Education Advocacy and Support for ME/CFS & Long Covid
For parents and carers of children and young people with ME/CFS, Long Covid and other chronic, energy-limiting illnesses.
You’re trying to advocate for your child in a system that doesn’t always understand their condition.
You know your child better than anyone but translating that knowledge into conversations with school, about attendance, support and what’s realistic can feel exhausting and maybe even, at times, like pushing against a wall.
This one-hour online session offers practical guidance and compassionate support from someone who understands both education and chronic illness from the inside.
Free and no obligation – just a gentle conversation to see if it feels right
Former teacher
Living with ME/CFS
Free discovery call
Does This Feel Familiar?
You’ve explained your child’s condition multiple times, yet still feel like school doesn’t fully understand.
Attendance has become a source of real stress - perhaps there’s been pressure to attend during periods of PEM (post-exertional malaise) or symptoms that fluctuate in ways that don’t fit neatly into school expectations. You may have received letters home. You may be worried about where this leads.
You’re wondering what support your child is actually entitled to. Whether reasonable adjustments should already be in place. Whether SEND provision should be part of the conversation. But navigating those questions, while also managing your child’s health and holding everything else together, takes more energy than you sometimes have.
You want your child to feel supported in their education - not pressured, not penalised for something they can’t control.
You want school to understand the reality of what your child is living with and you want to feel more confident going into the conversations that affect their wellbeing and their future.
These sessions offer a supportive space to explore your concerns, ask questions and gain clarity about your next steps — with someone who understands both sides.
How this support can help
Understanding Your Options
Education systems can feel complicated, especially when a child’s health needs don’t fit standard expectations.
Together we can explore what support may be available, consider your options and think through practical next steps so you go into conversations with school better informed.
Parents hopefully leave feeling better able to:
Understand what support is available and how to access it
Navigate education systems with greater confidence
Make informed decisions about their child’s education
Communicating with school more confidently
Explaining a chronic illness to people who haven't experienced it, isn't always straightforward. With conditions such as ME/CFS and Long Covid you can often be talking to people who have mis-informed or preconceived ideas about the illnesses.
Together we can explore how to communicate your child’s needs clearly, practically and in a way that’s more likely to be heard.
Parents should find they can:
Feel more confident going into meetings
Explain symptoms and limitations more clearly
Approach conversations with less anxiety and more preparation
Feeling less alone in the process
Supporting a child with a chronic illness can be deeply isolating. There’s often very little space to talk about what it’s actually like — the worry, the frustration, the guilt of not knowing whether you’re doing the right thing.
These sessions offer a space where you can talk openly about what’s happening and feel supported while navigating often complex situations — with someone who genuinely understands both the realities of chronic illness and the challenges families face within education systems.
You don’t have to work it all out by yourself.
Make decisions with more clarity
Approach rest with less guilt
Begin creating a life that works more gently with your body, not against it
What This Session Includes
A free 15 minute pre-session call
Before we meet, we’ll have a short call so I can understand your specific concerns and priorities. This means your session is focused from the start - rather than spending the first part of our time establishing context, we can use it purposefully.
One hour online session
A focused conversation tailored entirely to your family’s situation - your child, your school, your concerns.
These sessions are informed by my former career as a teacher and my own lived experience of ME/CFS.
Practical guidance across the areas that matter
✓ School communication
✓ Attendance concerns
✓ Reasonable adjustments
✓ SEND provision
✓ Meeting preparation
✓ Next-step planning
Meet Becky – Former teacher, Health & Wellbeing Coach & ME/CFS Advocate
I’m Becky, a former teacher, certified Health & Wellbeing Coach and someone living with ME/CFS.
My background in education, professional training and lived experience of chronic illness allow me to support families navigating the often complex intersection between health and education.
As a former teacher, I understand the realities schools are working within - the pressures, the systems and how conversations about attendance and support might be approached.
As someone living with ME/CFS, I understand how difficult it can be when attendance, participation and learning are affected by chronic illness and how much it matters to be genuinely understood, not just accommodated on paper.
That combination means the support I offer is practical, compassionate and grounded in the realities of both sides of the conversation.
Qualifications & Experience:
Former primary teacher
Certified Health & Wellbeing Coach
Lived experience of ME/CFS
How It Works - Three Simple Steps
Book your session
After paying for your session, choose a suitable appointment time for your Education & Advocacy Support hour.
Free 15 min prep call
We’ll discuss your concerns and priorities before the session so your time is used as effectively as possible.
Your session
Explore your options, ask questions, talk things through and leave with greater clarity about your next steps.
Is This For You?
