EHCP and SEND support for families in England
When support is missing or an EHCP does not reflect your child's needs, it helps to know what to do next. We review the evidence, prepare the documents and support you through the stage…
Read moreLITTLE NELLIES
No More “Support as Required”: Meet Little Nellies
If you have ever opened an Education, Health and Care Plan and found phrases like “support as required,” “access to support,” “opportunities for,” or “where appropriate,” you already know the problem.
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If you have ever opened an Education, Health and Care Plan and found phrases like “support as required,” “access to support,” “opportunities for,” or “where appropriate,” you already know the problem.
Vague wording sounds helpful. In real life, it can leave your child without clear provision, leave school unsure what must happen, and leave you stuck chasing answers that should have been written into the plan from the start.
That is why we built Little Nellies.
Little Nellies is the parent-facing SEND support brand from Nellie Supports, covering EHCP matters in England. We help families understand decisions, review wording and organise evidence, from an assessment request through to mediation and SEND Tribunal preparation. The right support depends on the stage and the work agreed.
Our aim is plain language, specific recommendations and a clear explanation of the next step.
Your child’s support should be clear, specific, and written down properly.
Who Little Nellies Is For
Little Nellies is for parents and carers seeking help to understand an EHCP decision or the evidence behind a plan.
You might be:
- staring at a refusal to assess letter and wondering what to do next
- reading a draft EHCP that describes your child beautifully but does not secure the support they need
- dealing with vague provision that says who might help, but not what they will do, how often, or for how long
- preparing for mediation and unsure what evidence matters
- facing a SEND Tribunal appeal and feeling overwhelmed by paperwork, deadlines, and council language
We help you understand the stage you are at, what the documents actually say, what is missing, and what needs to happen next.
What We Do
Little Nellies gives parents practical, plain-English EHCP support at the points where families often feel most stuck.
Refusal to Assess Support
If the local authority has refused to carry out an EHC needs assessment, we help you understand the refusal, identify evidence gaps, and prepare a stronger challenge.
The statutory assessment question is whether the child or young person has or may have special educational needs, and whether it may be necessary for provision to be made through an EHC plan. It is not necessary to prove at the request stage that a plan will definitely be issued.
Draft EHCP Reviews
A draft EHCP should not be full of soft promises. It should clearly set out your child’s needs, outcomes, and provision.
We review draft plans line by line and look for:
- vague language
- missing needs
- weak or unsupported outcomes
- special educational provision that lacks the detail or quantification needed to identify what must be delivered
- gaps between professional evidence and what the plan actually includes
- wording that leaves too much room for delay or disagreement
If the plan says “support as required,” we ask: support from whom, doing what, how often, for how long, and where is that written?
Evidence Packs
EHCP decisions often turn on evidence. Parents may have reports, school emails, appointment letters, behaviour logs, professional recommendations, and their own lived experience — but no clear structure.
We help organise evidence into a focused pack that shows:
- what your child needs
- what has already been tried
- what is not working
- what professionals recommend
- where the EHCP or local authority decision falls short
Mediation Preparation
Mediation can feel intimidating, especially when you are expected to discuss your child’s needs with professionals who use formal language every day.
We help you prepare your key points, questions, evidence, and priorities before the meeting so you know what you are asking for and why.
SEND Tribunal Support
When an appeal reaches SEND Tribunal, the paperwork can become heavy very quickly.
Our tribunal support can include help with appeal preparation, evidence organisation, working documents, bundle checks, written arguments, and advocacy through the package you choose.
The aim is simple: help you present your child’s case clearly, calmly, and with evidence behind every point.
Our Services
Draft EHCP Review
A professional review of your child’s draft EHCP, highlighting vague wording, missing detail, weak provision, and areas that need strengthening before the plan is finalised.
Evidence Pack Build
Support to organise your documents into a clear, structured evidence pack that connects your child’s needs to the provision being requested.
Tribunal Preparation and Advocacy
Practical support with tribunal paperwork, working documents, evidence, bundle preparation, and representation where this is included in your chosen package.
Why the Punk Edge?
The visual style is intended to make the information approachable and easy to recognise.
You need clear language, honest feedback, and someone willing to say:
This wording is too vague.This provision is not clear enough.This plan does not yet say what your child needs.Here is how we strengthen it.
The Little Nellies style is bold for a reason. The black-and-hot-pink look, the direct language, and the no-fluff tone all point to the same belief:
Parents should not need a law degree to understand their child’s EHCP.
What to check before choosing support
Before commissioning support, ask who will do the work, what experience they have, what you will receive and what it will cost.
Useful questions include:
- who is responsible for the work, and what relevant SEND experience do they have?
- which decision, plan sections or appeal issues will be reviewed?
- what documents, recommendations or preparation will be provided?
- what is the complete fee, including VAT where applicable, and what work costs extra?
- how will the recommendations be connected to the evidence?
- how will the child or young person’s views and the family’s experience be included?
An EHCP adviser can help explain and present the evidence, but the local authority or tribunal decides the matter. Families can also seek free information from their local SENDIASS, IPSEA or SOS!SEN before deciding whether paid support would add value.
What “Good” EHCP Wording Looks Like
A strong EHCP should not leave everyone guessing.
For example, a phrase such as “access to support” may need further detail.
A stronger plan should explain:
- who will provide the support
- what type of support will be delivered
- how often it will happen
- how long each session or intervention will last
- where the support will take place
- how progress will be reviewed
- what specialist input is needed
Specific wording matters because vague wording can become vague provision.
The SEND Code of Practice says provision must be detailed and specific and should normally be quantified. Education, health and social care provisions have different statutory duties and routes of enforcement; clarity matters across the plan, but those routes should not be treated as identical.
Considering an EHCP review?
Start with the decision letter, draft plan or tribunal directions and the relevant professional evidence.
Check the stage, any deadline and the particular issue you want help to address before commissioning work.
For an initial discussion of the paid service’s scope, use Book your free 15-minute call. Check what the call covers and whether the service fits your situation before instructing.
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Primary sources and official guidance
SEND Code of Practice: 0 to 25 years
Published 6 May 2026