SENCO Offered To 'HELP' You Proof Read Your EHCP Draft?

Why Parents Should Think Twice Before Letting a “Helpful” SENCO Amend Your EHCP Draft!

When the Local Authority issues a draft Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP), many parents breathe a sigh of relief. Finally, something is on paper. Often, the school’s Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCO) will offer to “look it over” and even make amendments for you. It sounds supportive, even generous. But here’s the uncomfortable truth: letting a SENCO take charge of your draft review can seriously undermine your child’s legal rights.

What Can Go Wrong

• Dilution of Needs
  SENCOs are employees of the school, not independent advocates. Their instinct is often to soften language so the school appears able to meet needs. Phrases like “may benefit from” or “sometimes struggles” creep in, replacing precise descriptions of difficulties. This vagueness weakens the enforceability of the plan.
• Provision Becomes Aspirational, Not Legal
  Instead of quantified, specific support (“3 hours per week of 1:1 literacy intervention”), SENCOs may insert woolly statements (“access to literacy support when available”). These are not legally binding. If challenged, the Local Authority can shrug off responsibility, leaving your child without guaranteed provision.
• Health and Social Care Needs Get Overlooked
  SENCOs focus on education. They may not flag missing input from CAMHS, occupational therapy, speech and language therapy, or social care. Entire sections (F, G, H1/H2) can remain empty or vague, meaning vital therapies and family support are lost.
• Conflict of Interest
  Schools are under pressure to manage budgets and staffing. A SENCO may unconsciously (or consciously) avoid requesting costly provision like specialist teaching assistants or external therapies. The result? Your child’s needs are downplayed to fit what the school can offer, not what the law requires.

Why This Matters

An EHCP is not just a document it’s a legally enforceable contract. Every word matters. If needs are diluted or provision is vague, your child loses out in real life:

• Support hours vanish because they’re not specified.
• Therapies are delayed or denied because they weren’t written in.
• Appeals become harder because the draft looks “reasonable” on paper, even if it’s inadequate in practice.
• You, the parent, are left fighting uphill battles with little evidence to back you up.

How the Child Loses Out

The child is the one who pays the price. Without enforceable provision:

• They struggle academically, emotionally, and socially.
• Their difficulties are misinterpreted as behaviour problems rather than unmet needs.
• Family stress escalates as parents try to plug gaps the system should cover.
• Long‑term outcomes confidence, independence, future opportunities—are compromised.

The Safer Path

Parents should always review the draft themselves or seek independent, legally‑trained support. A proper draft review:

• Pinpoints every area of difficulty with clarity.
• Translates needs into SMART, quantified provision.
• Flags omissions across education, health, and social care.
• Produces a watertight plan that can stand up in mediation or tribunal.

Bottom line: A “helpful” SENCO may mean well, but their role is not to safeguard your child’s statutory rights. That responsibility lies with you. Don’t hand over the pen. Protect the draft, protect the detail, and protect your child’s future.

The option to book a professional draft review is here Our professional review ensures every statutory duty is not overlooked, diluted or that you are gas lit into believing what you have is a legally enforceable plan! Rates are highly subsidised and with that comes a bespoke letter to your LA and your draft broken down and referenced in law, to support you through mediation and or SENDIST Tribunal. Want to read our testimonials – view here ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Google Reviews!

Tools to help you do this yourself: Draft Checklist – What Makes A Good Solid Plan? – What Should an EHCP Look Like?

Next Steps: Mediation – Sendist Tribunal

REMEMBER, THIS IS YOURS AND YOUR CHILDS DOCUMENT – NOT ANYONE ELSES!

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