SEND Sage is an independent SEND advocacy, guidance, and education service based in Cambridge. Founded by a parent who navigated the SEND system alone, secured an independent specialist school placement, and won a Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman case — all without professional support.

What does SEND Sage offer?

SEND Sage offers advocacy at meetings and reviews, EHCP reviews and EHCNA applications, guidance on SEND rights, signposting to local services, emotional wellbeing support, education and community workshops, and specialist neuroscientific and clinical consultation for tribunal cases.

How do I request an EHC Needs Assessment?

Any parent can request an EHC Needs Assessment (EHCNA) from their Local Authority at any time. Submit the request in writing to the LA's SEN team. The LA must respond within 6 weeks, and if they agree to assess, must issue a final EHCP within 20 weeks of the original request.

What can I do if the LA refuses to assess my child?

If the Local Authority refuses to carry out an EHC Needs Assessment, you have the right to appeal to the SEND Tribunal within 2 months of the decision. Refusals are frequently overturned. SEND Sage can help you prepare your appeal.

Is SEND Sage independent from the Local Authority?

Yes. SEND Sage is entirely independent from Cambridgeshire County Council and any school or provision. We have no financial stake in the outcome and no allegiance to the Local Authority. Our only obligation is to the families we support.

SEND Advocacy · Guidance · Education

You shouldn't have to fight this hard alone.

SEND Sage exists because one parent did — and she knows exactly what it takes. Rooted in Cambridge, built from lived experience.

Get support What we offer

For families facing

EHCP applications & reviews, diagnosis battles, school placements, appeals & tribunal preparation

Our promise

No family should have to become an accidental expert in SEND law just to get their child what they're entitled to.

Cambridge & beyond

Independent, impartial advocacy — with no financial stake in the outcome and no allegiance to the Local Authority.

Our Name

What SEND Sage stands for

Sage means wisdom quietly earned. Something hardy and healing that takes root and grows. It means Cambridge — our home, our community, our foundation.

SEND Sage is for every family who deserves not just support, but someone truly, fiercely in their corner.

Support

Practical, impartial support at every stage — from first suspicion to tribunal.

Advocacy

Someone in your corner who knows the system, knows your rights, and will not be fobbed off.

Guidance

Clear, honest guidance so you always know where you stand and what you can ask for.

Education

Sharing knowledge freely — because no family should have to start from scratch.

Our Story

Born from a journey no parent should make alone

Like so many families, our founder entered the SEND system full of love for her child and determination to get them the support they needed — and found a process that was overwhelming, opaque, and exhausting. Meeting after meeting. Report after report. Decisions that didn't reflect her child's reality, and a system that too often expected families to simply accept them.

She didn't accept them.

After years of fighting — alone, without a guide, without a roadmap — she secured her child a place at an independent specialist school perfectly matched to their needs. She also brought and won a case to the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman, receiving formal recognition and compensation for the failures her family had faced.

She did all of this without the support she deserved.

That is exactly why SEND Sage exists. SEND Sage is the resource our founder wished had existed — and it is built from everything she learned along the way.

Ombudsman case won

Our founder successfully brought and won a case to the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman — receiving formal recognition and compensation for systemic failures. She achieved this without professional support.

The Founder

Experience from every angle

What sets SEND Sage apart begins with its founder — because she has not just experienced the SEND system as a parent. She has studied it, worked inside it, and fought it.

As a professional

Inside the system

She brings NHS experience as a 1:1 Health Trainer, direct work within a SEND team in mainstream education, and qualifications in public health and children's mental health. She knows how schools operate, how decisions are made, and where the gaps between policy and practice fall.

As a parent

Living the reality

She has lived what so many families face — the late nights, the battles, the moments of being dismissed, and the long road to being heard. She knows what it feels like to sit in a room full of professionals and feel completely alone.

As an advocate

Turning it into action

She secured an independent specialist school placement and won a formal Ombudsman case with compensation — both without professional support. She knows exactly what families are up against, because she has been there.

Credentials

NHS 1:1 Health Trainer Public Health Diploma — City & Guilds Children & Young People's Mental Health Qualified ELSA SEND Team — Mainstream Education Safeguarding Trained DBS Checked IPSEA SEND Legal Training — in progress

Specialist Consultants

Science and clinical expertise

SEND Sage draws on a specialist neuroscientist consultant who brings professional and scientific rigour to complex cases.

Specialist Consultant

Neuroscientist

Bringing deep understanding of how neurodivergent and SEND children think, learn, and experience the world. Able to interpret complex Educational Psychologist reports in clear, meaningful terms for families — translating clinical language into something you can actually use.

What We Do

Support at every stage

Advocacy

Supporting you in meetings, reviews, appeals, and formal complaints — so you never have to walk into a room alone.

EHCP Reviews

Thorough, carefully considered reviews to ensure your child's needs are clearly and compellingly represented in their plan.

EHCNA Applications

Supporting and drafting Education, Health and Care Needs Assessment applications on behalf of families — getting it right from the start.

Guidance

Helping you understand your rights, your child's entitlements, and the options available at every stage of the SEND process.

Signposting

Connecting families to a trusted network of alternative provisions, mental health services, and therapies — built over many years.

Emotional Wellbeing

Drawing on ELSA training and mental health qualifications to support the whole child and the whole family — not just the paperwork.

Education & Community

Workshops, resources, and community events — because knowledge should be shared, not gatekept.

Specialist Consultation

Neuroscientific interpretation of EP reports and specialist consultation for complex assessments — through our expert consultant.

Community

Rooted in Cambridge

SEND Sage is part of the Cambridge SEND community — because we live here too. Over many years, our founder has built a trusted network of contacts across the region, including alternative provisions, mental health services, and complementary therapies.

Where SEND Sage cannot directly provide what a family needs, we will signpost with confidence — knowing the people and services we recommend.

The hard-won wisdom of parents and carers is one of the most powerful resources in the SEND world. We exist to connect that community, and to make sure no family starts from scratch.

Seeking a diagnosis

Whether you're just beginning to recognise that something isn't right, or you've been navigating assessments for years — we can help you understand the process and know your rights.

EHCP application or review

From drafting your first EHCNA to challenging a plan that doesn't reflect your child's real needs — we've been through it and we'll guide you through it.

Challenging a decision

If the LA has refused, delayed, or issued something inadequate — we can help you challenge it formally, through complaint or appeal, and understand your options at every step.

Simply need to be heard

Sometimes you just need someone who truly understands. You'll find that here.

Get in Touch

Let's talk about your child

Whether you're at the very beginning or deep in a fight you shouldn't be fighting alone — we're here. Reach out and tell us where you are.

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