EHCP review and consultancy for parents in England
A useful EHCP review starts with clear questions: which documents will Stephen read, and what will you receive in writing? SEND Navigate offers remote EHCP consultancy for parents across England, including document review, annual review preparation and application support.
Choose the work that matches your documents and the stage you have reached. Before paid work starts, we agree document limits, questions, written outputs, delivery timing and the fee. Additional work needs your prior written agreement.
I’m Stephen Mallett, with 25 years in education as a teacher, SENCo and Headteacher, and the parent of two children with SEN. My role is independent educational consultancy, not a solicitor’s service or clinical assessment.
Free 30-minute consultation + written next-step summary. A short follow-up based only on our discussion and your brief account, not document pre-reading, a full EHCP/report review or a legal merits opinion. Read the full free-summary scope. No obligation; paid scope and fee agreed first. Booking does not pause deadlines or appoint me as your consultant.
Choose your review
A document health check examines the plan itself. Annual review support prepares your contribution to a review meeting. Application support helps with an assessment request and the agreed assessment-stage work.
Document review and health check · Annual review preparation · Application support · Complete catalogue and fees
EHCP document review and health check
Use this EHCP review service when you want to examine how the plan describes your child’s needs and provision. Stephen reviews the agreed documents and identifies wording and evidence questions.
- Input reviewed: Your EHCP and relevant reports, with document limits and questions agreed before work starts.
- Written output: An A–K section-by-section review, a report of recommended changes and drafted amendment requests.
- Exclusions: Clinical assessment, automatic meeting attendance and tribunal representation. A review cannot guarantee amendments or provision.
- Fee and time: EHCP Review & Strengthening is £550, with up to 11 hours of professional time within the agreed scope. Delivery timing is agreed separately.
Compare the full package catalogue or enquire about a document review. You can ask about paid work without a free call first.
If the specified support is missing rather than unclear, start with school not following the EHCP.
EHCP annual review preparation and support
Annual review support focuses on your parent/carer contribution, the changes you want to discuss and preparation for the meeting. It is a different scope from an A–K plan review.
- Input reviewed: Your current EHCP and recent reports within agreed document limits.
- Written output: A parent/carer views contribution and proposed amendments, with meeting coaching and scoped post-meeting support.
- Exclusions: Automatic meeting attendance, clinical assessment and a separately managed appeal. No amendment or meeting outcome is guaranteed.
- Fee and time: Annual Review Support is £350, with up to seven hours of professional time. We agree the meeting stage, follow-up boundary and delivery timing before work starts.
Enquire about annual review preparation or compare all services and fees. A free call is optional.
EHCP application support
Get educational consultancy with the reports and request context you already have. We confirm the application or assessment stage and which written work fits within the package.
- Input reviewed: Existing reports and assessments, your request context and agreed questions.
- Written output: Parent/carer Section A representations, template letters and LA correspondence, with evidence-gathering guidance and assessment-process coaching.
- Exclusions: New specialist assessments, automatic appeal preparation or representation, and any guaranteed assessment or plan.
- Fee and time: EHCP Application Support is £450, with up to nine hours of professional time. We confirm stage boundaries, document limits and delivery timing before work starts.
Enquire about application support or compare the full catalogue. If you already have a refusal, choose refusal to assess help or refusal to issue help for the relevant decision stage.
Free 30-minute consultation + written next-step summary
Tell me the main difficulty, what school or the LA has said, and any approaching decision, meeting or deadline. We will discuss the next questions to resolve and whether my support is a suitable fit.
Choose a free consultation time →You do not have to choose a package on the call. Paid work starts only after we agree its scope, professional-time allowance and fee.
What the written next-step summary includes
A short follow-up, normally 1–2 pages, based only on our discussion and your brief account. There is no document pre-reading.
- The issue as you described it
- Up to three practical next steps or questions
- Relevant general resources
- Whether further scoped paid support could help
What is not included
The free summary does not include a full EHCP or report review, a legal merits opinion, an evidence audit, personalised drafted LA or school letters, appeal grounds, representation, ongoing casework or deadline management.
We will discuss delivery timing on the call; there is no fixed turnaround promise. Booking does not pause deadlines or appoint me as your consultant.
Please do not send medical records or a full case bundle with an initial enquiry. If we agree paid work, we will arrange the appropriate document-transfer route.
