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Make more room
for the child.

  • One place for plans, provision and progress
  • A shared understanding across your team
  • More useful conversations about what helps
Teachers, school staff and families listening, planning and learning together with children.

How Essential helps

Know the pupil

Bring together what you know about the child, with input from teachers, families and other professionals, in one clear and organised place.

Connect the support

Turn understanding into clear, practical support plans. Coordinate provision, agree actions and keep everyone working from the same picture.

Review the difference

Capture progress and evidence to see what’s helping. Make each review a useful conversation about the child’s next step.

A teacher and pupil exploring the pupil’s schoolwork together.

For pupils

Their strengths.
Their needs.
Their next step.

Bring the everyday details together, so each conversation starts with the whole child.

For teachers and SENCos

Know what helps.
Keep support moving.

Find a pupil’s strengths, needs and strategies in one place. Bring what you notice in the classroom into the next conversation about their support.

Shared plans, provision and reviews help colleagues pick up where you left off.

Two school colleagues discussing a pupil’s support plan together.
A parent and child talking about the child’s schoolwork at home.

For parents and carers

Your child.
Your voice matters.

The little things you notice at home are part of the picture. Essential helps schools bring family views into conversations about what’s helping and what comes next.

Parent and carer sign-in is coming soon. Your school or SENCo remains your first point of contact for your child’s support.

Parent access

How families are involved

FAQs

What is Essential?

Essential is a shared place for schools to coordinate special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) support. It brings pupil profiles, support plans, provision, evidence and reviews together, so your team can see the whole picture.

How does Essential support schools?

Teachers can find the context that helps them support a pupil today. SENCos can coordinate plans and provision, bring evidence into reviews and keep the next steps clear across the team. It supports everyday SEND work, whether or not a pupil has an education, health and care plan (EHCP).

What information can be included?

Pupil strengths and needs, teaching strategies, support plans, provision, observations and review evidence can sit alongside pupil and family views. Your school chooses which colleagues can access information and what they can do.

How are parents and carers involved?

School staff can bring family views into a child’s support record and reviews, helping shape conversations about progress and next steps. Parent and carer sign-in is coming soon; your school will let you know when it opens. Your school or SENCo remains the first point of contact for your child’s support.

How can we get started?

Email support@inhouselabs.co.uk and we’ll arrange a demo that explores how Essential could fit your school’s day, using fictional examples. Bring your questions; there’s no need to add pupil information to see how it works.

Have another question? We’re here to help.

See Essential in your school.

A personal walkthrough, shaped around your team.
Bring your questions. We’ll bring the examples.

Email support@inhouselabs.co.uk to arrange a walkthrough.