What do I need to think about when I get a draft Education Health and Care Plan?
The information in this section applies if you have received your draft EHC plan following an EHC Assessment or received a draft plan following an annual review or reassessment.
An EHC plan is a legal document which should clearly specify your child/young person’s special educational needs, the outcomes expected and the special educational provision your child/young person needs. The plan should, where possible, specify and quantify the special educational provision to be provided.
Why EHC plans must be specific and clear (ipsea.org.uk)
Draft EHC plan following assessment or reassessment
If you receive the draft following an assessment or reassessment you should also receive all the reports gathered during the assessment process, often referred to as Section K reports.
You can look through the plan to ensure that all the special educational needs that have been identified in the assessment reports have been included in Section B, and that all the special educational provision detailed in the assessment reports has been included in Section F of the EHC plan.
Draft EHC plan following annual review
If you have had an annual review meeting and received a draft plan then you should also receive all reports gathered as part of the annual review process alongside the annual review form that was completed during the meeting.
You will want to check that any changes you may have requested at the annual review meeting have been made in the plan. You may want to look through the annual review reports to ensure that any changes to your child/young person’s special educational needs or special educational provision are included in the plan.
Looking through the draft EHC plan.
All EHC Plans must contain the following sections, and you may want to check through all the reports you received with the draft plan to make sure the plan reflects all your child/young person’s needs and the provision they require:
- Section A
Should include the views, interests and aspirations of your child/young person and your views as their parent/carer. This section is not legally enforceable but should provide you and your child/young person the chance to share your views and aspirations for the future. Check the draft plan to make sure that the views included are accurate and up to date.
- Section B
Should describe your child/young person’s special educational needs. All special educational needs identified must be included in this section. You may want to check through the reports you received with the draft plan to make sure that all special educational needs (SEN) identified through the EHC assessment or annual review reports have been included in this section.
- Section C
Should contain information on the health care needs your child/young person has which relate to their SEN. Check that the information in this section is up to date and accurate. Is there anything in the assessment or annual review reports that has not been included?
- Section D
Should detail any social care needs which relate to your child/young person’s SEN or to a disability. If a social care assessment has been conducted, then information on this should be included. Has all information included in the assessment or annual review reports about any social care needs been included here?
- Section E
Should define the outcomes expected for your child/young person. This section should include clear outcomes that explain what your child/young person is expected to achieve because of the special educational provision provided in the EHC plan. Are these outcomes still relevant? Do they need to be changed or removed because they have been achieved? Do new outcomes need to be added?
- Section F
Should provide specific detail of the special educational provision required to meet your child/young person’s SEN. This section should clearly describe the special educational provision required to meet the needs identified in Section B of the EHC plan. For every special educational need detailed in Section B there must be some form of special educational provision in Section F. The provision in this section should also support your child/young person in moving towards achieving the outcomes in Section E of the plan.
- Section G
Should give details of any health care provision reasonably required by the learning difficulties or disabilities which result in your child/young person having SEN. Check if any new information in the reports has been included and is up to date.
- Section H
Should include information on any social care provision required from children’s social care under the Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act 1970, and/or reasonably required by the learning difficulties or disabilities which result in the child or young person having SEN. Has there been any new information in the reports that came with the plan that needs to be included? Is the information in this section accurate and up to date?
- Section I
Should give the name of the school or other placement to be attended by the child or young person, and the type of that institution (or just the type if no specific school/college is named). When you receive a draft EHC plan this section should be left blank and you could request a consultation to a number of placements you believe may be suitable. See the section on Choosing a school/college if you need more information on the process.
- Section J
Should give details of any direct payment that will be made. If you have requested a personal budget, details of this should be included in this section of the plan. You can find out more about personal budgets here
Section K
Should include details of all the advice reports and information obtained as part of the EHC needs assessment or the annual review process.
You can find out more about what should be in the different sections of an EHC plan through the link below.
EHC PLAN CHECKLIST (ipsea.org.uk)
There should be a clear link throughout the EHC plan between Section A – the aspirations of and for your child/young person, Sections B, the needs of your child, Section E – the long-term outcomes set for your child and Section F – the provision required. This is often referred to as the Golden Thread.
You may find further helpful information on what to do when you get a draft EHC plan, and what should be included in the different sections of an EHC plan through the links and documents below.
Getting an EHC draft plan | Contact
Drafting your child’s Education, Health and Care Plan | Guide Dogs
Template letter 3: responding to a draft EHC plan (ipsea.org.uk)
