3. What is an EHCP?
An Education, Health & Care Plan or EHCP is a document that sets out the education, health, and social care needs of a child or young person. They replace former ‘Statements of SEN’ and are official documents that record a child’s special needs. They note what reasonable adjustments schools or colleges need to make, what extra support or therapy the child is entitled to and what kind of school or college can meet their needs. The process of a pupil receiving an EHCP is firmly rooted in the graduated approach. EHCPs are not automatically issued following diagnosis but are awarded where great need is demonstrated following a Local Authority panel meeting. Pupils who require an EHCP are likely to be more complex than those who a Learning Support Plan is sufficient, and the approach to meeting these needs will be even more personalised and individualised. Provision is organised around the planned outcomes written in the pupil’s EHC plan which are agreed prior to the EHCP being agreed by parents/carers. Further information for parents/carers can be found on the Achieving for Children Local Offer at