Children do not always fit neatly into one box.
Complex SEND often needs somebody experienced enough to step back, look at the whole picture and identify what actually matters.
When it’s complicated
Some families come to me with one clear question. Others come with a folder of reports, several professionals who each see a different part of the picture, and a child for whom nothing quite seems to fit. That second situation is one I know well, professionally and personally.
Complex cases are where support most easily becomes fragmented: each service doing its part, nobody joining it up, and the child’s day-to-day experience in education getting lost. My role is to bring it back to the child: what is getting in the way, what matters most, and what would make a real difference.
Complex SEND might include situations where:
- several needs overlap, or there are multiple diagnoses
- no single diagnosis explains the full picture
- health, mental health and SEND interact
- sleep is affecting functioning
- school and home see very different presentations
- professionals disagree
- support has become fragmented, or existing provision isn’t working
- attendance has deteriorated
- placement is being questioned
- a child is academically able but cannot consistently access school
- parents have many reports but no clear plan
The needs that are easily overlooked
My postgraduate work has included particular focus on:
This work informs how I think about needs that are easily missed: masking and hidden distress, the relationship between health and educational access, and the danger of assessing need only through behaviour that can be observed. It is why I always try to look at the whole child.
My interest in FND is educational. I don’t diagnose or clinically treat FND or any other health condition.
Education Otherwise Than At School (EOTAS)
EOTAS is sometimes discussed when a school setting isn’t currently accessible for a child. I can help you understand what it means, why it may be raised, the barriers to accessing a school setting, what educational evidence may be relevant, what appropriate provision might need to include, and which questions to ask.
I don’t determine legal entitlement to EOTAS or give legal advice, and I can’t guarantee any decision.
SEND doesn’t stop at Year 11
The GCSE years can be where complex needs collide most sharply with the system: exam pressure, attendance, anxiety, sleep and health, sometimes in a young person who is highly able. Then comes the move to sixth form or college, and the worry that support will simply fall away.
I have managed these transitions as a senior leader, and lived through them as a parent.
For students who are overwhelmed by revision, I also offer Bespoke GCSE Revision Planning.
- SEND through GCSEs, and exam access arrangements
- Attendance during exam periods
- Balancing wellbeing and academic expectation
- Highly able pupils who struggle to access exams
- Transition after Year 11 to sixth form or college
- Post-16 reasonable adjustments, and support continuing beyond 16
Where to start
The SEND Surgery
Often the best first step, even in complex situations: one hour to identify what matters most.
£95Complex SEND Case Consultation
For situations with multiple needs, extensive evidence or several agencies. Scope and fee agreed in advance.
By requestAssessment & Report Review
Many reports, no clear plan? Find out where the recommendations connect, and where they conflict.
from £150You don’t need to know exactly what service you need.
If you’re unsure where to start, The SEND Surgery is designed for exactly that. Bring the problem. We’ll identify what matters, what needs clarifying and what your next steps could be.
£95 | 60 minutes | Online
The SEND Practice is intentionally small, and appointments are released in selected evenings, weekends and school holidays.