About us
Our Mission.
The SEN Advocate exists to make the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) journey clearer, calmer, and more effective for families. We stand beside parents and young people with practical guidance, compassionate support, and expert advocacy — whether you are applying for an EHCP, challenging decisions, or preparing for key meetings.
Our work is collaborative and outcomes-focused. We partner with families, schools, and Local Authorities to ensure every child receives the education, resources, and services they are entitled to.
Families often contact us when they have a refusal to assess, a draft EHCP that does not describe needs clearly, an annual review that has not led to change, or a tribunal deadline approaching. We help parents understand the legal framework, organise the evidence and decide which issue needs attention first.
The SEN Advocate operates as a private professional advocacy service. SEN advocacy is not regulated by a statutory professional body, so we are clear about our qualifications, experience, fees and scope of work before families decide whether to instruct us.
Core Support
- EHCP support: applications, assessments, reviews, appeals, and annual reviews.
- School meetings: preparation and attendance to make sure your voice is heard.
- Dispute resolution: mediation, guidance, and SEND tribunal preparation.
- Resource navigation: understanding reports, assessments, and available services.
Our approach
Person-centred, practical, and focused on outcomes that matter to your family.
Meet Kate
Kate brings 18+ years of SEND experience as a qualified teacher and specialist advocate. Her background includes senior leadership in education and extensive support for pupils’ academic, emotional, and social needs.
She holds IPSEA qualifications in SEND Law and is a member of the Education Law Association, ensuring advice is grounded in current legal knowledge with a person-centred approach.
Kate's casework focuses on the practical points that change outcomes: whether needs are described accurately, whether provision is specific and quantified, whether professional evidence has been used properly and whether parents have a clear route through mediation or tribunal deadlines.
Meet Matt
Matt has 18+ years of experience working in the education sector. His roles have been wide ranging; Assistant Headteacher, Deputy Headteacher, Head of School, SENDCo and Inclusion Lead.
He holds the NASENCo qualification as well as the National Professional Qualification for Senior Leadership and National Professional Qualification for Headship. He is IPSEA qualified, holds extensive and wide ranging knowledge of various aspects of the SEND system and has worked with various local authorities to support schools, parents and most importantly children get the outcomes and education which they are entitled to.
Matt's school leadership background helps families understand how EHCP provision should translate into daily support, how schools evidence unmet need, and where communication between parents, settings and local authorities has broken down.