Free guide · Written by a SENCO
14 things you can ask your school for without an EHCP
You do not need a plan, a diagnosis letter, or anyone's permission to ask for any of these.
Most parents are never given a list. So they ask for the one thing they have heard of, are told no, and assume that was the end of it.
Everything below sits inside the school's own decision-making, under its duty to make reasonable adjustments for disabled pupils in the Equality Act 2010. Autism will usually meet that definition - with or without a diagnosis, and with or without an EHCP. That matters, because it means a refusal here is a school decision you can question, not a rule handed down from somewhere else.
Pick two. Not fourteen. Ask by email so there is a record, and ask for it to be written into the SEN support plan or pupil profile with a review date - an adjustment that lives in one teacher's goodwill disappears when that teacher does.
The sentence that works
"[Child] is autistic. The difficulty I want to raise is not their understanding of the work - it is [name the effect plainly]. I would like to ask whether we could try [one adjustment], and whether it could be recorded in their plan. What would you need from me to be able to put that in place?"
The school day
1 · A different arrival time
Five or ten minutes before or after everyone else, to miss the corridor - and lateness not sanctioned when it is caused by autism rather than choice.
2 · A named place and a named adult
Somewhere to go when it becomes too much, and a card or signal that gets them there without having to ask out loud in front of the class.
3 · Somewhere else at break and lunch
A quiet room or a club instead of the yard, and permission to eat away from the hall or not to queue.
4 · Uniform adjustments for sensory reasons
Fabric, labels, shoes, tie, PE kit - recorded in writing so that no individual teacher can overrule it.
5 · Advance notice of change
Cover teachers, room changes, fire drills, non-uniform days, visitors. Most distress attributed to "rigidity" is actually the absence of information.
Lessons
6 · Fixed seating, chosen by them
Back, edge, near the door, away from the window, away from one particular person.
7 · Instructions in writing as well as spoken
And checked for literal clarity, because "have a go at the next bit" is not an instruction.
8 · Processing time, and no cold-calling
Not being put on the spot, not being made to read aloud or present to the class, and not being placed in a randomly assigned group.
9 · A laptop, and copies of notes or slides
Typing instead of handwriting, and not having to listen and record at the same time.
10 · Adjusted homework
Reduced, or done at school, where the cost to the evening is out of proportion to the work. What school sees as twenty minutes is often two hours at your kitchen table.
Behaviour, tests and transition
11 · The behaviour policy applied with adjustment
No detention, isolation or removal for a shutdown, for going quiet, or for leaving a room in distress. These are consequences of autism, not choices, and punishing them is a legal risk for the school as well as a harm to your child.
12 · A written plan for meltdowns and shutdowns
Made with you, and seen by every member of staff who teaches your child - including cover staff.
13 · Adjustments in mocks and internal tests
Extra time, breaks, a separate room, a laptop. This is entirely the school's own decision - and it is what builds the evidence for exam access arrangements later.
14 · Transition support
Extra visits, photographs of rooms and staff, a map, a named contact for the first term, and a proper handover between schools.
One question to end every conversation with: "How will we know this is happening?"
An adjustment nobody checks is an adjustment that quietly stops. Agree the review date in the same email.
If you want the whole thing
Getting What Your Child Needs at School
The full parent's pack: what the law requires, what evidence a school needs, when to start, the emails to send, how exam access arrangements are secured, and what to do when the answer is no. Written by a SENCO, in eleven parts, with a meeting pack to take with you.
See the packShare this page with anyone it would help - that is what it is for.
This guide covers the Equality Act duty on schools, which applies across England, Scotland and Wales; Northern Ireland has equivalent legislation. It is general information for parents and carers, not legal advice. Confirm current requirements with your school's SENCO or exams officer.