Your top questions on EHC plans answered

3 mins read

Thursday 28 November 2024

Tags: EHC plans, education, facebook q&a, ehc assessments, annual reviews, school placement

On Thursday 21 November, we held a comments-based Q&A in our closed Facebook group for parent carers all about education, health and care (EHC) plans in England. In particular, we invited questions about the EHC process including naming a placement/provider, assessments, drafts and annual reviews.

Below we’ve put together a summary of some common questions you asked. The answers are provided by our team of expert parent advisers.

How do I choose a new school or setting?

This will happen at the (annual) review of the EHC plan. You’ll be able to express your preference for the setting/school. The local authority, not the education setting, will decide what setting to name in section I of the EHC plan.

Following the annual review meeting, your child’s current educational setting should send the annual review paperwork to the local authority within two weeks of the meeting taking place. Based on the information received, the local authority will then make a decision. They must send you the letter notifying you of their decision, which is one of three: leave the plan unchanged; amend the plan; or cease it.

If the decision is to amend the plan, the local authority will send you a proposed amended draft EHC plan. You’ll have 15 days to not only make any amendments, but also to share your preference for a setting named in section I.

You will have another opportunity to reiterate your preference if the local authority decides to amend the plan.

What happens to my child’s EHC plan when they move settings?

Local authorities have a legal duty to review and amend an EHC plan when a child transfers from one phase of education to another.

The EHC plans of children moving from primary school to secondary school must be reviewed and amended by 15 March in the year of transfer.

Regulation 18 of the Special Educational Needs and Disability Regulations 2014 sets this out.

Will my child’s EHC plan stop if they leave education?

An EHC plan will cease if a young person is not in education or training. However, this education or training does not have to be classroom-based learning in a college. Voluntary work, traineeships and apprenticeships are all possible.

If you want to find out more about EHC plans and how they work, you can find a wealth of information on our website.