Storytelling Symposium · 22 April 2026

From Statutory Code
to Human Story

AI as an Equaliser in SEND Advocacy

SpektraBot Spectrum Dynamics CIC

Act I · The Human

Meet Ellie.

Ellie is seven. She has autism and dyspraxia.

Her parents have been trying to get her the support she needs for two years.

Every letter they write disappears into the system. Every meeting leaves them more confused.

They are not unusual. There are 1.6 million children with SEND needs in England.

"The SEND Code of Practice is 292 pages long. The average reading age required to understand it is postgraduate level."

— UK Department for Education

Act II · The Wall

A system built for professionals.

292 pages of statutory guidance
Local authority jargon that changes by area
Tribunal processes designed for solicitors

Only 4% of parents feel they fully understand their EHCP rights.

Children and Families Act 2014 s.36(8): where a local authority… SEND Code of Practice 9.14: the local authority must consult the child's parents… Regulation 12(1): the authority shall within six weeks of receiving a request… Section 19: the local authority must have regard to the views, wishes and feelings… SEND CoP para 9.66: where the authority declines to carry out an EHC needs assessment it must notify… Tribunal Practice Direction: the appellant must lodge the appeal within 2 months… s.51 Children and Families Act: right of appeal to the First-tier Tribunal… SEND CoP 9.78: the draft EHC plan must be sent to the child's parents… Regulation 44(1): the local authority must review an EHC plan at least once in every 12 month period… s.37(1): where an EHC needs assessment has been conducted the local authority must… SEND CoP 6.57: schools must use their best endeavours to ensure that the special educational… Equality Act 2010 s.20: a reasonable adjustment duty applies to schools… SEND CoP 9.2: a request for an EHC needs assessment can be made by the child's parent… Regulation 6(1)(e): the EHC plan must set out the outcomes sought for the child… SEND CoP 9.156: the local authority must ensure that educational psychologists… s.42(1): it is the duty of the local authority to secure the special educational provision… SEND CoP 9.120: where a child or young person is placed in an independent school… Children Act 1989 s.17: it shall be the general duty of every local authority… SEND CoP 9.134: once a decision has been made to issue an EHC plan… Regulation 12(3): the authority shall take into account any representations made…

Ellie's mum sat down to write a complaint.

She didn't know where to start.

She didn't know what rights Ellie had.

She didn't know what evidence mattered.

She didn't know the language the LA would accept.

"This is not a failure of love. It is a failure of access."

Act III · The Insight

Narrative is how
humans understand complexity.

Jerome Bruner, psychologist and cognitive scientist, 1990

It is also how a system becomes legible to the people it is supposed to serve.

The same principle that makes science stories work — makes rights stories work.

The Tool

SpektraBot translates statute into story.

Input

SEND Code of Practice
LA documents
School policies

→

RAG Engine

Retrieval-augmented
generation
on cited sources

→

Output

Advocacy letter
Rights explanation
Complaint response

Grounded in cited sources. Trauma-informed. Action-oriented.

Not legal advice. A bridge to understanding.

The Transformation

The same information. A different relationship with it.

Before

Section 36(8) of the Children
and Families Act 2014 places a duty
on the local authority to secure an
EHC needs assessment where it is
necessary for special educational
provision to be made in accordance
with an EHC plan for the child or
young person, if the authority is of
the opinion that it may be necessary
for special educational provision of
a kind that can only be made under
such a plan to be made for the child.

→

After — SpektraBot

The local authority has a legal duty to assess Ellie.

Under section 36(8) of the Children and Families Act, you have the right to request this in writing.

Here is what to say in your letter, and why it matters to the outcome you need.

"The same information. A completely different relationship with it."

Act IV · The Evidence

This works because of how humans process knowledge.

Jerome Bruner

Narrative cognition: humans retain stories 22x better than facts presented in isolation.

Miranda Fricker

Epistemic injustice: institutions systematically dismiss those who lack the institutional language of power.

Narrative Policy Framework

Stories shape how decision-makers respond to evidence — narrative structure changes outcomes.

"SpektraBot gives parents the language of power."

— Owl Research Council, 2026

Grounded in disability studies, legal design, and AI accessibility research.

Act V · The Invitation

We are looking for research partners.

Proposed study: does narrative framing improve comprehension of SEND rights?

Publishable. Fundable. ESRC, Wellcome, Microsoft AI for Accessibility.

We have anonymised interaction data. You have the methodology.

Durham CAD + IISER Pune: natural fit.

Let's build this together.

SpektraBot · Spectrum Dynamics CIC

spektrabot.co.uk

Storytelling Symposium · Durham University & IISER Pune · 22 April 2026

SpektraBot