An Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP) is a detailed document. It is for children and young people whose additional needs cannot be met with the support and resources normally available in schools and settings. Having an EHCP can help families get specialist support that is above and beyond what is readily available. This includes:
It is created with the help of professionals. Special Education Needs (SEN) Caseworkers at Newcastle City Council coordinate it. Many people, including you and your family, will share your views.
An EHCP is a legal document. This means what is agreed and then written in the final plan must happen.
Who is an EHCP for?
EHCPs are for children and young people aged 0 to 25 who:
What information is in an EHCP?
Inside an EHCP is clear and specific information about a child or young person, including:
It looks at areas beyond education including employment, independence, relationships, and wellbeing. Many of these focus on getting ready for the next steps (preparing for adulthood).
You can view the sections of an EHCP and what is written in them below.
A good section A summarises the views and hopes of your child. This should be gathered directly from them whenever possible.
Destiny (14 years old) would like people to know that she loves listening to and making music. She is a member of her school’s “rock band”. She would like to learn to play the keyboard and to write her own songs.
A good section B will summarise you child's special educational needs. Their current level of development should be clear as well as the difficulties that they experience. It should highlight how their needs affect their day to day life.
Oliver (7 years old) can focus and maintain attention. However, he struggles to maintain this on his own and he is liable to make noises and move around a lot in class without supervision. This can be disruptive to his own learning and that of others
A good section C should detail any health needs your child has. It should look at the practical implications and impact on their day to day life.
Mary (4 years old) has a hearing loss that is moderate in both ears at mid to low frequencies and profound in both ears at high frequencies. She wears post aural (behind the ears) hearing aids but her hearing levels are unstable. This means she can often miss important information and affects her interactions with her peers and family at home and in nursery.
A good Section D provides information about your child's social care needs. It will detail the impact these needs have on their day to day life.
Blade (10 years old) is subject to a Child in Need Plan due to concerns that his development will be impaired without support from Local Authority Services. Blade is currently in receipt of support from the Youth Offending Service to help tackle the reasons he’s been involved in criminal activity.
A good section E should have outcomes listed which are:
There should be no more than 8 outcomes in total. It should clearly show how people will know when it is achieved. Short-term outcomes should be set in the SEN support plan.
By the end of KS1, Shelia (6 years old) will be able to express her preference when offered a choice between two activities.
In a good section F, it shows the support that will be given to help your child achieve their outcomes and aspirations. This support will be above Quality First Teaching and Mainstream Guidance. It should say clearly:
Joe (8 years old) will receive a 30 minute session twice a week focussing on developing his social use of language. The sessions will be delivered by a Speech and Language Therapist (SLT). The session programme will be developed under the direction of a Speech and Language Therapist (SLT) who will train the Teaching Assistant (TA) in delivering the sessions. An SLT and Joe’s teacher will review his progress on a termly basis Sec and adapt the programme accordingly.
In a good section G it should be clear how each type of provision contributes to specific outcomes.
Ethan (9 years old) will have a physiotherapy programme developed by his therapist for use in school in advance of the start of Year 5. Within the first week of Ethan starting Year 5, school staff will be trained in the programme by the therapist to help Ethan improve his co-ordination at school. The programme will subsequently be reviewed at the beginning of every half term by the therapist.
This section details social care support that must be given.
If the child/young person is in Y9 or beyond, include provision to support Preparation for Adulthood and Independent Living
This section details other social care support that should be given.
If the child/young person is in Y9 or beyond, include provision to support Preparation for Adulthood and Independent Living
The name and type of the school or setting your child will be attending.
Details the amounts of money and arrangements for a: