WELCOME TO SKYLARKS SEND ADVICE SERVICE
We provide a comprehensive advice service regarding education matters for children and young people (0-25 years) who have special educational needs & disabilities. Please read to find out more.
How to access the SEND Advice Service
Firstly, you need to register with Skylarks which you can do
here if you haven't already done so.
Next, you just need to decide how you wish to access the service. We aim to be as accessible as possible with appointments you can book in advance, as well as being able to email and phone at your convenience.
Bookable appointments:
- You can book a 30 minute video/phone call appointment in advance here. These take place Monday-Friday between the hours of 10-4pm subject to availability.
- If you prefer to see us in-person you can book a 1:1 45 minute face to face appointment which takes place at The Crossway Centre, Twickenham, TW1 2PD during term time on alternate Tuesday afternoons (2.30-5.30pm) and Friday mornings (10-12pm). Details are here.
Phone or email - no booking required
- Do you have a quick question? Please email education@skylarks.charity and we will email you back with the answer if we can. This service is aimed at dealing with issues that only take a few minutes to answer. It is unsuitable for queries that require us to review several documents, or if it needs a call to confirm details. If after receiving your question, we feel more time is needed we will email you to book an appointment.
- You are welcome to call us on 07494 849013 during office hours Monday-Friday. We may be in a meeting with another family, so please leave your name, phone number , and details of when would be the best time to return your call. You can also email us on education@skylarks.charity with a brief outline of your request and to let us know when the best time is to call you back.
Resources
We have information & Fact Sheets available about key topics on the
Resources page.
FAQ ABOUT THE SEND ADVICE SERVICE
Who will I speak to?
Michaela Eggleston manages the service, with her colleague Asya Kayani. They are SEND Education Advisers who have extensive experience in this field. On average they advise 500 families a year on all matters relating to education for children and young people with SEND. They are not solicitors, so therefore are not giving legal advice. But they have completed IPSEA Level 1-3 training in SEND Law, and take part in regular training to keep up to date.
The SEND Advice service is fortunate to also work with Fiona Slomovic from
AMC Ltd who can provide support for more complex cases. Fiona does not take cases on in their entirety through Skylarks , but offers a consultancy service to advise on specific matters where required. These appointments are limited to 30 minute video calls with parents and hosted by Skylarks SEND Advice service. The SEND Advice service team decides which cases are referred for this service.
What does the SEND Advice Service offer?
We advise on all aspects of education, such as EHCPs, home to school transport, how to request a school, annual reviews of EHCPs, how to request an EHC Needs Assessment and more besides. The list is endless, so do get in touch to find out more about your own circumstances.
We are primarily an advisory service, which means we are here to give you the information that you require to take the next steps yourself. For a small number of our cases and where we feel it's required, we will act on your behalf to address specific issues. However, due to resources this is not possible for the majority of our cases. Please refer to our
Terms &Conditions.
We also have information & Fact Sheets available about key topics on the
Resources page.
What don't you help with?
Unfortunately, the SEND Advice Service does not normally provide a service to manage appeals to the SEND First Tier Tribunal. We are able to signpost you to other services that do, and to give general advice on how to apply yourself or where you can get further help if you need it. There is an 'Appeals to the SEND First Tier Tribunal' section under
'Resources' which has several useful links.
We don't provide a school finding service , but we may be able to give you some suggestions to point you in the right direction. There is a useful 'Schools and Colleges' section with several links to help you find schools under
'Resources'.
Do I have to pay?
In order to ensure Skylarks SEND Advice Service is accessible to all of those who need it, we do not charge and do not restrict by geographical area. However, the work required is often time consuming and requires a high level of specialist knowledge. As a small, independent charity we rely on donations to be able to continue to provide this highly valuable service and we therefore appreciate any
donations you can give.
What do I do if the SEND Advice Service can't see me in the timescale I need?
If your query is urgent and you are unable to wait then the following providers may be able to assist you:
IPSEA have a phone line you can call as well as lots of information on their website.
All Local Authorities have to provides a SENDIASS which you can find
here for your area.
South West London Law Centre provides free 30 minute consultations with an Education Solicitor. Details are
here.
