INITIAL EDUCATIONAL CONSULTATION

When you need more than a quick conversation.

Sometimes there’s quite a lot going on. You might have concerns about your child’s learning, SEND support, wellbeing or experience of school and be struggling to work out how all the pieces fit together.

This is where we have time to properly get into it. Tell me what’s happening, what you’ve noticed and what’s already been tried. I’ll ask questions, help you make sense of the situation and give you my educational perspective on what you could do next.

£95

Price

60 MINUTES

Duration

ONLINE

Delivery

Book an Initial Educational Consultation

One focused hour, centred on your child and the things you most need help thinking through.

This might be useful if…

  • You’ve got several concerns and aren’t sure how they fit together.
  • Your child is struggling at school and you’re unsure what support could help.
  • You’re questioning whether the support already in place is enough.
  • School has raised concerns and you’re trying to understand what they mean.
  • You’ve received different advice from different people and want to make sense of it.
  • You know something needs to change, but you’re not sure what to ask for next.

You don’t need a diagnosis, an EHCP or a perfectly organised folder of paperwork. We start with what’s happening for your child now.

WHEN THIS CAN HELP

There can be a lot to untangle.

Maybe there’s one thing that’s worrying you, or maybe it’s become difficult to work out where one issue ends and another begins. Learning, friendships, behaviour, attendance, anxiety, SEND support, things happening at home- they don’t always sit neatly in separate boxes.

You don’t need to work out which bit we should talk about before you book. That’s what the consultation is for.

You might be thinking…

  • “Is the support my child is getting at school enough?”
  • “My child is struggling, but I can’t quite work out what’s behind it.”
  • “School says support is in place, but I’m not sure whether it’s actually helping.”
  • “I’m being told different things by different people.”
  • “Things seem to be getting harder and I don’t want to wait until they reach crisis point.”
  • “I’m wondering whether my child might have additional needs.”
  • “I know I need to speak to school, but I’m not sure what I should be asking.”

Or perhaps…

  • Your child is finding learning increasingly difficult.
  • Their behaviour has changed and you’re trying to understand what might be underneath it.
  • They’re anxious about school, reluctant to attend or finding parts of the school day difficult.
  • You’ve got reports, assessments or information from different people and you’re struggling to see the bigger picture.
  • Support has been tried, but you’re not sure what should happen next.
  • You simply want an experienced, independent educational perspective on what’s happening.

Your child doesn’t need a diagnosis, an EHCP or identified SEND for us to have a useful conversation.

Sometimes parents get in touch because they know something isn’t quite right but don’t yet know what it is. That’s absolutely fine. We start with what you know about your child and what’s happening now.

WHAT THIS SERVICE IS

What is an Initial Educational Consultation?

Put simply, it’s an hour where we can properly talk through what’s happening for your child.

I’ll want to hear about your child as a whole person — not just the bit that’s causing concern. We’ll talk about what they’re good at, what they enjoy, what’s going well and where things are becoming difficult. We’ll also look at what’s already happening at school and anything that’s been tried so far.

From there, I can help you make sense of the different pieces, offer my perspective from an education and SEND point of view, and think with you about what might be useful to do next.

You don’t need to come with a solution. My job is to help you think it through.

IN PRACTICE

We’ll look at the whole picture.

  • Your child
  • Their strengths, needs, experiences and what you’ve noticed.
  • School
  • What’s happening day to day, the support already in place and the conversations you’ve had.
  • What’s getting in the way
  • The things that seem to be making learning, attendance, wellbeing or school life more difficult.
  • What happens next
  • The things that might be worth trying, asking, changing or exploring further.

  • I’ll give you my view and explain my thinking, but you know your child. We’ll work through the options together and decide what feels useful and realistic for your situation.

WHAT WE CAN EXPLORE

There’s plenty we can use the hour for.

Every consultation is different because every child and situation is different. We might spend most of the hour getting underneath one particular concern, or there might be several things that we need to bring together.

LEARNING & PROGRESS

When learning isn’t quite clicking

Perhaps your child is finding particular areas of learning difficult, progress has slowed or there’s a gap between what you know they’re capable of and what seems to happen at school.

  • Difficulties with learning or making progress
  • Strengths and areas of need
  • What might be getting in the way
  • Support or adaptations that could be worth exploring
  • Questions about assessment or additional needs

SCHOOL EXPERIENCE & WELLBEING

When school is becoming difficult

Sometimes the concern isn’t simply academic. Your child might be anxious, overwhelmed, struggling with relationships or finding parts of the school day increasingly hard to manage.