The separate £175 Initial Consultation includes pre-reading of one recent document, a 60-minute call and written next steps, with up to 3.5 hours of professional time. The £550 EHCP Review & Strengthening includes a section-by-section review and written recommendations, with up to 11 hours. These paid outputs are not part of the free summary.
Read the booking-page scope · View all paid service outputs and fees
Which problem do you need help with?
Start with the decision or support problem in front of you. Document review, evidence work and drafting below are paid work within an agreed scope, not part of the free summary.
Refusal to assess for an EHCP
We can examine what the LA has decided, what your existing evidence says and which questions need answering. An assessment refusal needs a different approach from a refusal to issue a plan after assessment.
Refusal to issue an EHCP after assessment
We can compare the needs identified during assessment with the recommended provision and the support available without a plan, to help decide whether to challenge the decision.
School distress and difficult attendance conversations
Your child may struggle to enter school, remain in lessons or recover after the school day. I can help you describe concerns, organise relevant information and prepare questions for school or the LA. Consultancy does not diagnose or treat anxiety or other health conditions.
An EHCP or school support plan that is not working
We can distinguish between support that is missing and wording or provision that needs changing. The next step depends on the problem; it will not always be an EHCP appeal.
Preparing for an appeal or tribunal
Where appropriate, we can agree help with evidence, drafting or hearing preparation. Representation is available through the relevant package, not the automatic next step for every refusal.
The free introductory call is a starting conversation, not a full audit of your documents or an appeal-drafting service. Paid work, included professional time and fees are agreed separately.
Working with your school and local authority
I support families remotely across England. Tell me which local authority is responsible for your child’s case so we can identify the relevant information and contact route.
SEND Navigate is an independent consultancy. We are not part of your council, school or SENDIASS service. Another family’s experience with the same LA does not determine yours.
We start by understanding the issue you describe. If you choose paid support, we agree which documents and work are needed, the professional-time allowance and the fee.
I work with parents who are facing:
- A refusal to carry out a statutory EHCP assessment
- A refusal to issue an EHCP after assessment
- School distress or barriers to attendance
- An EHCP that's vague, weak, or doesn't reflect their child
- The LA refusing to amend a plan at annual review
- A school named that you know isn't right
- An imminent First-tier Tribunal (SEND) hearing
- Months of unanswered emails and missed deadlines
- The feeling that nobody is on their side
Other services and the complete fee catalogue
Start with the level of help you need. A short question, a detailed review and a full appeal do not require the same engagement. The complete catalogue below keeps each service’s outputs, fee and included time visible.
Free versus paid support
Hourly Consultation is £95 per hour. The separate £175 Initial Consultation includes pre-reading of one recent document, a 60-minute call and written next steps, with up to 3.5 hours in total. The free consultation’s discussion-based summary is not either of these paid services.
EHCP Application Support is £450 with up to nine hours; Annual Review Support is £350 with up to seven hours; EHCP Review & Strengthening is £550 with up to 11 hours. The £550 review includes the section-by-section audit and written recommended changes described below, not just the free next-step summary.
You can enquire about paid work without booking a free call or buying a book. The LA Decision Appeal Package is £1,600 with up to 32 hours. We will clarify how it differs from application support and whether the scope fits your case before you pay. Tribunal Preparation is £3,000 with up to 60 hours; Tribunal + Representation is £4,000 with up to 80 hours. These are separate options, not a required progression.
Discuss the right level of helpAlready agreed a different payment amount?
Use this secure payment option only after Stephen has confirmed a custom amount with you. You choose the agreed amount at Stripe; payments start from £50.
Hourly Consultation
Flexible expert time — for specific questions, document reviews, or ongoing guidance billed by the hour.
- Input reviewed: Your specific question or selected documents, agreed before the session.
- Written output and support: Brief written notes after a video or telephone session; document review, strategy or correspondence within the booked hour.
- Exclusions: A full case-bundle audit, representation or ongoing casework outside the booked time.
Professional time included: Up to 1 hour of professional time per £95 booking.
Initial Consultation
A focused one-document consultation with a call and written next steps.
- Input reviewed: One recent document for pre-reading.
- Written output and support: A 60-minute video or telephone call, written next steps and practical guidance on your options.
- Exclusions: A full EHCP or evidence-bundle audit, drafted appeal grounds or representation.
Professional time included: Up to 3.5 hours of professional time.
Formal Legal Letter
Formal correspondence about the agreed issue, with relevant legislation cited where appropriate. This is consultancy, not a solicitor’s letter.
