Parental Representations Appendix A1 Northern Ireland: How to Write Your Evidence

You've triggered the statutory assessment process — either by requesting it directly from the EA or through the school — and the Education Authority has come back with a Notice of Consideration. Inside that letter is a form that needs to be returned within 22 days.

That form is the Appendix A1 Parental Representations. It's one of the most important documents you'll write during the entire SEN process, and most parents have never been told what it needs to contain.

What Is Appendix A1?

When the EA receives a request for statutory assessment and decides to consider it further, they issue a "Notice of Consideration" within 10 days. This starts a 22-day window during which you must submit your formal parental evidence in two parts:

Appendix A(1) — Parental Representations: Your account of why your child needs a statutory assessment. This is your case for why the current school-level provision isn't enough.

Appendix A(2) — Parental Evidence: Copies of any documentation you want the EA to consider — medical reports, private assessments, therapy records, school communications, and so on.

The EA uses this evidence — alongside the school's submission and professional reports — to decide whether to proceed with the full 26-week statutory assessment. If your Appendix A1 is thin or generic, the EA has an easier path to refusing assessment.

The Framing That Matters: "Worst Day" Evidence

The most common mistake parents make in Appendix A1 is describing their child on an average day, or trying to balance negative evidence with positive. The EA already has the school's relatively positive account. Your submission should document the full impact of your child's difficulties — on their worst days.

SENAC's guidance is explicit on this: describe your child's needs on the days when things are hardest, not on the days when they manage. If your child melts down for two hours after school because they've spent all day holding themselves together, write that. If they can't complete 10 minutes of homework without crying, write that. If they wake at 5am anxious about a school day, write that.

This isn't about exaggerating. It's about making sure the EA understands the real and sustained impact of your child's needs — the part that happens outside school hours and rarely appears in teacher reports.

What the Appendix A1 Should Cover

The EA's form structures your evidence into categories. Fill each section with specific, concrete detail rather than general statements.

Early Years and Development History: When did you first notice difficulties? What were the early signs? Medical history, developmental milestones missed or late, any early interventions. If there are diagnoses, when and by whom.

Your Child's Strengths: Yes, include these. The EA needs to understand your child holistically. But keep this brief — one paragraph.

Areas of Difficulty: This is the core of the document. Break it down:

• Cognition and Learning — Can they follow classroom instructions? Do they fall further behind peers each term? Do they require individual adult explanation for every task?
• Communication — Can they express their needs to teachers? Are they understood by peers? Do they misunderstand instructions?
• Physical and Sensory — Any physical challenges, sensory sensitivities, coordination difficulties. If they can't manage the physical environment of a mainstream school — noise, transitions, crowds — document this specifically.
• Social, Emotional and Mental Health — Anxiety levels, peer relationships, incidents at school, behavioural patterns. If your child's school has a log of incidents, reference it in Appendix A2.
• Impact at Home — This is where the "worst day" evidence lives. What does an evening after a difficult school day look like? What does your child's anxiety about school look like in the morning? How much time do you spend managing the fallout from the school day?

The School's Efforts and Why They're Not Enough: You're essentially arguing that the school has done what it can at Stage 1 and Stage 2, and it isn't working. Be specific: what support has the school provided? Has it helped? What evidence shows it hasn't been enough — stagnant PLP targets, persistent exclusions, no academic progress?

What You Believe Your Child Needs: You don't need to prescribe the exact provision — the assessment will determine that. But articulate what you believe is needed: specialist support, a specific educational environment, professional input that the school can't provide.

What to Include in Appendix A2

Appendix A2 is your evidence bundle. Send copies (not originals) of:

• Any private diagnostic reports (ADHD assessment, autism assessment, educational psychology assessment, SLT assessment)
• GP or paediatrician letters or reports
• CAMHS letters or reports
• Any reports from therapists seen privately
• School PLPs from the past two to three years — these show what targets have been set and whether they've been met
• Your own correspondence with the school about concerns
• A diary or log if you've kept one

If you have had a private educational psychologist assessment, include it — but note that for it to carry full evidential weight at any subsequent tribunal, the psychologist must be registered with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC).

The Tone and Presentation

The Appendix A1 is a legal submission, not a letter to a sympathetic school. Write it in clear, factual language. Use bullet points and clear headings to make the EA officer's job easier. Avoid emotional language where you can — make the facts speak for themselves.

Every specific difficulty you describe in A1 should ideally have supporting evidence in A2. "My child cannot follow verbal classroom instructions" is stronger when it's backed by an SLT assessment that identifies receptive language delay.

Keep copies of everything you submit. Send by recorded delivery or email with a read receipt so you have proof of submission.

What Happens After You Submit

The EA must decide within six weeks of the original request whether to proceed with a full statutory assessment. Your parental evidence is part of what informs that decision.

If the EA proceeds, they enter Phase 2 of the statutory assessment: gathering advice from the school, an educational psychologist, medical professionals, and specialists. This phase takes approximately 10 weeks.

If the EA refuses to assess, you receive a written refusal with reasons. You have two months from that date to appeal to SENDIST. The evidence you submitted in Appendix A1 and A2 becomes part of your tribunal bundle.

For parents who want detailed support with the structure of their Appendix A1 submission — including the specific categories the EA expects and how to frame each one — the Northern Ireland SEN Statement Blueprint covers the parental evidence stage in full alongside the complete 26-week assessment timeline.

See more United Kingdom guides →