A Guide to an EHCP

The document describes the special need and/or disability and explains the help the young person requires in an educational setting to make progress. This help might come in the form of additional training for education providers, additional resources such as specialist equipment, or adult support. An EHCP is for those children who need provision within an educational setting that is in addition to that which is provided within mainstream education.

At the moment, each local authority has an individual format for submitting and reviewing EHCPs, and this hasn’t been standardised across the country. To offer you support, we’ve created our top tips that will help you no matter where you are in the country.

Both you, in an education setting, or a parent can apply for an assessment to be completed by your local authority. This may result in an EHCP being formulated, although this isn’t always the case. If the assessment is successful, there are some common sections that appear on all local authority formats. 

These include:

• The expectations for the child from their parents/carers and their own point of view

• Sets out what exactly is the Special Educational Need

• Outlines any social care needs

• Outlines any health and care needs

• Gives the expected outcomes and addresses how the additional help will benefit the child

• Suggests any special educational support

• Suggests any social care provisions

• Suggests any health care provisions

• Identifies the educational setting and the type of setting the child is in

• Outlines any personal budget for the child

• Gives details of any assessment outcomes that took place during the assessment process

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If an EHCP is granted, this is assessed annually by the local authority. During this annual review, it will be decided whether there needs to be changes made to the existing plan, whether it is suitable to continue the existing plan, or whether to end the plan. It is quite common for an EHCP to stay with the child until they finish their education, unless the local authority decides the child no longer needs it. The EHCP can be transferred if the child moves to a different local authority.

Your role as a class teacher will be to assess the child based in their need for education, health, and care support. These assessments are different from your normal progress assessments because they are based on the needs of an individual child as set out on their current EHCP. You will usually have around six weeks to provide the information to the local authority, and your SENDco will inform you when this needs to be completed. The information you provide should be based on what the child needs and how this will benefit them in making progress.

For any further information about applying for an assessment, what needs to be completed on your local authority’s annual review, or how to support a child and their family further, we recommend that you speak with your SENDco first and foremost. They have access to information about the local offering and are best suited to supporting you.

Research/useful websites:

Microsoft Word - Annual Review Toolkit Colour (sendandyou.org.uk)

EHC Plans: What teacher's need to know (structural-learning.com)

Advice & Useful Reading – The Special Educational Needs Advice Centre (SENAC)

Vicky Evenden is a resource creator here at Classroom Secrets. She has over 10 years classroom experience; 9 as a teacher and 1 as a TA. Throughout her career in education, Vicky taught many children with Special Educational Needs and worked alongside parents, colleagues in school, and professionals from the local outreach services to improve her awareness and develop her skills. She was a SENDco Assistant and has experience of teaching children on the autistic spectrum, children with global delay and dyslexia as well as a number of deaf children too.