Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) Form and Content

There is no national standard format for the EHCP, however every plan must have certain sections, which must be clearly labelled:

A: The views, interests and aspirations of you and your child.

B: Special educational needs (SEN).

C: Health needs related to SEN.

D: Social care needs related to SEN.

E: Outcomes – how the extra help will benefit your child.

F: Special educational provision (support).

G: Health provision.

H: Social care provision.

I: Placement – type and name of school or other institution (blank in the draft plan).

J: Personal budget arrangements.

K: Advice and information – a list of the information gathered during the Education, Health and Care (EHC) Needs Assessment.   .

The SEND Code of Practice has detailed information about what should be in each section. You can find this in paragraph 9.69.

The EHCP should be written in a way that makes it clear, to parents, young people, schools, colleges and Local Authorities (LAs), who must do what, when it has to happen and how often it should be reviewed.

EHCP Exemplar Guide 2017 from the Council for Disabled Children provides an example of an EHCP.

The SEND code of practice states that where the child or young person is in or beyond Year 9, the EHCP must also include the provision required by the child or young person to assist in preparation for adulthood and independent living, for example, support for finding employment, housing or for participation in society.

EHC Exemplar Year 9 and Beyond [PDF 484KB] guide from the Council for Disabled Children provides an example of an EHCP from year 9 and beyond.

What are the key things to look out for?

The key things to check are that:

• All of the child or young person’s special educational needs (SEN) are set out in Section B.
• All the special educational provision (the extra help they need with learning) required by the child or young person is set out in Section F.
• The school or college to be attended by the child or young person is set out in Section I (in the final version of the plan only, a school or college will not be included in the draft version of the plan).

This is because:

• If a need is included in Section B, then there must be provision for that need set out in Section F.
• If provision is included in Section F, then the Local Authority (LA) must ensure that this provision is made.
• If a school, college or other setting is named in Section I, then it must admit the child or young person for whom the EHCP is maintained (this duty applies to almost all schools and other settings).

Section F requires particular attention as it contains details of the help your child will get in school. This section must be specific and quantified. It should be clear how much help, how often and who will give it. Therapies such as speech and language therapy and occupational therapy must normally be in section F.

Section F is important as it is directly legally enforceable. Your local authority has a legal duty to secure the special educational provision specified in the EHCP.

Additional Sources of Information

We recommend you use IPSEA's EHCP Checklist to see whether the plan has everything the law requires.

Further information from Cumberland Local Authority’s SEND Team on the format and content of an EHCP can be found at: SEND Local Offer | The EHC Plan Process.