SEND Support for Schools | Pupil Premium & EHCP Advice

Specialist SEND, EHCP and psychologically informed planning for schools supporting pupils whose learning, attendance, behaviour or engagement is being affected by unmet need.

When a disadvantaged pupil is not making expected progress, the solution is not always “more intervention”. Schools often need to understand why the pupil is stuck, what barriers are most important, and what support will make the biggest difference.

NavigateSEND helps headteachers, SENCos, pastoral leads and school business managers turn complex concerns into clear, practical plans. We support schools to identify barriers to learning, strengthen SEN support, prepare for EHCP processes, improve parent-school communication, and evidence the impact of pupil premium-funded work.

When schools ask for our help

Schools usually contact NavigateSEND when a pupil is not thriving, but the reason is unclear or disputed. The pupil may already be receiving support, but progress remains slow, attendance is falling, parents are worried, or staff are spending significant time managing the same concerns without a clear plan.

We can help where:

a pupil eligible for pupil premium is not making expected academic progress despite existing school support;
attendance is falling, emotionally based school avoidance is suspected, or engagement is becoming fragile;
behaviour incidents may be linked to unmet SEND, anxiety, communication needs, cognitive barriers or environmental demands;
parents and school staff are seeing the child differently and need a shared, constructive formulation;
SEN support is in place but the provision map is not translating into measurable progress;
an EHCP needs assessment request, reassessment, amendment or annual review needs clearer evidence and strategic framing;
a child with an EHCP is not receiving provision consistently, or the current plan no longer matches need;
the school needs an independent, psychology-informed view before committing to more costly intervention, alternative provision or escalation.

A front-end review before the school spends more

Many school budgets are spent on tutoring, counselling, mentoring, alternative provision or extra adult support. These can all be valuable, but they work best when the underlying barrier has been properly understood.

NavigateSEND sits at the front end of that decision. We help schools clarify whether the main issue is unmet SEND, weak provision matching, attendance anxiety, poor parent-school alignment, a statutory process problem, or a combination of factors. The outcome is a clearer plan for what to do next, who needs to do it, and how impact should be reviewed.

Using pupil premium to remove hidden barriers to learning

Pupil premium is not a personal budget for parents and it should not be used as a general subsidy for families. However, schools can use pupil premium where the spending is part of their strategy to improve disadvantaged pupils’ educational outcomes, is linked to identified barriers, and is monitored for impact.

Our school-funded pupil premium work is designed to support that process. We help schools identify barriers, agree intended outcomes, plan targeted support, and create a short written record that can sit alongside the school’s normal pupil premium, SEND and pastoral review processes.

NavigateSEND may be a good pupil premium-supported option where a disadvantaged pupil needs:

a focused SEND and learning needs review before further intervention is purchased;
an attendance, EBSA or engagement formulation linked to learning and school participation;
a clearer plan for SEN support, classroom adjustments or provision mapping;
support to improve communication between school and family around SEND barriers;
preparation for an EHCP needs assessment request, annual review or reassessment where unmet need is affecting access to education;
evidence-informed planning to reduce the risk of exclusion, placement breakdown or repeated crisis meetings.

The school remains responsible for deciding whether pupil premium is the right funding route and for keeping its own records of rationale, intended outcomes and impact. We can provide a concise impact note to support that record-keeping.

What we offer schools

Service	What this means for schools
Focused identification and planning reviews	A structured review of existing school information, reports and concerns, followed by a concise plan identifying likely barriers and practical next steps.
Psychological consultation and formulation	Consultation with school staff and, where appropriate, parents to understand the child’s presentation across learning, attendance, behaviour and engagement.
Pupil premium-supported SEND reviews	A reduced-rate pathway for eligible school-funded work where the pupil’s disadvantage and SEND-related barriers are affecting educational outcomes.
SENCo case clinics and cohort reviews	A termly or half-termly case clinic for several pupils where the SENCo or pastoral team needs structured external thinking and prioritisation.
EHCP needs assessment and reassessment support	Help to organise evidence, clarify needs, frame school concerns and prepare a clear request where statutory assessment may be needed.
Annual review and EHCP amendment support	Support where an EHCP is out of date, provision is not matching need, outcomes are unclear, or the school needs help preparing for review.
Provision not being delivered reviews	A structured look at what the plan says, what is happening in practice, what gaps exist, and what actions are needed to restore or revise provision.
Attendance, EBSA and engagement planning	Psychologically informed formulation for pupils whose attendance or participation is affected by anxiety, unmet need, family-school mismatch or cumulative school stress.
Parent-school planning meetings	Support to help the school and family move from frustration or disagreement into shared hypotheses, actions and review points.

School packages and pupil premium-supported starting points

Schools can commission one-off support for an individual pupil or a small cohort review for several pupils. Pupil premium-supported rates may be available where the work is school-funded, eligible, and linked to the school’s pupil premium strategy.

Package	Best for	Typical contents	Starting point
School psychological consultation	When staff need expert thinking around a pupil, family concern, attendance issue or SEND barrier.	Consultation with school staff and/or family; verbal advice; next-step recommendations.	£200 per hour standard school rate; £100 per hour for agreed pupil premium-supported work.
Focused identification and planning review	Best first step for a pupil who is not progressing and where the school needs a concise plan.	Document review, discussion with school, brief written planning note and next-step recommendations.	From £600 standard school rate; from £300 for agreed pupil premium-supported work.
School-based psychological formulation meeting	For attendance, EBSA, behaviour, complex SEND or parent-school mismatch.	Preparation, formulation meeting and written summary focused on barriers to attainment, attendance or engagement.	From £900 standard school rate; from £450 for agreed pupil premium-supported work.
SENCo / pastoral cohort clinic	For schools with several pupil premium or SEND cases that need structured review.	Case triage, prioritisation, short action plans and review points for a small group of pupils.	By quotation, using the published school consultation and review rates as the basis.
EHCP and annual review support	For pupils whose statutory plan, request or review needs stronger evidence and clearer framing.	Evidence review, strategic framing, preparation for request, reassessment, annual review, amendment or provision discussion.	Quoted according to the relevant NavigateSEND service and scope.

