How Much Does a Private OT Assessment Cost in the UK?
How Much Does a Private OT Assessment Cost in the UK?
At SENsphere, private OT assessments for children are structured as tiered packages so you know exactly what you are paying before you book.¹
For familiesPublished 28 April 202611 min read· Written by the Sensphere OT team
How Much Does It Cost? Answer This First
At SENsphere, private OT assessments for children are structured as tiered packages so you know exactly what you are paying before you book.¹
An initial assessment with written summary starts from £450. This covers the pre-visit background review, the assessment appointment, and a written summary of findings. It is the right starting point if you want a professional view of your child's needs and clear recommendations, without the length of a full formal report.
A full assessment with detailed written report starts from £650 to £695. This includes everything above, plus a parent feedback session and a complete written report covering your child's strengths, areas of difficulty, functional impact, and specific recommendations for home and school.
A formal report pathway for Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) applications or legal evidence starts from £850. This is the appropriate option if you are applying for an EHCP, preparing for a Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) tribunal, or need a report written to meet local authority or statutory formatting requirements. These reports are longer, more detailed, and framed around the provision language that EHCP processes require.
Therapy sessions, if you continue after assessment, are £95 for a 50 to 60 minute goal-focused session. Block bookings reduce the cost: three sessions for £285, or six sessions for £510, saving £60 on the full per-session rate.
Travel is costed separately at a mileage rate or fixed area fee, and applies to home visits and school observations. Travel costs are agreed in advance.
Report turnaround is 10 to 15 working days for standard assessment reports. Formal EHCP reports may take slightly longer given their complexity.
Your total cost for a complete assessment, report, and feedback will typically fall between £450 and £850-plus, depending on which pathway suits your child's situation. Your actual cost will depend on several factors, which we explain below.
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Several factors determine how much you will pay for a private OT assessment.
Therapist experience and seniority. A newly qualified occupational therapist registered with the HCPC will charge less than a senior therapist or a consultant-level specialist. If your child has a complex presentation, you may decide that the additional experience justifies a higher fee. Senior therapists often have additional training in specific areas, such as autism, sensory processing, or school-age development.
Setting of the assessment. A clinic-based assessment where your child attends the therapist's office costs less than a home visit or a school observation. Home visits require travel time and may take longer because the therapist is observing your child in a familiar environment, which often provides more meaningful information but increases cost. School observations, particularly if the school is outside the therapist's local area, attract additional travel charges.
Number of sessions required. A child with an isolated fine motor difficulty (such as pencil grip or scissor control) may need a single 60-minute assessment session. A child with a more complex presentation, such as combined sensory processing difficulties, motor coordination problems, and behavioural responses to sensory input, may require two or three sessions. Some therapists charge per session; others quote a fixed fee for a complete assessment package regardless of session number (which can actually be better value if multiple sessions are needed).
Standardised assessment tools. Occupational therapists use validated, standardised assessment tools to measure sensory processing, motor coordination, and functional ability. Some of these tools require specialist training to administer and interpret, and some require purchase or licensing fees that therapists pass on to clients. A more comprehensive assessment using multiple tools will cost more than a basic observational assessment.
Report length and complexity. A standard OT assessment report for parents typically runs 5 to 8 pages and includes a summary of findings, analysis, and practical recommendations for home and school. An EHCP-specific report is typically 10 to 15 pages, includes detailed analysis of how the child's OT needs link to their education, and directly addresses the statutory questions set out in the Children and Families Act 2014.² EHCP reports require careful legal framing and a clear link to provision, which takes more time to write and therefore costs more.
What the Cost Should Include (and What May Be Extra)
Before you book and pay a fee, ask your therapist for a clear, written outline of what the fee covers.
A complete package typically includes: the assessment session or sessions, a written report, a feedback call or meeting with you to discuss the findings and recommendations, and access to the therapist for follow-up questions about the report. Some therapists also include a brief school liaison call to share findings with the school SENCO (Special Educational Needs Coordinator).
Charges that may be added on top of the quoted fee include: school observation visits beyond the initial assessment, travel costs if you request a home visit outside the therapist's usual area, attendance at an EHCP planning meeting, preparation of a tribunal report if you appeal an EHCP decision, and liaison calls with other professionals such as the child's GP or paediatrician.
Ask your therapist these questions before you confirm the booking: Is the written report included in the quoted fee, or will there be a separate charge? What happens if my child needs more sessions than anticipated? Do you charge for school observations, and if so, how much? Will you provide a report written specifically for an EHCP application, and what is the additional cost? Do you charge for follow-up calls with the school?
Insurance and Funded Routes
Not every family can afford private OT assessment out of pocket. Several routes may help cover or reduce the cost.