- Input reviewed: Your account and relevant documents within the agreed letter scope.
- Written output and support: One formal letter to the LA, school or other authority, citing relevant legislation where appropriate, with one round of revisions.
- Exclusions: A solicitor’s legal opinion, further correspondence or representation.
Professional time included: Up to 5.5 hours of professional time.
Annual Review Support
Preparation and support for your child's EHCP annual review meeting.
- Input reviewed: Your current EHCP and recent reports within the agreed scope.
- Written output and support: A parent/carer views contribution and proposed amendments, with meeting coaching and scoped post-meeting support.
- Exclusions: Automatic meeting attendance, clinical assessment or a separately managed appeal.
Professional time included: Up to 7 hours of professional time.
EHCP Application Support
Support with the agreed application or assessment stage. A managed appeal is a separate engagement.
- Input reviewed: Existing reports and assessments, your request context and agreed questions.
- Written output and support: Parent/carer Section A representations, template letters and LA correspondence, with evidence-gathering guidance and assessment-process coaching.
- Exclusions: New specialist assessments, an automatic appeal package or a guaranteed assessment or plan.
Professional time included: Up to 9 hours of professional time.
EHCP Review & Strengthening
For an EHCP that fails to describe your child or specify the right provision.
- Input reviewed: Your EHCP and relevant reports within agreed document limits.
- Written output and support: An A–K section-by-section review, written recommended changes and amendment requests, with scoped review-process support.
- Exclusions: Clinical assessment, automatic meeting attendance, appeal representation or a guaranteed amendment.
Professional time included: Up to 11 hours of professional time.
Working Document
A structured written document setting out needs, concerns and proposed provision for an agreed use. Confirm its format and scope before payment; a tribunal tracked-changes document is not automatically included.
- Input reviewed: Relevant records and concerns within a scope agreed before payment.
- Written output and support: A structured Working Document (5–10 pages) setting out needs, concerns and proposed provision for the agreed meeting, review or correspondence use. We confirm the format and intended use in writing before work starts.
- Exclusions: Additional drafting, tribunal amendments or representation beyond the agreed document scope.
Professional time included: Up to 5 hours of professional time.
DLA / PIP Form Support
Expert support completing Disability Living Allowance or Personal Independence Payment forms for children with SEN.
- Input reviewed: Your child’s reports, diagnosis information and current support relevant to the agreed form.
- Written output and support: Guided form completion and drafting support, with an evidence checklist and help describing needs.
- Exclusions: Clinical assessment, a benefits appeal or a guaranteed award.
Professional time included: Up to 5.5 hours of professional time.
Mediation Support
Preparation and coaching if you choose SEND mediation. Check the official appeal guidance for any mediation-adviser requirement before appealing.
- Input reviewed: Your case documents and the LA’s position within agreed limits.
- Written output and support: A mediation statement and written next steps, with coaching and scoped post-mediation support.
- Exclusions: Automatic mediation attendance, a full tribunal package or a guaranteed agreement.
Professional time included: Up to 13 hours of professional time.
Disability Discrimination
Review and drafting support for a concern about disability discrimination at school; no finding is guaranteed.
- Input reviewed: Relevant correspondence, incident records and school documents within the agreed case scope.
- Written output and support: Written case analysis, SEND37 claim drafting and school correspondence, with applicable deadlines confirmed within the engagement.
- Exclusions: A solicitor’s legal opinion, automatic hearing representation or a guaranteed finding.
Professional time included: Up to 24 hours of professional time.
Exclusion Support
Review and drafting support after a school exclusion. Confirm the decision stage and review route before agreeing work using your letter and current official exclusion guidance.
- Input reviewed: Exclusion letters and relevant school correspondence.
- Written output and support: Written review submissions and correspondence, with coaching and applicable deadlines confirmed for the agreed process.
- Exclusions: Automatic panel attendance, separate discrimination proceedings or a guaranteed reinstatement.
Professional time included: Up to 27 hours of professional time.
LA Decision Appeal Package
Full support when the LA has refused, issued a plan you disagree with, or named the wrong school.
- Input reviewed: LA decision letters and the relevant evidence agreed for review.
- Written output and support: A written case analysis (10–20 pages), Evidence Summary Report and formal appeal grounds, with mediation preparation.
- Exclusions: Automatic tribunal hearing representation, clinical assessments or a guaranteed appeal outcome.
