Testimonials

Mrs W (Staffordshire)

"The Local Authority had a solid stance on the issue of my son, Ross' school placement. Which was frustrating and totally disheartening. However, feeling that I had explored every possible avenue, I sought help through internet search engines and miraculously found all of my queries answered through SEN4You. It is a daunting process seeking legal help, but the worries disappeared once I made the initial phone call. The greatest assurance came from not just the deep insight into my not so uncommon needs, but the friendly and positive approach. Always on hand, always understanding and always able to move forward. Mark Small holds the keys to open doors that I could never have possibly got through alone. I therefore instructed SEN4You to help me with my appeal to the SEND Tribunal. Ross had been placed in specialist provision which was wholly unsuitable for him. With support from SEN4You's Advocate and Mark we were able to secure Ross a place in an independent mainstream school. Due to the quality of the case we presented, the Local Authority conceded the appeal without the need for a hearing. I was delighted with the outcome. Ross is thriving at the school and I was delighted with the support and advice I received which was both timely and re-assuring. I would wholeheartedly recommend SEN4You to any parents going through the Tribunal process"

Mr and Mrs B (Surrey)

"We initially contacted Mark when our daughter had already been out of school for a few months, and despite the special school she had been attending stating they could no longer meet her needs, the LA were refusing to amend her EHCP to name an alternative provision".

Mark had been recommended to us by another parent of a child with SEN who he had successfully acted on behalf of. We were in the situation of caring for our Autistic daughter at home, who over the previous 18 months had developed complex mental health needs, this placed a massive strain on the family and the lack of any understanding or support from the LA almost pushed us to breaking point. In fact at times their behaviour was irrational and seemingly obstructive. 

• He was always so easy to contact and replied very promptly to both e mails and phone calls. He always encouraged us to contact him if there was anything at all worrying us about the process however small an issue it may seem.
• He very quickly grasped a good understanding of the situation both by listening carefully to us and thoroughly reading all the paperwork.
• His knowledge of SEN law and his ability to present it is highly impressive.
• On the day of the Tribunal he was brilliant. The arguments he presented were fantastic and our case was very clearly and professionally made out.
• His Fixed Price Tribunal package meant that we knew the cost up front and is actually extremely well priced comparative to other stories I have heard about how much other firms have charged parents.

Mr and Mrs S (Surrey)

"Mark helped us get an EHCP for our son, Luke, last year. We had, together with his school asked Surrey County Council to assess him for an EHCP. His school, our local primary school, had taken away nearly all his 18 hours of support a week. Surrey responded by saying his needs were not great enough to be assessed for an EHCP. We did not know what to do and with no where to go phoned Mark, desperate for help and support.

Mark straight away took on the challenge and got us filling in forms and giving us advice. Without the need for a tribunal hearing together with Mark's help we secured an EHCP for him only 6 months later with 32.5 hours of support a week and the provision of both speech and language and occupational therapy. As the school we wanted to get him into was "full" we appealed. Again, without the need for a tribunal a place was offered to us at our chosen school and Luke started there in January, only 12 months after we first contacted Mark.

I strongly believe the speed with which we got him his EHCP and then into our chosen school was all thanks to Mark. He is 100% professional, knows his facts and how to put a strong case together. He has excellent knowledge of how the local authorities work and fought relentlessly to get justice for us. He was always at the end of the phone, no matter what time of day or night, offering advice and support. We would have absolutely no doubt recommending him. He is a pleasure to work with and strongly believes in getting children who have special educational needs justice and the support that they deserve".

Miss K, Challenging the Personal Independence Payment Assessment

Going through the Personal Independence Payment assessment has been a drawn out, invasive and emotionally and physically offensive process. The case went to a tribunal and this is where Mark Small came to our assistance.

From the very beginning Mark put our minds to rest. The process was explained and the best counsel was found.The outcome of the tribunal was in our favour and even exceeded our expectations. We can not thank Mark and his team for his help in this matter.