Private health insurance. Providers such as Bupa, AXA Health, Vitality, WPA, and Aviva may cover paediatric occupational therapy, but coverage varies widely. Check your policy documents or telephone your insurer to find out: Is paediatric OT covered under your plan? Is there a limit to the number of sessions or the total annual cost? Does the insurer require pre-authorisation (approval in advance)? Will a referral letter from your GP strengthen your claim? Be aware that some policies exclude pre-existing conditions or have an annual limit that may not cover a full assessment and course of treatment. If your child has been identified as needing OT support by the school or your GP before you take out insurance, the insurer may refuse to cover it.
NHS continuing healthcare. If your child has complex health needs, they may qualify for NHS continuing healthcare, which can fund occupational therapy. This is assessed by the NHS on a case-by-case basis and is not commonly used for children whose primary need is developmental rather than medical.
Personal health budgets. Some NHS commissioners offer personal health budgets to families of children with identified health needs. You can use a personal health budget to purchase private OT assessment and therapy. Ask your child's GP or local NHS commissioning team whether this is available in your area.
Local authority direct payments. Under Section 17 of the Children Act 1989,³ local authorities have a duty to support families with children in need. In some cases, the local authority will provide a direct payment that can be used to fund private occupational therapy. Whether this applies to your family depends on your local authority's criteria and its budget. Contact your local authority's children's services team to ask.
EHCP-funded provision. If your child has an Education, Health and Care Plan and occupational therapy is named in Section F (health provisions) or Section H (special educational provision), the provision is commissioned and paid for by either the NHS or the local authority. In this case, you do not pay for the OT sessions named in the plan. However, you may still choose to commission a private OT assessment to build evidence for the EHCP application or appeal process.
Charitable grants. Organisations such as the Family Fund and the Snowflake Trust provide grants to families with disabled children facing financial hardship.⁴ The Family Fund, in particular, offers grants that can be used to fund one-off assessments or short courses of therapy. Visit familyfund.org.uk to check whether you are eligible.
Thinking about an assessment? Sensphere offers private paediatric OT assessments from £450, with no GP referral needed. Payment is via Stripe (card payment). Book a free call or view our full pricing.
Is It Worth the Cost?
A private OT assessment is an investment in understanding your child's needs. Consider what you gain.
A good assessment report enables several things: it clarifies what is driving your child's difficulty (whether sensory processing, motor coordination, postural control, or a combination), it provides evidence for school SEN support discussions, it strengthens an EHCP application with independent professional evidence, and it gives you and the school a clear, evidence-based plan for what to do next.
The cost of not assessing is less visible but real. If your child's occupational therapy needs go unidentified, they may continue to struggle with handwriting, coordination, self-care, or social participation. Over time, this can lead to school refusal, anxiety, low self-esteem, and a widening gap between your child and their peers. Identifying and addressing the underlying need early prevents these secondary impacts.⁵
The EHCP angle is particularly important. A private OT assessment on the formal evidence pathway (from £850) can unlock statutory provision worth significantly more. If the assessment identifies clear OT need and you use the report as evidence in an EHCP application, the local authority or NHS will commission occupational therapy as part of the plan. Once OT is named in Section F or H of the EHCP, it is provided at no cost to you and continues for as long as the plan is in place. In financial terms, a single private assessment can pay for itself in the first few months of statutory provision.
Furthermore, if you later need to appeal an EHCP decision, independent professional evidence (such as a private OT assessment) strengthens your case considerably.⁶ Schools and local authorities take independent professional opinion seriously, and parents who can cite a detailed private assessment report alongside their own observations are in a stronger position in any appeal.
Next Steps
If you have decided that a private OT assessment is right for your child, get in touch with SENsphere to discuss your child's needs and which assessment pathway is the right fit. We can answer your questions about the process, confirm what is included at each price point, and agree timelines before you commit to anything.
Before booking with any therapist, ask for a written confirmation of what the fee covers, how many sessions are anticipated, what any add-on costs might be (travel, school observation, EHCP-specific formatting), and what the report turnaround time is. SENsphere provides this information upfront so there are no surprises.
References
1.Royal College of Occupational Therapists (2019). Professional Standards for Occupational Therapy Practice, Conduct and Ethics. RCOT.
2.Children and Families Act 2014. HM Government.
3.Children Act 1989, Section 17. HM Government.
4.Family Fund (2024). Grants for Families with Disabled Children. familyfund.org.uk.
5.Knapp, M., & Iliasov, A. (2013). Economic case for early intervention in child and adolescent mental health problems. Personal Social Services Research Unit, LSE.
6.IPSEA (2022). Guide to Independent Professional Evidence for EHC Needs Assessments. IPSEA.
7.Health and Care Professions Council (2016). Standards of Conduct, Performance and Ethics. HCPC.
8.SEND Code of Practice: 0 to 25 years (2015). Department for Education/Department of Health.
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