Laxmi Patel

Partner and Head of Education

Laxmi Patel is partner and Head of Education and Boyes Turner LLP. She specialises in advising individuals on their children’s special educational needs and statutory requirements under the Children and Families Act 2014. She has particular expertise in relation to Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) including appealing to the Special Education Needs and Disability Tribunal against the: Refusal to conduct an EHC needs assessment; refusal to issue an EHCP following an assessment; the content of educational provision in an EHCP; the named placement in an EHCP; and a decision to cease to maintain an EHCP. Laxmi regularly represents parents in SEND Tribunal hearings.

Laxmi is a regular commentator in the media and Special Educational Needs forums, providing legal advice and training to parent groups, solicitors in other practice areas, education professionals, charities, schools and colleges. She has spoken national conferences for various groups including APIL and BABICM.

She is on the committee of the Education Law Association.

Contributed to

4

EHC needs assessments and the contents of EHC plans

Practice Notes

This Practice Note focuses rules for education, health and care (EHC) assessments and the format and content of EHC plans. It provides a guide to carrying out EHC assessments and drafting EHC plans, with an emphasis on the mistakes to avoid.

Local Government

Identifying an educational need and provision under the special educational needs legal framework

Practice Notes

This Practice Note explains the process of identifying special educational needs (SEN) and provision in England. It considers the reasons why distinguishing educational needs from other needs, such as health or social care needs, is necessary during the assessment process for children and young people with SEN and looks at the distinction for the purposes of Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP) and Statements of SEN.

Local Government

Post-19 education for young people with special educational needs

Practice Notes

This Practice Note provides a guide to the law on special educational provision for young people aged 19–25 in England. It covers what constitutes relevant post compulsory school age education, relevant considerations for a local authority (LA) when deciding provision post 19 and whether to maintain an Education, Health and Care plan (EHC). It also deals with the ‘five day offer’ and the need to improve local provision. It also outlines the related primary legislation including the Children and Families Act 2014 (CFA 2014) and Special Needs and Disability Regulations 2014, SI 2014/1530.

Local Government

When must a local authority carry out an EHC needs assessment?

Practice Notes

This Practice Note considers the circumstances in which a local authority must carry out an EHC assessment of special educational needs (SEN). It covers the statutory test, the local offer, assessment of whether a learning difficulty is present, is special provision required, threshold for assessment, who can request an assessment, and assessment for older children and young people.

Local Government