A focused review or formulation meeting is often a lower-cost first step than repeated unstructured meetings, prolonged staff time, or commissioning a longer-term intervention before the underlying barrier has been clarified.

Bulk support for schools and trusts

For schools with several pupils stuck at the same time, we can build a termly or half-termly support model around a small cohort. This is useful where the SENCo, pastoral lead or senior leadership team needs external structure, but does not want an open-ended consultancy arrangement.

Examples include:

a pupil premium cohort review for 5 to 15 pupils whose progress, attendance or engagement is a concern;
a termly SENCo case clinic to reduce drift in complex SEND cases;
annual review preparation blocks for pupils whose EHCPs need updating;
attendance and EBSA formulation clinics for pupils at risk of persistent absence;
transition reviews for vulnerable pupils moving from Year 6 to Year 7 or into GCSE years;
parent-school SEND planning meetings for cases where communication has become strained.

Bulk arrangements are quoted individually so that the school only pays for the level of review, meeting time and written output needed.

How the school referral process works

Step	Stage	What happens
1	Initial school referral	Tell us who you are worried about, what has already been tried, and what outcome the school needs.
2	Funding and consent check	Confirm whether the work is pupil premium-supported, SEND-funded, core school-funded, or another route. The school remains responsible for its own funding decision.
3	Document and evidence review	Share key information such as SEN support plans, EHCP papers, attendance data, behaviour logs, intervention records, reports and parent concerns.
4	Consultation or formulation meeting	We meet with the relevant school staff and, where appropriate, family members or other professionals.
5	Written plan	You receive a concise written summary with barriers, recommendations, next steps and review points.
6	Impact review	The school reviews progress against attendance, learning, engagement, behaviour, provision and parent-school communication indicators.

What schools receive

Our aim is to leave the school with something practical, proportionate and usable. Depending on the package, outputs may include:

a clear description of the pupil’s likely barriers to learning, attendance, behaviour or engagement;
a concise action plan for school staff, with review points and responsibilities;
recommendations for SEN support, classroom adjustments or further assessment;
a stronger basis for deciding whether an EHCP needs assessment request, reassessment, amendment or annual review action is needed;
a short pupil premium impact note setting out rationale, intended outcomes and review measures;
a clearer communication plan between school and family;
reduced drift in complex cases where staff are concerned but unsure what to do next.

What we do not provide

NavigateSEND is a specialist SEND, EHCP and psychologically informed planning service. We do not replace the school’s safeguarding duties, we do not provide emergency crisis support, and we do not act as the school’s legal representative.

We do not currently provide clinical diagnosis, clinical neuropsychology, medical opinion or therapy. Where a pupil needs clinical, medical, safeguarding or emergency support, we will signpost the school to follow the appropriate statutory, health or safeguarding route.

Can schools use pupil premium to fund NavigateSEND support?

Schools may be able to use pupil premium where the work is part of their strategy to improve disadvantaged pupils’ educational outcomes, is linked to identified barriers, and is reviewed for impact. NavigateSEND can support this by providing a focused review, formulation, action plan and impact note. The school remains responsible for deciding whether pupil premium is the correct funding route.

Is this only for pupils who already have an EHCP?

No. We work with pupils on SEN support, pupils who may need an EHCP needs assessment request, and pupils who already have an EHCP but whose plan or provision may need review.

Do you work with both primary and secondary schools?

Yes. We support primary, secondary and special schools where a pupil’s access to education is being affected by SEND, attendance, engagement, behaviour or parent-school planning difficulties.

Are you an educational psychology service?

NavigateSEND provides psychological consultation, formulation and assessment-informed planning. We are not a local authority educational psychology service and we do not replace statutory professional advice required by the local authority. Our role is to help schools understand needs, organise evidence and plan practical next steps.

Can you help with attendance or emotionally based school avoidance?

Yes. We can help schools think through attendance and engagement difficulties where anxiety, unmet SEND, school stress, family-school mismatch or provision concerns may be contributing factors.

Can you attend annual reviews?

Yes, where this is agreed within the scope of work. We can help schools prepare for annual reviews, organise evidence, clarify whether the EHCP remains accurate and identify where provision or outcomes may need updating.

Can this help reduce exclusions or placement breakdown?

Our work cannot guarantee a specific outcome, but it can help schools identify unmet needs, improve planning, strengthen evidence and reduce drift before concerns escalate further.

Do you work directly with parents?

Yes, where the school and family agree this is appropriate. In many cases, a structured parent-school meeting helps everyone move from disagreement or confusion into a shared plan.

Is this legal advice?

No. NavigateSEND does not provide legal advice or legal representation. We help schools and families understand SEND processes, organise evidence and plan next steps. Where legal advice is needed, schools and families should seek advice from an appropriately qualified legal professional.

What documents should a school share?

Useful documents may include SEN support plans, provision maps, EHCP papers, annual review documents, attendance summaries, behaviour logs, assessment reports, intervention records, school concerns, parent views and any relevant professional advice.

Can schools commission support in bulk?

Yes. Schools can commission support for a small group of pupils, a SENCo case clinic, a pupil premium cohort review, annual review preparation blocks or targeted attendance and engagement formulation clinics.

How quickly can we start?

Timescales depend on availability, urgency, consent, and how quickly key documents can be shared. The quickest route is usually to book a school referral call and identify the right starting package.

SEND and Pupil Premium Support for Schools