The team at SOS! Special Educational Needs (SOS!SEN for short!) is thrilled to welcome you to our brand new blog. It's here that we'll share inspiring interviews, useful articles and charity news, so you can keep up with what we're up to and see that you're not alone.
If you're new to SOS!SEN, here's a little about us as a charity.
Founded in 2002 and registered as a charity since 2013, SOS!SEN is a national charity supporting parents and carers navigating the complex landscape of SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities). Our mission is to provide a comprehensive range of information, advice, signposting and support to empower parents to navigate the intricate legal and bureaucratic processes inherent in securing SEN support in schools and colleges. This is done through 1:1’s, EHCP (Education, Health and Care Plan) checks, working documents, pre-action protocol letters (PAP), grounds of appeal (GOA), webinars, a free, national Helpline and several free, walk-in Advice Centres dotted around the England. The team is a small but mighty one, supported by over 100 fantastic volunteers, all with experience of SEND personally or professionally.
Did you know?
- Children with mental health needs so severe that they’re classified as SEN are 17 times more likely to be educated in Alternative Provision schools rather than mainstream.
- Children with school-identified SEN are five times more likely to be permanently excluded.
- The Children's Commissioner has suggested that 13,100 children left state education between the spring terms of 2022 and 2023, to be taught at home. 1/3 were SEN children.
- 72% of pupils with an EHC plan in 2024 are boys, and 62% of pupils with SEN support are boys.
- Pupils with SEND are more likely to be eligible for free school meals. 42.2% of pupils with an EHCP and 38.3% of pupils on SEN support were eligible for free school meals in January 2024 compared to 21.4% of pupils without SEND.
In 2024 SOS!SEN supported 3400+ families looking for guidance with a child or young person with SEND being welcomed and supported in an educational setting. By the end of 2025, this is set to reach nearly 6000. The journey for many families can be long and isolating. When a school, college or nursery can’t meet the additional SEND support required on their own budget, an EHCP is required. This is a legally binding document outlining a child or teenager’s special educational, health, and social care needs. The document has to list all of the child’s special educational needs, and specific, detailed, quantified provision to meet them. The school/setting must be named. In 2023, only 50.3% EHCP’s were issued within the statutory 20-week time limit and there were 15,615 appeals registered. With a 90% success rate on our PAP (Pre-Action Protocol) Letters Project, SOS!SEN is at the forefront of supporting these EHCP processes and appeals, ensuring parents and carers can navigate the process with advocacy and confidence in the rights of their child.
We're here to help you secure the right SEN provision for your child.
Investing in families. Expanding our reach. Strengthening our future.
Find out more by visiting our website - www.sossen.org.uk
