Lesson 6.2
Letter: request an assessment
Information, not legal advice. Applies in England. Reviewed June 2026.
This is the letter that starts everything. Send it when you think your child needs more support than their school or nursery can give from its own resources, and you want the Local Authority to formally assess their needs. You can make this request yourself as a parent. You do not need the school to do it for you.
Once the Local Authority receives your request, the law gives it a maximum of 6 weeks to tell you whether it will assess. Send it by email so you have a dated record. This applies in England; check your nation if you are dealing with a Local Authority elsewhere. This is information, not legal advice.
Here is the template. Fill in every bracket and delete anything that does not apply.
To: [LA SEN TEAM EMAIL]. Date: [DATE]. Dear [NAME OR “SEN Team”].
Request for an EHC needs assessment. Child’s name: [CHILD’S FULL NAME]. Date of birth: [DD/MM/YYYY]. Address: [CHILD’S HOME ADDRESS]. School or nursery: [SETTING NAME, OR “not currently in a setting”].
I am the parent of [CHILD’S NAME]. I am writing to request that you carry out an Education, Health and Care needs assessment for [him / her / them] under section 36 of the Children and Families Act 2014.
I am making this request because I believe [CHILD’S NAME] may have special educational needs that call for special educational provision to be made through an EHC plan. The support currently in place is not meeting [his / her / their] needs. My main concerns are: [CONCERN 1]; [CONCERN 2]; [CONCERN 3].
[CHILD’S NAME] currently receives [DESCRIBE CURRENT SUPPORT]. Despite this, [DESCRIBE THE GAP, e.g. they are falling further behind their peers]. I attach the following to support this request: [ANY REPORTS, e.g. school reports, SEN support plans, professional letters].
Please confirm you have received this request, and let me know your decision within 6 weeks as required by the SEND Regulations 2014. If you decide not to assess, please send me your reasons in writing along with information about my right to appeal. You can contact me at [PHONE] or [EMAIL]. Yours faithfully, [YOUR FULL NAME], parent of [CHILD’S NAME].