Support SEND Kids

27/10/2025

Massive shout out to for taking part in the Great South Run to raise funds for Support SEND Kids. You are amazing! We are so grateful for your support.

The AJ Bell Great South Run has been the world's most famous 10-mile run for over 30 years, and each year it gets even better! Starting and finishing on the glorious seafront, the event provides stunn

16/05/2025

Our latest newsletter: Summer of Giving showcases what our amazing supporters are getting up. If you, your family & friends, value the work we do at Support SEND Kids, would you consider giving too?

Taking part in an event this summer? Half marathon? Cake sale? Cycle to Paris? Sponsored BBQ? Whatever you have committed to, commit to us too! Fundraise for us and help SEND children.

Our website saw over 26,000 visits in the last 12 months, as families seek advice to make sense of their SEND child's legal rights to an appropriate education. Help TRIPLE the number of SEND families we help in the year to come.

We know times are tough for everyone so raising funds is a hard ask but it is vital that SEND children are not forgotten. The charity was founded in lockdown, when SEND children were the first to have their legal rights to a suitable education, ignored. We continue to fight for SEND children to be given the education and opportunities to which they have a legal right. Please help us, help them, sharing free legal guidance – and helping children be the best version of themselves.

Our charity partners give so much in their commitment to our cause, so big shout outs to The Barrister Group, Totum Partners and the smaller groups of passionate parents who see the value in our work.

Every pound makes a difference!

Donate here: https://www.paypal.com/donate?campaign_id=SU9PNXVH94YNA
Read our newsletter to learn more: https://preview.mailerlite.io/preview/723259/emails/154460856301651761
Choose us as your charity partner on Just Giving here: https://www.justgiving.com/supportsendkidslimited

Rachel Amos .tamara Emily Foges Withers Sheen Ogilvie gilvie

16/05/2025

Delighted to announce our new partnership with Welsh charity SNAP Cymru (). Due to the change in Welsh law, moving to the new Welsh ALN (Additional Learning Needs) from the English SEN system, we needed to provide new legal guidance for children in Wales. This lead to our collaboration with Civitas Law and the publication of our Nodi No-nonsense Guide to ALN law. We want to bring legal guidance to all Welsh families who have children with additional needs, which is why we are delighted to announce a new partnership with SNAP Cymru who have been active in Wales for over 30 years.

SNAP Cymru is a Welsh national charity which supports families of children and young people with ALN. Like Support SEND Kids, SNAP believes: “that good quality information can help children, young people and their families know what to expect and to make informed decisions.”

Working together we’ll combine our complementary strengths, with Support SEND Kids providing training, on Additional Learning Needs law and the Equalities Act, to the SNAP team, broadening and accelerating support given to all families. We look forward to our work together.

Go to Nodi No-nonsense Guide to ALN law: https://supportsendkids.org/content/resource/158/nodi-no-nonsense-guide-to-aln-law-wales?parentId=157
Read more about our work with SNAP: https://www.snapcymru.org/alnlaw/

12/03/2025

Support SEND Kids is delighted to be chosen as the 2025 charity partner for The Barrister Group. We share a commitment to bringing law to those who need it most. Our focus is on children with SEND (special, educational, needs or disabilities) struggling in the education system. Barristers who specialise in the SEND legal landscape offer their knowledge pro bono. Their guidance assists families in achieving the education and opportunities for their children to which they are entitled. We look forward to working with the outstanding and passionate The Barrister Group lawyers in the year ahead. Keep up to date with our collaboration here: https://thebarristergroup.co.uk/charity

Our partnership will be officially launched at The Barrister Group Spring Conference next week. Such a popular event only waiting list places available. Please sign up here to register your interest: https://thebarristergroup.co.uk/springconference

Donate to our work: https://www.paypal.com/donate?campaign_id=SU9PNXVH94YNA

04/03/2025

Matrix Chambers and Landmark Chambers are committed to giving clear, accurate guidance to those involved in SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities). David Wolfe KC (Matrix) and Leon Glenister (Landmark) continue their long-term commitment to Support SEND Kids by producing, pro bono, the annual Noddy No-nonsense Guide to SEN law.

This invaluable Guide, aimed at legal professionals, tribunal judges and parents, has been regarded as the authoritative guide to the law, by the SEN community for nearly 20 years. The 2025 edition, updated with the latest case law and other interesting legal developments, has just been published (01 March 2025).

It is available on our website: for download, order in print ([email protected]) or access as interactive Q&A - allowing you to bookmark, share with others and engage with the authors on individual questions.

Noddy No-nonsense Guide to SEN law: https://supportsendkids.org/content/resource/161?parentId=157

11/12/2024

Our new website is now live. Visit us to discover more legal help for SEND families. Support SEND Kids is a charity that helps children with SEND access education, and opportunities, to which they have a legal right. With a huge thank you to the The Hall School Tri Team and Tour de Godwin for raising the money for this work. We can now bring far more support to many more families battling for the right education for their SEND children.

(Accessibility description: video shows the evolution of our website design, with a story map, user experience, Figma designs and final website shown on a desktop and mobile phone. The text says: With more legal help for SEND families. Visit supportsendkids.org)

27/11/2024

Our report "Fighting for your SEND child: the hidden costs" continues to raise awareness of the huge impact on Mothers.

Hannah Fearn writes in iNews today: "Women’s lives are being irreversibly damaged by the crisis in our education system which is leaving children with SEN unsupported, and often without a school place."