Professional time included: Up to 32 hours of professional time.
Tribunal Preparation Pack
Complete written preparation for the First-tier Tribunal (SEND).
- Input reviewed: Decision records, evidence and witness material within the agreed appeal scope.
- Written output and support: Written tribunal submissions, organised evidence-bundle support and a Hearing Day Guide, with witness coaching, a strategy session and post-hearing next steps.
- Exclusions: Hearing attendance or representation, new clinical assessments or a separate onward appeal.
Professional time included: Up to 60 hours of professional time.
Tribunal + Representation
Everything in the Preparation Pack, plus Stephen attends and represents you at the hearing.
- Input reviewed: The decision records, evidence and witness material for the agreed appeal.
- Written output and support: The Tribunal Preparation Pack’s written outputs and post-hearing next steps, plus Stephen’s hearing attendance, submissions and representation.
- Exclusions: New clinical assessments, separate proceedings or an outcome guarantee.
Professional time included: Up to 80 hours of professional time.
Complex Tribunal
For cases involving multiple issues, complex diagnoses, or significant LA legal resource.
- Input reviewed: Decision records and evidence for the agreed multi-issue case.
- Written output and support: The Tribunal + Representation outputs, extended case analysis and an extended evidence bundle (50+ pages), with expert-witness coordination, multi-day hearing support and any post-hearing appeal support within the agreed scope.
- Exclusions: New clinical assessments or work on a separate case outside the agreement.
Professional time included: No maximum professional time within the agreed case scope.
Monthly Retainer
Ongoing monthly advisory support — for families navigating a long-running case or who want expert guidance on call.
- Input reviewed: Your current case documents, questions and updates within the agreed monthly scope.
- Written output and support: Document review and drafting as needed, plus a monthly case update and strategy note; priority email and call support within the allowance.
- Exclusions: A fixed response-time promise, unlimited casework or automatic hearing representation.
Professional time included: Up to 7 hours of professional time per calendar month.
Reasonable email follow-up is included within the professional-time allowance for your agreed scope. Any work beyond that allowance or outside the agreed scope will be discussed and priced with you first. Payment plans are available for larger packages; discuss arrangements before payment, with or without a free call. Attendance at a tribunal hearing in person is included in the Tribunal + Representation and Complex Tribunal packages.
Four straightforward steps
Begin with a conversation. Any further work has an agreed scope, professional-time allowance and fee.
Free 30-minute consultation
You explain the main issue. The short written next-step summary reflects our discussion, not document pre-reading. We discuss delivery timing on the call.
Agree any paid support
If further help is useful, we agree the work, fee and time allowance first. You share the documents needed for that scope through the agreed transfer route.
Carry out the agreed work
Document review, written analysis, correspondence or appeal preparation depends on your chosen engagement. The service catalogue sets out the paid outputs.
Review the next step
Follow-up remains within the agreed scope and time allowance. Additional work requires your written agreement to a further fee before it starts.
Stephen Mallett: school experience and a parent’s perspective
I spent 25 years working in schools as a teacher, SENCo and Headteacher. I know the paperwork and meetings from the school’s side. As a parent of two children with SEN, I also understand how much those decisions can affect life at home.
My role is to help you work through your situation, explain the options and agree practical support. Where another professional would be more appropriate, I will say so.
I am the author of The Parent’s Shield and Not Refusing. Unable. You can read to get to know my approach, or speak to me without reading either book first.
Optional books
Both books are optional self-help resources. They provide general guidance; neither can assess your individual circumstances.
The Parent’s Shield
A guide to the SEN and EHCP process for parents, including applications, annual reviews and appeals.
Explore The Parent’s Shield
Not Refusing. Unable.
A book about school distress and emotionally based school avoidance, often called EBSA.
Explore Not Refusing. Unable.If you have read a book and still feel unsure what to do with your own letters, reports or meeting notes, that is a useful starting point for a consultation. If you need help now, you can speak to me without reading or buying either book first.
Questions about EHCP review and consultancy
No. I provide independent SEND consultancy and practical case-building support, not a regulated legal service. Agreed paid work can include drafting and coaching grounded in the relevant legislation and SEND tribunal procedure. Where your situation needs a regulated legal adviser, I will flag that rather than present consultancy as a substitute.
