Speakers

I am the father of four neurodiverse children, two of whom have or have had an EHCP (one initially a Statement of SEN). Both of these had to be fought for – by me.

I have more than 30 years experience of the SEN system in England and of helping children get Statements of SEN and Educational Health and Care Plans.
Around the time of the launch of the September 1994 Code of Practice, when I was still a relatively new and supportive husband – I was assisting my wife in understanding her new role as SENCO in developing a Special Educational Needs Policy and a model for requesting a “Statutory Assessment” - I came to an earlier version of this event and proudly wore a name badge describing myself as a “SEN Consultant”!

For many years, my professional career was as a commercial insurance broker in the City of London. It was there that I developed strong skills in analysing complex documents and legal contracts, condensing and summarising them and forming persuasive and compelling cases and presentations.

My then employer’s preparations for Brexit necessitated a change in career, and with my wife’s support together with the encouragement of a public law barrister friend, I used my transferrable skills from my professional and personal experiences to develop a successful practice as an independent SEN Advocate. I now support parents in navigating the SEN system from requesting an assessment to representation at Tribunal and reviews and extending into exclusion and admission appeals.