Most children and young people with special educational needs will have extra help given to them without the need for an EHCP.

EHCP’s are for children and young people who have special educational needs that cannot or are not being met by the extra support that must be available in a mainstream setting.

Where, despite the school having taken relevant and purposeful action to identify and meet the pupil’s needs, the pupil is still not making expected progress, the school should consider requesting an EHC needs assessment.

SEND Code of Practice 2015 

An EHCP is a legal document for children and young people aged up to 25.

EHCPs identify and describe the child or young persons educational, health and social care needs, the additional support required to meet those needs and the outcomes they want to achieve.

Every EHCP must include the following 12 sections, but each Local Authority can decide how to set these out.

Sections of an EHCP

A: The views, interests and aspirations of the parents, child or the young person.

B: The child’s or young person’s special educational needs.

C: Health needs related to their SEN or to a disability.

D: Social care needs related to their SEN or to a disability.

E: Planned outcomes for the child or young person.

F: Special educational provision, what is to be provided. Provision must be specified, very clearly, for each and every need shown in section B.

G: Any reasonable health provision required that is related to their SEN or to a disability.

H1: Any social care provision that must be made for the child or young person under 18 in line with the Chronically Sick and Disabled Person’s Act 1970.

H2: Any other reasonable social care provision required that is related to their SEN or to a disability.

I: The name and type of the school, maintained nursery school, post-16 institution or other institution to be attended.

J: Details of how any personal budget will support particular outcomes and the provision it will be used for.

K: The advice and information gathered during the EHC needs assessment must be attached in the appendices. There should be a list the advice and information used to write the plan.