  • School anxiety or reluctance to attend
  • Behaviour that may be communicating a need
  • Emotional wellbeing at school
  • Friendships and relationships
  • Sensory or environmental difficulties
  • Transitions and changes

MAKING SENSE OF THINGS

When you’ve got lots of information but no clear picture

You may already have conversations, reports, assessments or advice from different people. Sometimes the difficult bit is working out what it all means for your child in practice.

  • Understanding educational terminology
  • Making sense of recommendations
  • Thinking about what information might be missing
  • Preparing questions for school
  • Deciding which issues need attention first
  • Working out sensible next steps

SEND SUPPORT

Is the right support in place?

You might be trying to understand what SEND Support actually means for your child, whether what’s currently in place is appropriate, or what you could reasonably discuss with school next.

  • Understanding the support currently in place
  • SEN Support and the graduated approach
  • Reasonable adjustments
  • Provision and interventions
  • Individual support or learning plans
  • Whether further assessment might be worth discussing

An Initial Educational Consultation gives me an educational picture based on the information you share with me. It isn’t a formal assessment or diagnosis of your child.

WHAT TO EXPECT

What happens when you book?

I don’t want you to spend the first twenty minutes trying to remember everything you wanted to tell me. A little information beforehand means we can use the hour properly.

Here’s what you can expect before, during and after your consultation.

Before we talk

When you book, I’ll ask you to tell me a little about your child, what’s happening at the moment and what you’d most like help thinking through.

You can also send me up to two short, directly relevant documents beforehand if they’ll help me understand the situation — perhaps a recent school support plan, report or letter.

You don’t need to send me a bundle of documents beforehand.

2

During the hour

We’ll start with what’s brought you to me and the things that matter most to you. I’ll ask questions to build a fuller picture of your child, their experience of school and what’s already been tried.

We might spend most of our time on one issue, or bring several things together. I’ll share my thoughts as we go, explain anything that isn’t clear and help you think through the options.

This isn’t just an hour for you to tell me what’s wrong. We’ll use the time to work things through together.

3

After we meet

After the consultation, I’ll send you a short personalised email summarising the main things we’ve discussed and the next steps we’ve agreed.

That might include questions to take back to school, things to explore further, useful resources or services I’ve suggested, and the priorities we think are worth focusing on first.

You’ll have something to come back to rather than having to remember an hour’s conversation.

What your £95 includes

  • 60-minute online consultation
  • Time to properly explore your concerns
  • Light review of up to two short relevant documents
  • My independent educational and SEND perspective
  • Practical ideas and next steps
  • Questions you may want to take back to school
  • Relevant resources or signposting where useful
  • A short personalised follow-up email

£95 is the full price for the consultation and the follow-up described above. There are no additional charges unless you choose to book further support.

WHAT YOU’LL LEAVE WITH

More than just an hour’s conversation.

I want the consultation to leave you with something useful, not just an hour of interesting conversation.

We might not solve everything in one session, and sometimes there won’t be a quick answer, but you should finish with a clearer understanding of what’s happening, what matters most and what you can actually do next.

MAKING SENSE OF THINGS

A clearer picture

When you’re in the middle of something, it can be difficult to know which bits matter most. Part of my job is to help you step back and look at the bigger picture.

  • What’s going well for your child
  • Where the main difficulties seem to be
  • What’s already been tried
  • What might be getting in the way
  • Which things need attention first
  • What may need exploring further
  • Sometimes knowing what not to tackle yet is useful too.

MOVING FORWARD

A clearer next step

Once we’ve made sense of the situation, we’ll think about what you can realistically do with that information.

  • Practical things that could be tried
  • Questions you might want to ask school
  • Things it would be useful to find out
  • Support or adjustments worth discussing
  • Whether further assessment might be appropriate to explore
  • Other people or services that may be able to help
  • The aim is for you to know what you’re doing next and why.

And you’ll have it in writing.

After our consultation, I’ll send you a short personalised email capturing the main points we’ve discussed and the next steps we’ve agreed.

It isn’t a formal report. It’s something practical you can come back to afterwards, whether that’s to remind yourself of what we discussed, organise your thoughts or prepare for your next conversation with school.

  • Key points from our conversation
  • The priorities we’ve identified
  • Agreed next steps
  • Useful questions to take back to school
  • Relevant resources or signposting, where appropriate

One consultation won’t always resolve everything. What it should do is help you understand the situation better and feel clearer about where to go next.

SCHOOL-SIDE EXPERIENCE

I’ve spent years on the other side of these conversations.

Before setting up SRO Education, I spent 15 years working in schools as a teacher, SENDCO and senior leader. I’ve sat in the meetings, written and reviewed plans, worked alongside families and professionals, and been responsible for putting support into practice.

