The term EHC Plan stands for ‘Education Health Care Plan.’

(This is NOT the same as a medical care plan which is written by the school nurse for children who have particular diagnosed, usually life threatening or life changing medical conditions)

An EHC Plan is a legal document which is written by the Local Authority for children and young people with severe and complex education and health care needs. The document makes sure that everybody working with the child is fully aware of the severity of their needs and knows how to offer the support necessary. An EHC Plan is often written if health and educational professional, including an Educational Psychologist, agree that the child is likely to require a place in a special school or in a school with specialist provision either during their primary education or when they transfer to secondary school.

If your child is likely to need an EHC Plan to support their education, they will be referred to an Educational Psychologist who will meet with parents / carers and school staff to discuss the needs of your child. They will then meet with your child and carry out some observations and assessments and will write a report on the learning needs that your child has. This report will then be sent to the Local Authority, along with reports from the SENCo and any other professionals working with your child such as speech and language therapists, paediatricians and occupational therapists, along with a request from the school SENCo that the Local Authority will carry out a full assessment of your child’s needs to see whether they are eligible for an EHC Plan.

The decision to write an EHC Plan is not made by school staff. The decision is made by representatives from the Local Authority who meet regularly to discuss the cases of individual children.