We discuss delivery timing for the free written next-step summary on the call; there is no fixed turnaround promise. For paid work, we agree timing before the engagement. LA and tribunal deadlines are separate and continue while you seek advice. Check your decision letter and the current official appeal instructions; booking does not pause a deadline.
No. Within an agreed paid scope, I can help examine the strengths and risks of your case, organise the relevant evidence and prepare for the process. The free summary is not a legal merits opinion or an evidence audit. Every case is different, and a previous family’s outcome does not predict yours.
Start by describing the education decision or support difficulty. We can discuss whether it falls within my role and whether a particular service fits. Consultancy does not provide a clinical assessment, diagnosis or treatment.
Yes. I support families remotely across England by video call, email and phone. SEND Navigate is independent of your council and school. In-person hearing attendance is included in the Tribunal + Representation and Complex Tribunal packages as stated in the catalogue; we agree the practical arrangements as part of that engagement.
For the larger packages (Appeal and Tribunal), yes — typically split across two or three instalments tied to project milestones. We'll discuss what works for your situation on the free call.
For the free call, only your brief account of the main issue and any approaching deadline. There is no document pre-reading. Please do not send medical records or a full case bundle with an initial enquiry. If we agree paid work, we will arrange the appropriate document-transfer route.
A short follow-up, normally 1–2 pages, based only on our discussion and your brief account: the issue you described, up to three practical next steps or questions, relevant general resources and whether further scoped paid support could help. It is not a full EHCP/report review, legal merits opinion, evidence audit, personalised drafted LA or school letters, appeal grounds, representation, ongoing casework or deadline management. We discuss delivery timing on the call. Read the full scope.
Yes. You may need help with school SEN Support, an assessment request or a difficult meeting before a plan exists. We will discuss whether your question falls within my role.
That is not a promise I make. My role is to help you communicate concerns, review educational support within an agreed paid scope and prepare for discussions about what your child needs. Health concerns may also need an appropriate clinician. Explore school-distress and EBSA help.
No. The books and free call are optional. You can book the free call without buying anything, or enquire about paid services directly. Paid work starts only after we agree its scope, professional-time allowance and fee.
Yes. IPSEA provides SEND information and advice services. Your local SENDIASS may also be able to help. You do not have to pay a consultant to use your appeal rights.
Say so when you enquire. Booking a call does not pause a deadline, appoint me as your consultant or mean SEND Navigate has accepted responsibility for your case. Follow the current official appeal instructions and seek timely individual advice if needed.
No. The £550 EHCP Review & Strengthening provides an A–K document review and written recommended changes, with up to 11 hours. The £350 Annual Review Support focuses on your parent/carer contribution, proposed amendments and meeting preparation, with up to seven hours. We agree document limits, questions and stage boundaries before work starts.
The document review, annual review and application packages do not automatically include meeting attendance, tribunal representation or clinical assessment. They cannot guarantee a plan, amendment, provision or appeal outcome. Work outside the agreed scope or time allowance requires prior written agreement to a further fee.
Yes. Ask an Expert is an alternative for a focused general SEND or education question. It does not include a full case audit, document review or ongoing casework, and there is no fixed reply-time promise. No book purchase is required.
A general question instead of a call?
Use Ask an Expert for a focused general SEND or education question. You do not need to book a call or buy a book.
This alternative does not include a full case audit, document review, drafted appeal grounds, representation or ongoing casework. There is no fixed reply-time promise. For help with your own documents, enquire about an agreed paid scope.
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Start with the decision or difficulty you are facing
Free 30-minute consultation + written next-step summary. Explain what has happened in your own words. The summary reflects our discussion, not a full review of your documents or legal merits. No obligation; paid scope and fee agreed first.
Book your free 30-minute consultationBooking does not pause deadlines or appoint me as your consultant. Read the full free-summary scope.
Book a free consultation, or send a brief enquiry
Free 30-minute consultation + written next-step summary. Read the scope before booking, then use the calendar — or send a message using the form. An enquiry does not reserve a time.
📅 Book a time now — see live availabilityEmail: stephen@sendnavigate.com
Hours: Mon–Fri 9am–6pm. Evening calls available by arrangement for working parents.
You can enquire about paid work directly; no free call or book purchase is required. For a general question rather than document-based casework, Ask an Expert.
Please include only a brief account initially, not medical records or a full case bundle. There is no document pre-reading for the free call. Booking or sending an enquiry does not pause deadlines or appoint me as your consultant. See the privacy policy for how personal information is handled.