I understand how schools work from the inside- not just what guidance says should happen, but what provision can look like day to day.

When you tell me what’s happening, I’m thinking about your child’s experience, but I’m also thinking about what might be happening around them. What does school already know? What’s been tried? Is everyone seeing the same picture? Is the support clear enough? Is there something worth asking about differently?

It helps me look at the situation from more than one side.

WHAT THAT MEANS FOR YOU

Advice grounded in how schools actually work.

I understand the language.

SEND Support, provision, reasonable adjustments, assessments, plans and school processes don’t need to remain a collection of acronyms and jargon.

I understand the practicalities.

I know what it’s like to put support into place in a busy school and the questions that can help move a conversation forward.

I can look from both sides.

I can help you think about your child’s needs while also understanding the systems and decisions happening around them.

I’ll be straight with you.

If I think something is worth raising, I’ll explain why. If I think a request is unlikely to address the real issue, I’ll tell you that too.

A FEW THINGS WORTH KNOWING

Before you book.

If you’re thinking about booking, you might still have a few questions about how the consultation works. I’ve answered the ones I’d most want to know before paying for a session.

No. Your child doesn’t need a diagnosis, an EHCP or to be on the SEND register. You might already know that your child has additional needs, or you might simply know that something isn’t quite working and want help thinking it through.

Yes. You can send me up to two short, directly relevant documents before the consultation if they’ll help me understand what’s happening — perhaps a recent support plan, school report or letter.

Please don’t send a large bundle of paperwork. A detailed review of an EHCP, lengthy professional reports or several documents needs more time and isn’t included in this service. If that’s what you need, I’ll help you choose the right option.

No. You don’t need your school’s permission to speak to me and I won’t contact them simply because you’ve booked a consultation.

If speaking to school would be a useful next step, we can talk about how you might approach that during our session.

I’ll help you think about what might be useful to discuss with school and why. That could include questions to ask, information to request, support or adjustments worth exploring, or things you’d like clarified.

I won’t promise that a particular request is the answer before we’ve properly considered your child’s situation.

Yes. I’ll send you a short personalised follow-up email summarising the main points we’ve discussed and the next steps we’ve agreed. Where relevant, I’ll also include useful questions, resources or signposting.

This is a practical summary for you to come back to, rather than a formal assessment or report.

No. I don’t diagnose children through SRO Education, and an Initial Educational Consultation isn’t an assessment.

I can help you think about the difficulties you’re seeing, what information might be useful and whether there are things that could be worth exploring further with school or an appropriate professional.

No. I provide independent educational advice and practical support, not legal advice or legal representation.

If your situation has reached the point where specialist legal advice is what you need, I’ll say so. Where I can, I’ll also point you towards appropriate sources of support rather than pretending it’s something I can provide.

That’s okay. Sometimes an hour will give us exactly what we need; sometimes it will uncover something that needs more work.

I won’t simply run over and surprise you with another charge. We’ll use the time we’ve booked, and if I think further support would genuinely be useful, I’ll explain the options afterwards. It’s entirely up to you whether you want to book anything else.

If it’s clear from the information you send beforehand that another SRO Education service would be a much better fit, I’ll tell you before we meet rather than knowingly use your time on the wrong thing.

And if I think a free service or another professional is actually what you need, I’ll tell you that too.

OTHER WAYS I CAN HELP

Not sure this is quite what you need?

The Initial Educational Consultation is a good choice when there’s quite a lot to talk through and you want time to make sense of the bigger picture. If you need something more specific, one of these might be a better fit.

You don’t need to work through the services in order. Choose the support that fits what you need now.

FREE/30 minutes

Free Clarity Call

If you’re not really sure where to start.

If you’ve got an initial question, want to briefly talk something through or aren’t sure what kind of support would be useful, start here.

Learn more ->

£175/2 hours

Educational Planning Session

If you need a plan, not just a conversation.

More time to bring the different pieces together, decide what matters most and turn your concerns into a clear, practical plan for moving forward.

Learn more ->

£95/60 minutes

EHCP & SEND Review Meeting Preparation

If you’ve got an important meeting coming up.

Focused preparation for an EHCP Annual Review, SEND Support Review or another important meeting, so you know what you want to raise and the questions you want to ask.

Learn more ->

READY WHEN YOU ARE

Ready to talk it through?

If there’s a lot going round in your head, you don’t need to organise it all before you book. Tell me what’s happening and we’ll use the hour to work through it together.

The support will be shaped around your child, your family and the things that matter most to you.

Book this Consultation
Ask Me a Question

KNOWLEDGE. INCLUSION. IMPACT.