Our research backs up our anecdotal evidence, that 3 in 4 parents have had their working lives significantly disrupted, of which 90% were women.

Hannah Fearn goes on to say: "A survey of SEND parents published in September found that 41 per cent had stopped working, with another one in three (33 per cent) reducing their hours. The research by Support SEND Kids found the impact falls disproportionately on mothers: almost half (47 per cent) of women had quit their job entirely."

Read the article in full:

Four in 10 parents of children with special educational needs have stopped working, and mothers are hit the hardest

18/11/2024

The deadline to complete this survey is 10am this morning (Monday 18 Nov). Please give Contact - For families with disabled children group your thoughts on Transport Matters for Disabled children. Thank you.

Take this survey and help Contact campaign for better transport for disabled children and young people

12/11/2024

Families in Wales - this one is for you! We are delighted to announce the launch of our Nodi No-nonsense Guide to ALN Law in Wales. FREE guide for legal professionals, schools, local authorities and parents. All the answers you need in one place. Made possible by the Civitas Law education team.

View here on our free charity Q&A platform, where you can search, scroll, comment or bookmark individual Q&A: https://supportsendkids.org/?topics%5B0%5D=nodi+no-nonsense+guide+to+aln+law+in+wales

Alternatively, download here: https://supportsendkids.org/question/1730810123175

Order a print copy, drop us a message in chat.

This has been made possible with the incredible commitment and in-depth knowledge of the Civitas Law education team. With huge thanks to authors: Cathrine Grubb, Owain Rhys James, Alys Elen Williams, Isabelle Knight, Crash Wigley (Civitas) with David Wolfe KC (Matrix) originator & co-author of the Noddy No-nonsense Guide to SEN Law.

Our information is FREE to everyone. However, if you are a professional, you might consider making a donation to Support SEND Kids so we can share this valuable guidance with even more families struggling in the ALN legal system. Thank you.

Donate here: https://www.paypal.com/donate?campaign_id=SU9PNXVH94YNA

Rachel Amos Tamara Franks Emily Foges Tamsin Ogilvie Melanie Sheen

10/09/2024

BBC report SEN kids missing from school refers to our recent research into 'Fighting for the SEND child: the Hidden Costs'. Our data shows that 3 in 4 SEND parents have to change their working pattern, reducing hours or quitting work entirely, in order to provide the support their child needs.

The children's commissioner says it is a "scandal" that these children "are not on anybody's radars".

10/09/2024

As a charity we rely on donations. We are so grateful to everyone who is moved by our cause and supports us. But the Totum Partners fundraising team really does go above and beyond!

Totum Partners have been generously supporting us for the last 3 years. This long term commitment gives the charity a robust bedrock of support. The impact of this is huge. As a young charity, the last 3 years have seen us grow with Support SEND Kids legal content accessed over 150,000 times! With 400%+ increase of sign-ups to our free Q&A. And our reach having a significant impact, with BBC News and Sky News picking up our recent research on the Hidden Costs of SEND, in the last few days.

Thank you to the Totum Partners team, the Totum community and the ever loyal family and friends who will be cheering on the participants in this year's Ultra Challenge 100k Thames Path walk next weekend. With your help, we will enable better outcomes for more SEND children.

Just Giving: https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/totum-foundation-charity-partners



The Support SEND Kids charity brings together SEND families, lawyers, schools and local authorities to share questions and answers. SEND lawyers give information, for free, to help everyone around the child achieve the best outcomes in education and life beyond.

09/09/2024

raises awareness of our latest research “Fighting for your SEND child: the hidden costs”. Our research highlights a shocking 3 in 4 parents of SEND children have their working life affected, having to cut hours or give up work entirely.

This hidden cost is due to: weakness in the EHCP system, lack of specialist after-school & holiday care, increased demand on parents time at appointments and having to take children out of school when the school can’t cope.

Support SEND Kids trustee, Caroline Withers, in her interview with Sky, draws attention to local authorities holding back EHCP provision. The Support SEND Kids charity helps parents understand the law on SEN & Disability to help them achieve the education to which their child is entitled.

Find your answers, visit Support SEND Kids: https://supportsendkids.org. Our lawyers answer your questions for FREE helping all SEND families get a better outcome.

https://news.sky.com/story/three-out-of-four-parents-of-children-with-special-educational-needs-and-disabilities-forced-to-give-up-work-or-cut-hours-sky-news-learns-13210125?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR2mBzFwXZNh5caqjpZWiDuliRKWZpq3b82lB4JDMw6uhOWEnk8mbIOq1aA_aem_Hk68f8ZzzVlXZcKm0dMnzA =https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F&cap=swipe,education&webview=1&dialog=1&viewport=natural&visibilityState=prerender&prerenderSize=1&viewerUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2Famp%2Fs%2Fnews-sky-com.cdn.ampproject.org%2Fc%2Fs%2Fnews.sky.com%2Fstory%2Fthree-out-of-four-parents-of-children-with-special-educational-needs-and-disabilities-forced-to-give-up-work-or-cut-hours-sky-news-learns-13210125%3Fusqp=mq331AQIUAKwASCAAgM%25253D&_kit=1

In a survey commissioned by Sky News, parents of children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) said maintaining a job is difficult due to a lack of local authority help, while others blamed not enough school support and lack of employer flexibility.