This guide covers school support in England. It is information, not medical advice. For anything about diagnosis or treatment, speak to your GP or the specialist involved in your child's care.
What ADHD is, in plain terms
ADHD, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, is a condition where the brain works differently. Its features fall into two groups: inattention, such as struggling to concentrate or hold on to instructions, and hyperactivity and impulsiveness, such as restlessness or acting before thinking. Most children with ADHD have some of both. Signs usually start early, before the age of 12, and they often show up most clearly in a classroom, where sitting still and sustained attention are asked for all day.
A GP cannot diagnose ADHD. They can refer your child to a specialist, such as a paediatrician or a psychiatrist, who carries out the assessment. Waiting times for that assessment vary and can be several months or longer.
This is the single most useful thing to know. Support in school is based on a child's needs, not on a diagnostic label. Your child does not need a confirmed diagnosis of ADHD before the school can put help in place.
So a long assessment waiting list is not a reason to sit and wait. You can talk to the school about support now.
Start with the SENCO
The person to speak to is the special educational needs co-ordinator, the SENCO, at your child's school. Ask for a meeting to talk about the difficulties your child is having and what the school can do. This is the route into what is called SEN support: the extra help a school arranges from its own resources.
Go in with specifics rather than a general sense that things are hard. When does your child struggle most? Which parts of the day, which subjects, which moments? The clearer the picture, the easier it is for the school to respond to it.
What a school can put in place
SEN support is deliberately flexible, because children differ. Depending on your child, it might include:
- A special learning programme or targeted teaching
- Extra help from a teacher or a teaching assistant
- Working in a smaller group
- Being observed in class or at break to understand what is happening
- Help to take part in class activities and to communicate with other children
- Extra encouragement to ask questions and to try things they find difficult
Schools also have duties under equality law to make reasonable adjustments for disabled pupils, which can include children with ADHD. Simple, practical adjustments, such as where a child sits, how instructions are broken down, or short movement breaks, can make a real difference.
Keep a record as you go
Support works best when it is reviewed and adjusted, so it helps to keep track of what has been agreed and what has actually happened. Gather things like:
- Notes from meetings with the school, and what was agreed
- Examples of the difficulties, with dates, at school and at home
- Any reports from professionals, and correspondence with the school
- What has been tried, and whether it helped
If SEN support is not enough
If your child needs more support than the school can provide through SEN support, you can ask your local authority to carry out an EHC needs assessment, which can lead to an Education, Health and Care plan. You do not need a diagnosis to make that request either. If the authority refuses to assess, you can appeal to the SEND Tribunal. We cover both the plan and a refusal in separate guides.
Parents of children with ADHD often carry a huge mental load: waiting lists, meetings, forms, and the daily work of managing school and home. The school and the local authority deal with these processes constantly. You are doing it once, for the child you love, while everything else keeps going.
AI can take some weight off the information side. It can help you get your thoughts in order before a meeting, understand unfamiliar terms, and turn scattered notes into something clear. It does not diagnose, and it is not a substitute for the SENCO, your GP or a specialist.
What AI could help with
- Explain SEND terms and abbreviations before a meeting
- Turn your observations into a clear summary of how ADHD affects your child at school
- Draft the questions you want to ask the SENCO
- Organise a record of what has been agreed and tried
- Help you write a calm, specific request for an EHC needs assessment
- Summarise a report into plain English so you can follow it
Do not use AI to diagnose your child or to decide whether they have ADHD, and do not treat anything it says about medication or treatment as advice. It can invent facts, figures and even studies, confidently. Use it to organise your own information and understand the process. Use your GP and the specialist for anything medical, and official guidance for the legal position on support.
A better way to prompt it
That keeps AI on the ground where it is genuinely useful, helping you prepare, while the diagnosis, the teaching and the decisions stay with the people qualified to make them.
Where to get proper help
- Your child's SENCO, for SEN support in school
- Your GP, for a referral towards an assessment
- Your local SEND Information, Advice and Support Service (SENDIASS)
- IPSEA (Independent Provider of Special Education Advice), for free legally-based advice
- My ADHD Path, a step-by-step tool to help guide you through the ADHD journey
- EHCP Expert, if you move towards an EHC needs assessment
Sources, checked 16 September 2026
- NHS: ADHD in children and young people (features of ADHD, GP referral to a specialist, waiting times)
- GOV.UK: Special educational needs support (what SEN support can include, talking to the SENCO)
- GOV.UK: Extra help (requesting an EHC needs assessment, appeals)
This guide is general information for England. It is not medical or legal advice. ADHD is a health matter for your GP and the specialists involved in your child's care, and support processes can change. Check the current official guidance and get advice for your own situation.
Common questions
Does my child need an ADHD diagnosis to get help at school?
No. Support in school is based on need, not on a diagnosis. You can talk to the SENCO and ask for SEN support at any time, including while you are waiting for an assessment.
Who can diagnose ADHD?
A GP cannot diagnose ADHD. They can refer your child to a specialist, such as a paediatrician or psychiatrist. Waiting times vary and can be several months or longer.
What support can a school put in place?
SEN support can include a smaller group, extra help from a teacher or assistant, and other adjustments. Schools also have duties to make reasonable adjustments for disabled pupils. If needs are greater, you can ask for an EHC needs assessment.
What if the school support is not enough?
You can ask your local authority to carry out an EHC needs assessment. If it refuses, you can appeal to the SEND Tribunal. Free help is available from IPSEA and your local SENDIASS.