This support may be helpful if:
Your child is living with ME/CFS, Long Covid or another energy-limiting chronic illness
You’re struggling to navigate school attendance concerns
You want support preparing for meetings with education staff
You’re exploring SEND provision and don’t know where to start
You feel unsure about your options
You would value guidance from someone who understands both education and chronic illness
A note on who else might benefit from these sessions
While my own lived experience is with ME/CFS, many of the educational challenges faced by young people with energy-limiting conditions are similar regardless of diagnosis.
This support may be relevant for families navigating education alongside ME/CFS, Long Covid, POTS, EDS, post-viral illness and other conditions where fatigue, symptom fluctuation or reduced capacity affects school attendance, participation and learning.
What This Support Is and Isn't
This support includes...
- Understanding your options
- School communication
- Attendance concerns
- Reasonable adjustments
- SEND discussions
- Meeting preparation
- Feeling more confident in conversations with school
This support doesn't include...
- Legal advice
- Formal SEND consultancy
- Representation at SEND tribunals
- Medical advice
There isn’t a perfect way to live with an energy-limiting condition.
But there’s something different about being supported by someone who’s navigating it too.
Why Work With Me?
Experience From Both Sides Of The Conversation
Many professionals understand education. Many people understand chronic illness. Few understand both.
As a former teacher living with ME/CFS, I bring professional experience and lived understanding to every conversation. That means support which is practical, compassionate and grounded in the realities of both school systems and chronic illness.
Why Families Choose This Support
✓ Former teacher perspective on how schools work
✓ Lived experience of ME/CFS
✓ Understanding of energy-limiting conditions
✓ Calm, supportive, non-judgmental approach
✓ Tailored guidance, not one-size-fits-all advice
A Reassurance
There's no expectation to book more than one session.
For many families, a single session may be all that's needed to gain greater clarity and confidence. If you decide you'd benefit from further support, you're always welcome to book another session.
The aim is simply to provide the support that's right for you and your family.
Support That Helps You Navigate School With More Confidence
When you're trying to support your child while navigating school, it can help to have someone alongside you who understands both education and chronic illness.
This one-off session is designed to give you dedicated time to talk things through, explore potential options and leave feeling clearer about your next steps.
An Education Advocacy and Support Session Includes:
Free 15-minute pre-session call
One-hour online support session
Personalised guidance tailored to your family’s situation
Space to discuss your specific concerns
Practical next-step suggestions
Education Advocacy and Support Session
£50
A focused one-hour online session offering practical support navigating school communication, attendance concerns, reasonable adjustments, SEND provision or preparing for important conversations about your child's education.
Questions You Might Have
Is this legal advocacy?
No. This service provides guidance, support and information but does not constitute legal advice or formal representation
Is this SEND consultancy?
No. However, we may discuss some SEND processes and provision where relevant to your situation.
Do I need a diagnosis?
No. Some families might have a formal diagnosis of ME/CFS or Long Covid, while others are still seeking one. Support is available either way. Your child may also be struggling with post-viral fatigue after a significant virus like Glandular Fever or chronic fatigue and pain from another ongoing condition.
How are sessions delivered?
Sessions are delivered online via video call. You'll book your appointment at payment and we'll arrange a 15 minute preparation call in the days before this session by mutual agreement.
Can you attend school meetings?
No. I don’t currently attend school meetings directly. However, many parents should find that preparing beforehand helps them feel significantly more confident and better equipped for those conversations.
What if I'm not sure what support my child needs?
That’s completely okay. Many parents will book precisely because they want help understanding their options — you don’t need to arrive with the answers.
Can I book additional sessions?
Absolutely. There’s no requirement to commit to more than one session at a time.
You’ve Been Carrying This Long Enough On Your Own
Advocating for a child with an energy-limiting condition can feel isolating, overwhelming and at times incredibly hard to navigate.
The weight of it…the meetings, the letters, the guilt of wondering if you're doing enough or pushing too hard, the grief of watching your child's school life look so different from the one you'd imagined for them…is real and it's a lot to carry.
You don't need to have all the answers before asking for support.
Whether you're just starting to raise concerns with school, in the middle of a difficult attendance conversation or simply exhausted from holding it all together, this session offers a space to pause, to feel genuinely understood and to find a way forward that works for your family.
There are no unrealistic expectations and there's certainly no pressure. You won't hear me tell you there's a simple fix or a script that guarantees school will listen.
What you will find is practical, compassionate support from someone who understands both sides of this - not just from the outside looking in but from someone who has stood in a classroom and someone who lives with an energy-limiting, chronic illness herself.
Sometimes it’s helpful to put down what you’re carrying…even just for a short time
If any of this has resonated, I’d be really glad to have a conversation about whether it feels like a good fit.
How I can help... next steps
Book a Discovery Call through the button below
Email me at [email protected]
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