SEND at an Independent School: EHCPs, Small Classes and the Questions to Ask

Independent schools can and do support children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), but the framework works differently from the state sector, so the questions you ask matter more. This guide explains what an EHCP means in an independent setting, why class size is often the biggest single factor, and exactly what to ask before you accept a place.

Three terms carry most of the weight in any SEND conversation:

• SEND, special educational needs and disabilities: anything that makes it significantly harder for a child to learn than most children of the same age, or a disability requiring adjustments.
• SENCO, the Special Educational Needs Coordinator: the named member of staff responsible for SEND provision in a school.
• EHCP, an Education, Health and Care Plan: a legal document, issued and maintained by the local authority after a formal needs assessment, setting out a child's needs and the support they must receive.

The national framework is set out in the SEND Code of Practice: 0 to 25 years (GOV.UK), statutory guidance whose core cycle, assess, plan, do, review, is the recognised standard of good SEND practice in any school. Independent schools sit slightly differently within parts of this framework than state schools do, but a good independent school works to the same cycle: identify the need, plan support, deliver it, and review honestly whether it's working. Equality law also protects disabled children in independent schools, including the duty to make reasonable adjustments.

For a plain overview of SEN support and EHC plans generally, GOV.UK's guide is a good starting point: Children with special educational needs and disabilities (GOV.UK).

What an EHCP means when you're looking at independent schools

Two things are worth understanding early:

1. The EHCP belongs to the local authority process, not the school. Assessments, the plan itself and annual reviews run through your council's SEND team wherever your child is educated.
2. Naming an independent school in an EHCP works differently from naming a state school, and arrangements, including funding, vary case by case. If your child has an EHCP, or is being assessed for one, talk to your local authority's SEND team and the school's SENCO early, before you apply, so everyone is clear about what support the plan requires and who will provide it.

If you live in Tower Hamlets, the council's SEND services, support groups and guidance are published on the Tower Hamlets Local Offer. Every local authority must publish one, and it's the right place to understand what help exists locally alongside anything a school offers.

Why class size is the quiet headline

Much SEND support isn't a specialist intervention. It's an adult noticing, early and often. That gets structurally easier as classes get smaller: more teacher attention per child, fewer transitions to manage, quieter rooms for children who find noise hard, and quicker feedback loops between what was planned and what actually happened.

Small classes are not a substitute for specialist provision where a child needs it. But for many children with milder or moderate needs, a class of 15 with an attentive teacher and frequent assessment delivers more day-to-day support than a class of 30 with occasional withdrawal sessions.

The questions worth asking any school

Take this list to every visit:

• Who is the SENCO, and will we meet them before entry? A name and a meeting, not a leaflet.
• What is the actual class size (the maximum, not the average)?
• How will you identify whether the support is working? Ask what assessment happens weekly and termly, and how it reaches you.
• How often will we meet to review progress?
• Have you supported children with needs like my child's before? Listen for specifics, and for honesty about limits.
• What would make you say you couldn't meet my child's needs? Strong schools can answer this; evasion here is a warning sign.
• What are the arrangements and costs for any additional support? Get anything agreed in writing.

How we approach it at Daffodil

We are an inclusive school and consider every application, including from children with SEND and children with an EHCP. Our SENCO is Stephen Montford, the headteacher. In a school with classes of no more than 15, the person coordinating your child's support also knows your child.

The conversation comes first: before any child joins, we discuss their needs with you openly, in both directions. Our admissions assessment exists to understand your child's current level so provision can be planned. It is not a pass-or-fail entrance exam. And because assessment here is weekly, termly and constant, support is reviewed against evidence rather than impressions. See how SEND and inclusion work at Daffodil and how we assess progress.

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