SEN Support Not Working? What to Do When School Isn't Meeting Your Child's Needs

You have watched term after term go by. The support plan exists on paper. The SENCO seems to mean well. But your child is still struggling — academically, socially, or both — and every review meeting ends with the same vague assurances and no meaningful change.

SEN support not working is not just a frustrating experience. It is a documented pattern across England. Of 54 Area SEND inspections conducted by Ofsted and the CQC since January 2023, only 14 local area partnerships were found to deliver genuinely positive experiences and outcomes. Twenty-six showed inconsistent outcomes, and 14 revealed widespread systemic failings. Your experience is not unusual — and it is not something you have to simply accept.

Here is how to move from frustrated bystander to effective advocate.

Step 1: Document What Has Actually Been Provided

The first thing you need is a clear picture of the gap between what was promised in the SEN support plan and what has actually been delivered. This is not about catching the school out — it is about building an accurate, evidence-based record.

Request a meeting with the SENCO and ask specifically:

• How many intervention sessions were planned per week?
• How many have actually taken place (ask for session records)?
• Has the child's progress been formally reviewed at each APDR cycle?
• What were the specific targets set, and what is the measurable evidence of progress toward each one?

Do this in writing, or follow up every verbal conversation with an email confirming what was said. Your email subject line might be: "Summary of our meeting on [date] regarding [child's name]'s SEN support."

If the school cannot produce session records or measurable review outcomes, that itself is evidence that the APDR cycle is not being followed properly.

Step 2: Ask for the Provision Map

Every school should maintain a provision map — a document recording what interventions are available, who delivers them, how frequently, and their evaluated impact. Parents have the right to request this document.

Compare what the provision map shows for your child against what is in the SEN support plan. Discrepancies — sessions listed as delivered that were not, interventions described vaguely without measurable outcomes — are evidence of a gap between policy and practice.

If the school does not have a provision map, or refuses to share it, note this. It is relevant information if you later request an EHC needs assessment.

Step 3: Request a Formal APDR Review Meeting

If you are concerned that the review cycle is not functioning, formally request a meeting under the APDR framework. Ask the SENCO to provide written documentation of:

• The targets set at the last planning stage
• The progress made toward each target
• The evidence base for that assessment
• The proposed changes to the next cycle

This puts the conversation on a formal footing and generates a written record. If the school struggles to produce this documentation, it signals that the graduated approach is not being properly implemented — which is directly relevant to any future EHCP request.

Step 4: Establish "Inadequate Progress"

The legal threshold for requesting an EHC needs assessment is that a child "has or may have" SEN, and that it "may be necessary" for an EHCP to be made. The local authority will look at the child's progress in SEN support when deciding whether to assess.

"Inadequate progress" is not just about attainment. A child can be failing to make adequate progress if:

• They are making less progress than peers despite significant support
• The gap between their attainment and their peers is widening
• They are failing to access the curriculum without substantial adaptations that are not sustainable from the school budget alone
• They are experiencing significant social, emotional, or behavioural difficulties despite the support in place
• The child themselves reports that school is increasingly distressing or unmanageable

Document all of these dimensions, not just academic attainment. Gather any reports from external professionals — paediatricians, speech therapists, CAMHS — that speak to the child's needs and the impact of unmet needs.

Step 5: Consider an EHC Needs Assessment Request

If SEN support has not produced adequate progress — or if you can see that the child's needs are too complex or intensive for SEN support to realistically meet — request an EHC needs assessment. This is a statutory process you can trigger yourself.

A common myth, sometimes propagated by schools, is that a fixed number of APDR cycles must be completed before a request can be made. This is not the law. There is no minimum requirement. If you believe an EHCP is necessary, you can request an assessment now.

Write to the Director of Children's Services at your local authority. Reference Section 36(8) of the Children and Families Act 2014. Include:

• A brief summary of your child's needs
• Evidence of the SEN support that has been provided and its impact (or lack thereof)
• Why you believe an EHCP may be necessary

The local authority then has six weeks to decide whether to proceed with an assessment.

What to Do If the School Disagrees

Schools sometimes resist EHCP requests — not because they do not want to help the child, but because an EHCP brings additional scrutiny and the expectation of local authority top-up funding. A school might tell you that your child "doesn't meet the threshold" or that they are "coping well within SEN support."

These are the school's opinions, not legal determinations. The decision on whether to assess rests with the local authority, not the school. You can request an EHC needs assessment directly, without school agreement.

If the local authority refuses to assess, you have the right to appeal that decision to the SEND Tribunal. You have two months from the refusal letter to register your appeal.

The England EHCP & SEN Blueprint at /uk/england/iep-guide includes a provision mapping audit template — a structured tool for documenting exactly what SEN support has been provided and evidencing why it has been insufficient. This is the evidence base that makes an EHCP request compelling.

A Final Word on Timing

The academic calendar matters. EHC needs assessment requests made in September or October give the best chance of receiving an EHCP before the end of the academic year. Requests made in the spring term may run into the summer holidays and cause delays. If you are considering requesting an assessment, sooner is almost always better.

Your child's needs are not going to resolve themselves without adequate support. If SEN support is not working, the system has mechanisms to escalate — but you need to know how to use them.

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