Blog

Plain English on SEND, EHCPs and the system behind them.

Written from real cases, real council data and real law — 12 posts and counting.

The evergreen guide

How to get an EHCP for your child.

Who qualifies, what the law actually says, and what to do when the system lets you down — the plain-English walkthrough every other post builds on.

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EHCP basics

How to Write a Strong EHC Request Letter

Your EHC request letter is your first legal document. Here's exactly what to include, what the law requires, common mistakes to avoid, and how to give your application the best pos…

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Refusals & tribunals

EHCP Refused: What to Do Next

If your child's EHCP request has been refused, you have the right to appeal. Here's what the law says, what LAs are required to do, and exactly how to challenge a refusal.

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Data & the system

We asked all 152 English councils about SEND under the Freedom of Information Act. Here's what came back.

Two Freedom of Information requests to every English local authority — 54 questions on SEND money, deadlines, tribunals and staffing. The verified results: £883.6m of independent-p…

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Refusals & tribunals

The grandmaster on your side: how a parent just made their council concede

A real Pathway parent just made their local authority concede. The work was theirs — but Pathway gave them the case law, the precedent, and the move-by-move strategy councils' own …

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EHCP basics

How EHCPs are actually funded — the £25k-per-child explainer

EHCPs are funded from three stacked sources: school AWPU, school's notional SEND budget, and the LA's top-up. We break down what's in each layer, how LA banding matrices set the to…

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AI & safety

Your Child's Data Is Redacted Before AI Ever Sees It

Before any document you upload reaches Claude, Pathway strips every personal identifier — name, NHS number, address, UPN — server-side, not as a client-side promise. Here is the pr…

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AI & safety

Pathway and AskEllie: two ways UK SEND parents are finding support

AskEllie offers personal, written SEND support per service. Pathway offers AI built on SEND law for unlimited use at £12.99 a month. Here is how they compare and when each one fits…

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Data & the system

95% of SEND tribunal cases are won by families. LAs know they're going to lose before they send the plan.

Nine in ten local authorities are in deficit. Half of all Educational Psychologists say they cannot cope. The government just wrote off over £5 billion in SEND debt. Here's what th…

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Refusals & tribunals

SEND Tribunal: What Parents Need to Know

Parents win 95–99% of SEND tribunal appeals. Here's what the tribunal process involves, what decisions you can appeal, what evidence you need, and how to prepare without a solicito…

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Refusals & tribunals

Vague EHCP Provisions: How to Spot and Challenge Them

Vague provision in Section F of an EHCP is unenforceable — meaning your child won't get what the plan promises. Here's how to identify vague language and force the LA to make it sp…

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EHCP basics

What is an EHCP and Does My Child Qualify?

Everything parents need to know about Education, Health and Care Plans — what they cover, who qualifies, and how to start the process under the Children and Families Act 2014.

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AI & safety

When AI Lies: Three Questions That Exposed the Most Dangerous Failure Mode in SEND AI

We asked ChatGPT, a popular SEND chatbot, and PathwayAI three questions about a case, a regulation, and a Code paragraph that do not exist. Two confidently fabricated. One refused …

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