When a local authority carries out an EHCP needs assessment, they will ask you to submit a parental statement. This is your written account of your child's needs, your experiences as their parent, and what you think needs to be in place for them to thrive.
Many parents underestimate how much weight this document carries. Professionals will read it. The local authority will refer to it when drafting the EHCP. If the case ever goes to tribunal, it becomes part of the evidence. Getting it right matters.
This guide walks you through exactly what to include, how to structure it, and what the most common mistakes are.
The parental statement is not a test. There is no wrong way to describe your child. Write honestly, use your own words, and focus on what you see at home. You know your child better than anyone in that local authority office.
What the parental statement is for
The local authority is gathering evidence from multiple sources during the assessment: school, health professionals, social care if relevant, and you. Each source gives a different view of your child.
Your contribution covers things no professional report can. What mornings look like. How long it takes to wind down after school. What happens when a routine changes. What your child can do at home that they cannot do in class, or the other way around. These details matter and they belong in your statement.
The statement feeds directly into Section A of the EHCP, which is titled "The views, interests and aspirations of the child and their parents." But good parental evidence will also shape Sections B, C, D, E, and F, which cover needs, health, social care, outcomes, and provision.
The four areas of need
The SEND Code of Practice organises needs into four areas. Your statement should address whichever of these apply to your child. You do not need to use the official headings, but structuring your thoughts around them helps.
Communication and interaction
How your child communicates. Whether they find it hard to understand what others mean. Whether they struggle to express themselves. How they manage in conversation, especially with people they do not know well.
Cognition and learning
How your child learns. Whether they find reading, writing, or maths harder than expected for their age. Whether they need things explained differently. How they manage with homework or independent tasks.
Social, emotional and mental health
How your child manages their feelings and behaviour. Whether anxiety, low mood, or emotional dysregulation affects daily life. How they are around other children. Whether school is causing them significant stress.
Sensory and physical
Whether your child is over or under sensitive to sound, light, touch, smell, or movement. Any physical difficulties that affect learning or daily life. How sensory differences show up at home.
What to actually include
Work through each area that applies to your child and describe what you see. Use specific examples rather than general statements wherever you can.
These are the things that are most useful to include:
- What a typical day looks like, from waking up to bedtime
- What triggers difficult moments and how long they last
- What your child can and cannot do independently
- How your child is different at home compared to what school reports
- What strategies help and which ones do not
- How their needs affect your family life
- Your child's strengths, interests, and what they enjoy
- What your child says about school, if they are able to express this
- What you want the EHCP to achieve for your child
Specific versus vague: the difference it makes
The most common mistake in parental statements is being too general. Vague statements are hard for decision-makers to act on. Specific ones are not.
Vague"He struggles to communicate with other children."
Specific"At parties or group activities, he will stand at the edge of the room and watch. He has told me he wants to join in but does not know how to start. Twice last term he left birthday parties early because the noise and unpredictability were too much. He came home both times and cried for over an hour."
Vague"Mornings are very difficult for us."
Specific"Getting ready for school takes between 90 minutes and two hours every day. She cannot sequence the steps without being prompted at each stage. If anything changes, for example the usual cereal is out of stock, it can result in a meltdown that makes her late for school. This has happened six times in the past half term."
Think in scenes, not summaries. Describe what you would see if you filmed a typical difficult moment. The time, the setting, what triggered it, what happened, how long it lasted, and how your child was afterwards. That level of detail is what makes a parental statement useful.
Your child's views
Section A of the EHCP is specifically about your child's own views and aspirations. If your child is able to express these, include them. You do not need a formal consultation. You can include things they have said to you in passing, things they have drawn or written, or your summary of conversations you have had with them.
If your child is not yet able to communicate their views in words, describe what brings them joy, what they find hard, what they reach for, and what they avoid. These observations count.
What you want from the EHCP
End your statement with a clear section on outcomes: what do you want the EHCP to achieve for your child? Think about the next one to three years. What would meaningful progress look like? What provision do you believe your child needs?
You do not have to use technical language here. Plain English is fine. Saying "I want her to be able to eat lunch without becoming overwhelmed by the noise in the dining hall" is more useful than vague statements about social inclusion. The more specific you are about what good looks like, the easier it is for the local authority to write it into the plan.
What to avoid
- Do not only describe your child at their best. Be honest about hard days.
- Do not copy professional reports. This is your view, in your words.
- Do not worry about length. A thorough statement is better than a short one.
- Do not minimise difficulties because you feel disloyal to your child. You are advocating for them.
- Do not wait for a diagnosis before describing what you see. Undiagnosed difficulties are still real difficulties.
Format and practical tips
There is no required format for a parental statement. Some parents write it as a letter, others use headings for each area of need. Both work. Use whatever helps you organise your thoughts.
Keep a copy of everything you submit. Note the date you sent it and how. If you email it, request a read receipt or a brief reply confirming receipt.
If you have a diary of incidents, sleep logs, or records of difficult moments, attach them. Raw data, even a few weeks of it, can be more powerful than a polished narrative.
Need help writing it?
The EHCP Preparation Toolkit Modules 3 and 4 walk you through writing your parental contribution step by step, including guided prompts for each area of need, an evidence organiser, and a parental statement planner. Designed for England. Plain English throughout.
Get Modules 3 and 4