EHCPs: Education, health and care plans

This page is all about education, health and care plans (EHCPs).

Find out what EHCPS are, whether your child needs one and what EHCP assessments are like.

This information relates to England. Find out more about education support in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

We also have more information on how to apply for an EHCP as a parent.

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What is an EHCP?

An education, health and care plan, or EHCP, is a plan for children and young people who need additional educational support.

SEN (special educational needs) support is support that’s available to all children and young people who need it in school, nursery or other educational settings. Find out more about SEN.

Special educational needs and disability (SEND) support should be available to all children and young people with SEND, aged 0–25, as long as they are in education or training.

An EHCP is a legal document. You can get one from birth, up until the age of 25.

EHCPs set out:

The child or young person’s educational, health and social care needs.
The extra support they will get to meet those needs.
How that support will enable them to achieve what they want in life.

What does EHCP stand for?

EHCP stands for “education, health and care plan”.

It is sometimes referred to as an EHC plan.

What does an EHCP entitle you to?

Your child’s EHCP will outline their needs, and what specific support they would benefit from. This is called the “provision”.

Your local authority has a responsibility to make sure children with EHCPs are receiving the provision set out in their EHCP.

What provision your child is entitled to will depend on what they need.

Their EHCP might recommend support such as:

Enrolment in a special school.
Speech and language therapy.
Physiotherapy.
One-to-one teaching support.
Specialist technology or software.

What are the five stages of an EHCP?

Stage one: Identifying needs

The first stage in getting an EHCP is identifying that a child has special educational needs that can’t be met by their school/nursery/college.

If the young person needs more learning support, and their needs can;t be met by the educational support currently on offer, then an EHCP assessment may be requested.

This can be requested by parents, carers, professionals or by the young person themselves if they are aged 16-25.

Find out more about how to request an EHCP assessment as a parent.

Stage two: Assessment

In this stage, the local authority will carry out an EHCP assessment to determine whether the child needs an EHCP.

Find out more about EHCP assessments.

Stage three: Planning

If the assessment finds that a young person needs an EHCP, the next stage is to create the plan.

The local authority will use evidence and advice from professionals involved in a child’s care to help them draft a plan for that child’s support.

Find out more about what’s in an EHCP.

Stage four: Implementing the plan

Once the plan has been created and finalised, it should be put into action.

There should be clear communication between educational professionals and parents about how this is being done.

Stage five: Reviewing the plan

EHCPs must be reviewed every year. The first review should happen within 12 months of the plan being finalised.

Find out more about EHCP reviews.

Does my child need an EHCP?

Your child may need an EHCP if they need more support than their school or educational setting can offer them.

To get one, you will need to show that:

Your child is struggling at school/nursery/college due to their unmet needs, and
Their school/nursery/college is unable to meet their needs.

Although the EHCP can include health or social care needs, your child will not get an EHCP if their needs do not affect their education.

To find out if your child can get an EHCP, they’ll need to have an EHCP assessment. Find out more about EHCP assessments.

Does my child need a diagnosis to get an EHCP?

Your child doesn’t need to have a medical diagnosis to get an EHCP.

You just need to show that your child’s needs are not being met, and they need more support than their school/nursery/college can offer.

This will need to be shown at an EHCP assessment.

EHCP assessments

You can ask your local authority to carry out an assessment if you think your child needs an EHCP.

What is an EHCP assessment?

An EHCP assessment or EHC needs assessment is an assessment of what a young person needs, in terms of education, health and social care.

EHCP assessments are carried out by the local authority.

The local authority may ask for information from:

Parents/carers.
Teachers.
Doctors.
Educational psychologists.
Social services.
Therapists (such as physiotherapists, occupational therapists).

You can also proactively gather this information yourself to make sure the local authority considers it. For example, you might ask a play worker from Sense who knows you well to provide evidence.

The local authority uses the information gathered to decide whether the child needs an EHCP.

If it’s decided that your child needs an EHCP, the local authority must then provide one.

Visit the IPSEA website for more detail about what happens during an EHCP assessment.

