What the letter needs to do
Your letter has two audiences: the LA caseworker who reads it initially, and potentially the SEND Tribunal if the LA refuses and you appeal. A well-written letter:
- Puts the LA on formal statutory notice that you are requesting an EHC needs assessment
- Demonstrates that your child has, or may have, special educational needs
- Shows that existing SEN support has not been sufficient to meet those needs
- Makes a clear case that assessment may be necessary
- Creates a dated record of your request that you can refer to later
Where to send your letter
Send your letter to the SEND team (sometimes called the EHC team or SEND assessment team) at your local authority. Most LAs publish this contact on their SEND Local Offer website. If you cannot find it, contact the LA's main SEND number and ask for the correct address.
Send by email (and keep the sent email with the date) or by recorded post. If posting, the 6-week window begins on the date the LA receives the letter, not the date you sent it — so allow for postage time or send by both email and post simultaneously.
What to include: section by section
- 1
Open with a clear statutory request
State in your first sentence that you are requesting an EHC needs assessment under section 36 of the Children and Families Act 2014. Name your child, give their date of birth, and confirm their current school or setting. This puts the LA on clear statutory notice.
- 2
Describe all areas of SEN
Cover every area of difficulty: learning and academic progress, communication and language, social and emotional wellbeing, sensory needs, and any physical or medical needs that affect education. Use specific examples — not 'struggles with reading' but 'reading is 3 years below chronological age, he reads at Year 2 level in Year 5 despite phonics intervention for two years'.
- 3
Set out the support already tried and why it has not worked
Describe the SEN support that has been in place at school — interventions, TA support hours, specialist programmes, group work. Then explain what outcomes were achieved and why this support has not been sufficient. Specific examples and data (progress scores, teacher reports) are powerful here.
- 4
Reference professional involvement
List every professional who has assessed or worked with your child. For each one, give their name and role, the date they were involved, and what they found or recommended. Attach copies of reports. If reports have not yet been completed, say so and explain that assessment is pending.
- 5
Explain the impact on your child
Describe how your child's unmet needs affect them — in school, at home, and socially. Anxiety, school avoidance, falling friendships, deteriorating self-esteem, physical symptoms of distress. The Tribunal and LA need to understand the real-world impact, not just the theoretical needs.
- 6
State why you believe assessment may be necessary
In your conclusion, explicitly state that you believe an EHC needs assessment may be necessary because existing SEN support has not been sufficient to meet your child's needs. You do not need to prove that an EHCP will be issued — only that assessment may be needed to determine what EHC provision is required.
Opening phrases that work
Standard opening
"I am writing to request that [LA name] carries out an EHC needs assessment of [child's full name], date of birth [DD/MM/YYYY], who currently attends [school name]. This request is made under section 36 of the Children and Families Act 2014."
If you have already informally raised concerns
"Following our previous correspondence about [child's name]'s needs, I am now formally requesting an EHC needs assessment under section 36 of the Children and Families Act 2014. The concerns outlined below have not been resolved despite existing SEN support."
Writing about evidence you do not yet have
If you are waiting for professional assessments — for example, your child is on an NHS SALT waiting list, or an EP assessment has been requested but not yet carried out — include this in your letter. Write something like:
This shows the LA that more evidence is coming and prevents them from refusing simply because all assessments are not yet complete.
Letter checklist: before you send
- Letter opens with a clear statutory request under section 36 CFA 2014
- Child's full name, date of birth, and school are stated
- All areas of SEN are described — not just the most visible difficulties
- Support already tried is described with specific examples
- Evidence of why existing support has not been sufficient
- Professional reports are attached or referenced
- Impact on your child is described — academic, social, emotional, home
- Pending assessments are mentioned and explained
- Letter is signed and dated by you as the parent or carer
- You have the correct email address for the LA's SEND team
- You have kept a copy and noted the date you sent it
Common letter mistakes to avoid
- Using vague language ('has difficulties') instead of specific examples ('reading age 3 years behind, no progress in 18 months of intervention')
- Omitting areas of need because they seem less obvious — cover social, emotional, and sensory difficulties as well as academic
- Not attaching professional reports — the more evidence the better
- Not mentioning pending assessments — add them even if incomplete
- Writing to the wrong department — check the LA's SEND team contact on the Local Offer
- Not keeping a dated copy of the letter and any email confirmation
- Using very formal or legal language that obscures the real picture of your child's needs
What your pack includes
- AI-drafted EHC needs assessment request letter personalised to your child's situation
- Parent evidence prompt — structured questions to help you cover every area of need
- Evidence attachment checklist — what to include and how to reference it
- Chronology of support tried and why it has not worked
- Follow-up letter template — for chasing the LA's decision at the 5-week mark