How to check a draft EHCP

The sections of an EHCP are: 

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 (support) 
H: Social care provision (support) 
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 EHC needs assessment. 

An EHCP must have sections A to K. They will be clearly labelled.  

The sections of the EHCP may not be in alphabetical order. 

First, check the reports in Section K.  

The EHCP is created using information collected from different people as part of the EHC needs assessment.  

Check that Section K lists all reports, including: 

• your own views and the views of your child 
• professional reports from people that teach or support your child 
• medical reports from practitioners who care for your child 
• assessments of your child or young person 
• any independent evidence you may have sent in 

If anything is missing, inform the SEND team at the council as soon as possible. 

Once you are happy with section K, review each section of the plan.  
 

Section A is a summary of your child or young person. It is based on information given by you and your child or young person.  

It should include: 

• a clear description of your child or young person for someone who does not know them 
• your child or young person’s strengths 
• your views and aspirations for the future 
• you child’s views and aspirations for the future 

Aspirations can be anything you hope to achieve in the future, however unrealistic. They are not the same as outcomes. Although we must pay attention to the views and aspirations, we cannot be held to account if these are not achieved.

Section B describes your child or young person’s special educational needs. Needs is another word for difficulties or barriers to learning.   

Section B should: 

• include all your child’s difficulties and how this presents a barrier to learning
• explain what difficulties your child has because of their diagnosis or condition  
• accurately describe your child or young person, including what supports their learning

It is a good idea to look at section B with the reports in front of you.  

Examples

Ahmed can focus and maintain attention for periods of up to 10 minutes. However, he struggles to maintain this on his own and he often makes noises and moves around a lot in class. This can be disruptive to his own learning. 

Ruby’s spoken language is at an early stage of development. She communicates through a mixture of single words, gesture and Makaton signing. 

Jack plays well on his own. However, he finds it extremely difficult to engage with other children or to make friends with his peers.

Section C describes health care needs. This can be physical or mental health difficulties, for example: 

• difficulties with eating 
• severe anxiety 
• a medical condition such as epilepsy

Section C should: 

• include all your child’s health difficulties 
• accurately describe your child or young person 

It is a good idea to look at section C with the reports in front of you. 

If a medical condition affects your child’s education, it must also be listed in section B. For example, a child with epilepsy may have absence seizures which causes them to miss information.  

Routine health issues, for example, dental check-ups, do not need to be recorded. 

Examples 

Zainab cannot take any food or drink by mouth. She is PEG fed.  

Mary 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 hearing aids but her hearing levels are unstable. This means she can often miss important information and this impacts on her interactions with her peers and family at home and in the nursery.

Chantelle has epilepsy. She often has seizures at night but they can occur during the school day. After a seizure she is very tired and needs to rest. 

Ravindra has a lowered immune system and gets frequent respiratory infections. He may miss more school than average, particularly during the winter months.  

Section D describes social care needs. These are things about life in the community and at home, for example: 

• isolation
• lack of social opportunities 
• no awareness of danger

Section D should: 

• include all your child’s social care difficulties  
• accurately describe your child or young person

It is a good idea to look at section D with the reports in front of you. 

If there has been a Social Care assessment then this information should be included. Otherwise, there may be evidence from the school or clubs they attend in the community. 

Examples 

Ayesha has no awareness of road safety and needs adult supervision when she is in the community.

Adam finds it difficult to engage in social activities as he cannot easily recognise social cues. This results in him being socially isolated outside the structure of the school day. 

Coby is at the early stages of developing adult independence skills. He understands how to use public transport but not how to maintain personal safety while using it. He has little understanding of how to manage his money and is at risk of others taking advantage of this.

Outcomes describe what your child or young person will be able to do because of the extra help in sections F to H of the EHCP.  

Outcomes are longer term targets. They are usually set out to be achieved by the end of a Key Stage. They can be about: 

• academic targets, such as reading or gaining a qualification 
• community life skills, such as being able to take part in an out-of-school activity or travel independently 

The outcomes section should: 

• be things that matter to your child or young person 
• have a balance between academic targets and life skills outside of education 
• say when they will be achieved 
• be measurable so it will be clear when your child has achieved their outcome  
• be achievable 

It is important to get the outcomes right. Spend some time thinking about what you want your child or young person to be able to do because of the extra help they get. 

Examples 

By the end of Key Stage 3, Dion will be able to make his own way to school for the start of the school day. 

By the time they move on to college, Sam will be able to plan an out of school activity with a small group of friends. 

By the end of Key Stage 5, Jonathan will have achieved a level 1 qualification in maths and English. 

By the end of Key Stage 1, Parveen will be able to use spoken language to communicate her basic needs. 

Section F contains the details of the help your child will get in school or college.  

Section F should: 

• include support for every difficulty in Section B 
• say how much help your child will get, how often and who will deliver it 

It does not include the support provided by the school as part of the standard support that every child can get from a school or setting. 

