SEND Support is Changing. What Does That Mean for Working Parents?

The Government's recent SEND reforms promise a system where children get the right support earlier, mainstream schools are better equipped to meet additional needs and parents don't have to fight quite so hard to get help.

Those are welcome ambitions. But while the system changes, thousands of families are still trying to navigate SEND as it exists today - and for working parents, that can become an enormous additional responsibility.

If your child starts struggling at school, it doesn't take long before you find yourself learning a whole new language. SEND, SEN Support, reasonable adjustments, the graduated approach, EHCPs, EHC needs assessments, Ordinarily Available Provision... it can be a lot to get your head around, particularly when you've never had any reason to know what any of it means before.

For many working parents, supporting a neurodivergent child through school feels like a second job. There are meetings to attend, late night emails to write, reports to understand and decisions to make, often while supporting a child who is becoming increasingly anxious, overwhelmed or reluctant to go to school. 

And although the Government wants more SEND support to happen within mainstream schools, that raises another important question: do the people responsible for coordinating that support have enough time to do it?

Parents usually speak to the school SENCO first, and quite rightly. SENCOs have a hugely important role in mainstream schools, coordinating SEND provision, advising teaching staff and working with families and outside professionals.

What many parents probably don't realise is that being the SENCO often isn't that person's only responsibility.

According to the NASUWT's 2025 Special Educational Needs Survey, 82% of secondary school SENCOs in England have a timetabled teaching commitment. In other words, the vast majority are still teaching alongside their responsibilities for SEND.

When you consider the size of some mainstream secondary schools, that's a lot for one person to manage. There is no rule that says a school must have a dedicated, full-time SENCO once it reaches a certain number of pupils. Instead, government guidance says SENCOs should be given sufficient administrative support and time away from teaching to fulfil their responsibilities.

But what does 'sufficient' actually look like in a secondary school with 1,000, 1,500 or even close to 2,000 pupils?

A SENCO in a large school may be coordinating support for hundreds of children, advising teachers, meeting parents, liaising with Educational Psychologists and other professionals, overseeing SEN Support and contributing to EHC needs assessments - while still having lessons of their own to teach.

None of this is a criticism of SENCOs. Quite the opposite. It shows just how much we're asking one person to manage.

It's an issue the Government itself has recognised. Its 2026 SEND reform consultation talks about SENCOs needing the time, authority and resources to lead SEND provision effectively, while previous Department for Education research has found SENCOs reporting that they don't have enough time to fulfil all of their responsibilities.

The knock-on effect is that parents can end up frustrated and trying to fill the gaps themselves. They naturally turn to school for answers, but an overstretched SENCO may simply not have the time to talk every family through a complicated SEND system.

So parents start trying to work it out for themselves. Should my child be on the SEN register? Can they have support without a diagnosis? What exactly is a reasonable adjustment? What should SEN Support look like? At what point should we think about an EHC needs assessment or EHCP? What happens if my child is struggling to attend school?

These are all consuming big questions, particularly if you've never had any reason to know the answers before. And all the while, parents are still trying to do their jobs.

School meetings happen during working hours. So do phone calls asking a parent to collect a child who can't manage the rest of the day. Assessments and appointments need to be fitted around work, while emails, forms and research have a habit of spilling into evenings and weekends.

This is why Grace's independent neurodiversity advice can be so valuable for working parents. It isn't about having someone who will go into battle with the school. In most cases, parents and schools want the same thing: for the child to be able to learn, feel safe and thrive at school. What parents often need is someone who understands neurodiversity and SEND, has time to listen to what's happening and can help them work out what to do next.

That might mean talking through a school support plan before a meeting, understanding what reasonable adjustments could look like or explaining the EHCP process. Sometimes the question is simply, "This is what's happening with my child. Where do I start?"

For employers, this matters because having a child who is struggling at school doesn't stop affecting you when you start work for the day. Navigating a system you've never encountered before takes time and headspace, often when family life is already under considerable pressure.

Giving employees access to specialist neurodiversity advice won't make those difficulties disappear. What it can do is give parents somewhere to turn without spending evening after evening trying to piece everything together themselves. It can help them understand what they're being told, give them the headspace to prepare for conversations with school and feel clearer about what to do next.

Parents will always be their children's most important advocates. They know the child who comes home from school, not just the child sitting in the classroom. But being an involved parent shouldn't mean having to become an expert in complex SEND policy and education law simply to help your child get the support they need.

Our education system is asking a great deal of SENCOs and teachers. Increasingly, it is asking a great deal of parents too.

At Grace Consulting, our neurodiversity support gives working parents access to someone who understands the system and has the time to help them navigate it. Because when you're worried about your child, the last thing you need is another evening trying to find the answer on Google.

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Neurodiversity support for your employees

Supporting a neurodivergent child can have a significant impact on working life. Grace Consulting provides employee neurodiversity support for organisations that want to offer practical, specialist help to working parents navigating SEND, school support, EHCPs, ADHD, autism and school attendance difficulties.

Our employee benefit services give parents confidential, one-to-one access to experienced neurodiversity consultants who can help them understand their options, prepare for school meetings and work out what to do next.

For employers and HR teams, it's a practical way to strengthen your employee wellbeing and family support benefits, helping employees manage difficult situations at home while remaining supported at work.

Looking to add neurodiversity and SEND support to your employee benefits package? Talk to Grace Consulting about support for your organisation and employees.