School, SEN support and reasonable adjustments
Understand what school sees, record what your child needs and turn concerns into support or adjustments that can be carried out and reviewed.
What you can find here
- Who should I contact, and what information will help the first conversation?
- Can school provide SEN support before my child has a diagnosis?
- How are SEN support and reasonable adjustments different?
- How do we compare different accounts from school, home and my child?
- How do I turn a concern into an action, responsible person and review date?
Begin with the main Library article
Main Library article
How does support at school work, and what can I ask for?
A clear route through school support: identify the barrier, ask what is already happening, agree a specific change and review whether it helps.
More from the Library
What sensory adjustments can a school make, and how do we ask?
Map the sensory barrier across a real school day, choose a workable adjustment and review access rather than relying on a generic sensory list.
Written June 2026
What should be in a school support plan, and how often is it reviewed?
A practical school support plan structure: needs, child views, provision, ownership, intended outcomes, evidence and meaningful review.
Written June 2026
What is SEN Support, and how does the graduated approach work?
How SEN Support works in England: assessing a specific need, planning provision, delivering it in ordinary school life and reviewing its effect.
Written June 2026
What happens in a SEN support meeting, and how do I follow it up?
Use a school support meeting to compare evidence, make decisions and leave with precise actions, then follow up without creating a second meeting by email.
Written June 2026
What classroom adjustments help a child who cannot focus or sit still?
Find the point where attention or movement blocks access, then test practical changes to instruction, task, environment and movement.
Written June 2026
What are reasonable adjustments at school, and how do I ask for them?
How to connect a disabled pupil's substantial disadvantage to a practical school adjustment, ask clearly and review whether it works.
Written June 2026
What can I do when agreed support at school is not happening?
Confirm what was agreed, find the point where delivery failed, protect the child's immediate access and use the correct escalation route.
Written June 2026
School support in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland: what is different?
The current terms, school-level routes, plan types and independent advice services for additional needs outside England.
Written June 2026
How do we set up home-school communication that works for everyone?
Create a bounded home-school communication system with a clear purpose, source, frequency, owner and separate urgent route.
Written June 2026
How do I agree a homework arrangement with school?
A bounded school agreement for homework access: reliable task information, expected output, support limits, a stopping point and review.
Written June 2026
How do I show school that my child is struggling when they seem fine in class?
Compare school, child and home accounts without trying to prove masking, then agree what to observe and what support to test.
Written June 2026
Does my child need a diagnosis before school can put support in place?
What schools can identify and change before diagnosis, how to describe need clearly and when an assessment may still add useful information.
Written June 2026
How to keep useful notes for school and GP meetings
A manageable way to record what happens, what helps and what your child says, then turn those notes into a short summary for school or the GP.
Written November 2025
Quick answers from the Blog
What support can my teenager get for GCSEs with ADHD or autism?
Everyday GCSE support and exam access arrangements for teenagers with ADHD or autism, including evidence, normal way of working and who to ask.
Written November 2025
How to prepare for a meeting with the SENCO
Prepare for a useful SENCO meeting: choose priorities, bring clear examples, include your child’s view and leave with actions and a review date.
Written November 2025
What are my child’s rights to support at school in England?
A practical guide to SEN support, reasonable adjustments and EHC needs assessments in England, including what to ask the school to record and review.
Written November 2025
How do I ask my child’s school for more support?
How to raise a school concern clearly, ask what support is already in place and agree a practical change that can be recorded and reviewed.
Written November 2025