endeavours to make sure that a child or young person with SEN gets the support they need.
This means doing everything they can to meet their SEN.
The approach a school takes to how it assesses and identifies SEN is set out in the Local Offer.
All schools have duties under the Equality Act 2010 towards individual disabled children and young people. They must make reasonable adjustments including the provision of aids, equipment and services for disabled children to make sure they are not disadvantaged compared to their peers.
All pupils should have access to a broad and balanced curriculum.
Pupils’ skills should be assessed on entry to determine any needs and what adjustments may be required. SEN Support should take the form of the Graduated Approach – the four-part cycle which identifies, reviews and adjusts provision to support a child or young person.
Further education: post 16
There are several types of settings including school sixth forms (both mainstream and special schools), sixth form colleges, further education (FE) colleges, 16-19 academies, special post 16 institutions and vocational learning and training providers.
The range of qualifications is broad and includes A/AS levels, vocational qualifications at all levels, apprenticeships, traineeships, supported internships and bespoke packages of learning.
FE colleges, sixth form colleges and 16-19 academies have certain statutory duties:
- to cooperate with the LA on arrangements for children and young people with SEN
- to admit a young person if the institution is named in the EHCP
- to have regard to the SEND Code of Practice 2015
- to use their best endeavours to put in place the special educational provision that the young person needs. Support should promote independence and help the young person make good progress towards employment and/or higher education and independent living.
Need more guidance?
Contact us
E-mail: definingdyslexia@outlook.com
We operate virtually across the UK, providing accessible support wherever you are. For in-person appointments, we serve Sheffield, Peterborough, and the surrounding areas—contact us to learn more!
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