It is a good idea to look at section F with the reports in front of you.  

Section B and Section F work together. For every difficulty in section B, there must be support in Section F. This is a legal requirement. For example, if

Section B says that your child or young person has difficulty with social skills, Section F must say what support is going to take place to improve their social skills. 

Examples 

Jasmine will work with a classroom assistant for 15 minutes every day on a speech programme, that is written by and monitored by a qualified speech and language therapist. 

Bart will take part in a Lego therapy group, once a week, for thirty minutes, in a group of no more than 3 learners, delivered by a member of the learning support team. 

Greg will have short and frequent touch typing sessions. He will receive 3 x 10 minute sessions at school per week. Greg’s teacher will deliver the sessions in class and will review the programme and Greg’s progress with the Rehabilitation Worker on a termly basis. 

Katya will work with a Higher Level Teaching Assistant for 15 mins every morning to support her in choosing between 2 simple options presented through the ‘Choices Card’ system. The emphasis will be on ensuring that Katya understands the outcome of her choices.  

Section G describes the health care support your child or young person needs because of their SEN.  

It may include services such as: 

• audiology 
• psychological therapies 
• continence services 
• specialist nurses 
• equipment or training for school staff

Section G should: 

• include support for every difficulty in Section C 
• say how much help your child will get, how often and who will deliver it 

Section C and Section G work together. For every difficulty in section C, there must be support in Section G. This is a legal requirement. For example, if Section C says that your child or young person has difficulty with their mental health, Section G must say what support is going to take place to improve their wellbeing. 

It is a good idea to look at section G with the reports in front of you. 

Examples 

Hamza will continue to attend the paediatric diabetes clinic every six months. Before he starts school, the specialist diabetes nurse will deliver two training sessions to school staff. 

Alice consents to working with the CAMHs team to help her manage her emotional health. She will have two blocks of cognitive behavioural therapy with a clinical psychologist. The blocks will be six weeks each, separated by a two-week review period. She will be given a place at the local support group for young people which meets twice a week and CAMHs staff will support and encourage her to attend.   

Bharat will be offered appointments at the hospital every eight weeks where his condition will be monitored by his consultant. Within the first week of term, a school nurse will deliver a two hour training session on managing his seizures for all school staff who work with Bharat. This will be delivered at the school. Refresher training and updated advice from the school nurse will be made available once a term. 

Section H describes the social care support your child or young person needs because of their SEN.  

Section H should:

• include support for every difficulty in Section D 
• say how much help your child will get, how often and who will deliver it  

Section D and Section H work together. For every difficulty in section D, there must be support in Section H. This is a legal requirement.  

Section H is divided into two sections, H1 and H2. 

H1 is for services provided under the Chronically Sick and Disabled Person Act 1970 (CSPDA). It covers most things, for example: 

• help in the home 
• help for a holiday 
• leisure facilities 

It does not cover residential short breaks.  

H2 is any other social care provision, for example: 

• residential short breaks for children  
• social care provision for adults over 18 
• other social care provision not related to the child’s SEND but only with parents’ consent

It is a good idea to look at section H with the reports in front of you. 

Examples 

Anna will receive two hours per day help at home from a personal assistant to support feeding and dressing. This time will be split across the morning and afternoon and will be available seven days a week. 

Jack will have a place at the local specialist holiday scheme for young children with autistic spectrum disorder. He will be able to attend for six half day sessions of his parents choosing during each school holiday period.

Section I names the school or other institution your child or young person attends.  

This will be blank in a draft EHCP. 

The final plan will contain the type and name of the school or college, for example:

• a mainstream primary school – Hillview School 
• a secondary special school for pupils with severe learning difficulties – Lakeside School

Section I remains blank if your child receives SEN provision through an Education Other Than At School (EOTAS) package. 

Parents and carers  have a right to request a personal budget. Dorset Council has a duty to consider the request, alongside other education being accessed, but this may not always be approved.

If the request is approved, personal budgets are a way of giving you more input into how the money allocated to your child is spent. 

The EHCP is created using information collected from different people as part of the EHC needs assessment.  

Check that Section K lists all reports, including: 

• your own views and the views of your child 
• professional reports from people that teach or support your child 
• medical reports from practitioners who care for your child 
• assessments of your child or young person 
• any independent evidence you may have sent in 

If anything is missing, inform the SEND team at the council as soon as possible. 

An EHCP is a legal document once it is finalised, so it is important to review the draft EHCP, seek advice, and request any amendments.

If you need help to review the draft EHCP, there are people who can help. 

Have a discussion with the SENCO at your child or young person's school or educational setting. 

If you would prefer to speak to someone at the council, there are dedicated SEND teams in your area, or drop into your local Family Hub.
There is also support from outside of the school, setting, or council:

• SENDIASS (SEND Information, Advice, and Support Service)
• DPCC (Dorset Parent Carer Council)