Who can ask for an EHCP assessment?

EHCP assessments can be requested by:

Parents/carers.
Education professionals (such as teachers, SENCos).
Healthcare professionals (such as doctors, health visitors).
The young person themselves (if aged 16-25).
Anyone else who is involved with the young person and cares about their needs.

Find out more about requesting an EHCP assessment as a parent.

What does an EHCP look like?

An EHCP is made up of 12 sections, detailing the young person’s needs and ideal outcomes.

There is no national standard for how these sections are presented – it is up to each local authority. But the sections must be clearly labelled.

The 12 sections of an EHCP are:

A. The views, interests and aspirations of you and your child.
B. Special educational needs.
C. Health needs related to special educational needs.
D. Social care needs related to special educational needs.
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 needs assessment.

EHCP examples

The following are some EHCP examples provided by local authorities around England:

Swindon Borough Council – example EHCP

Cumbria County Council – EHCP examples of good practice

Enfield Council – exemplar EHCP template

If my child gets an EHCP, what school or college can they go to?

If your child has an EHCP, they can go to a mainstream school or a SEN school (or sixth form or further education college), depending on their needs.

In SEN schools, sometimes called special schools, there are only pupils with SEND, usually with complex needs.

SEN schools usually have specially trained teachers, therapists and special equipment to support pupils’ needs.

Can a school refuse a child with an EHCP?

An EHCP is a legal document, which means that the school named in it must legally accept your child and offer them the support outlined in the EHCP.

If your child’s school is refusing to take them, despite being named in their EHCP, you should speak to your local authority and seek legal advice.

On what grounds can a school refuse a child with an EHCP?

In some exceptional circumstances, schools may be able to refuse children with an EHCP (for example, if the child’s health and safety would be at risk).

These decisions are rare, and should only be made when the school has explored every alternative.

If you find yourself in this situation, it is recommended to seek legal advice.

Get information and support from IPSEA to help understand your child’s rights.

Find out more about appeals and tribunals.

How long does an EHCP last?

An EHCP stays in place until your child leaves education, or the local authority decides that your child no longer needs the EHCP to help them in their education.

If you move to another local authority, the EHCP should be transferred.

EHCP reviews

An EHCP should be reviewed at least once a year (annually).

Your child’s first annual review should take place within 12 months of first getting the EHCP.

What is involved in an EHCP review?

The annual review is a formal process that follows specific legal requirements, including a formal meeting.

The local authority is responsible for annual reviews, but it is usually the school that organises the review meeting.

Before your EHCP review

Everyone who needs to be at the review should be given two weeks’ notice of the meeting.

They should all send in reports of how your child is getting on, which everyone should see before you all meet.

This information gathering stage is really important, especially if you and your family want changes to your EHCP.

The following people should all be invited:

Parents or caregiver.
If your child is 16 or over, the invitation to the meeting should go to them.
Someone from your child’s school or college.
Local authority officer for education.
Local authority officer for social care.
A healthcare professional.
Anyone else who’s relevant, such as a job coach.

It’s a good idea to prepare notes before the meeting, setting out anything you think needs to change.

In the EHCP review

In the review, you’ll all talk through your child’s progress and anything they need to support their goals.

If outcomes have been achieved or need to be changed, new outcomes should be chosen. It’s important a detailed record of the discussion is kept.

After the EHCP review

Everyone who came to the meeting or supplied information will receive a copy of the notes.

Then the local authority will review your plan and tell you what they’ve decided within four weeks of the meeting.

They may decide to either:

Change the EHCP.
Leave the EHCP as it is.
Stop the EHCP.

At this stage, you will have around 15 days to make comments or ask for changes. This is called ‘making representations’.

If your child is moving to a new place of education, at this stage you can also name the school or college you want them to attend.

Within eight weeks of sending the draft plan, you should receive the final EHCP from the local authority, or a decision not to amend it.

When does an EHCP end?

An EHCP will stop in one of two situations:

When the local authority is no longer responsible for your child.
If your child’s needs change so they don’t need an EHCP any more.

Your local authority is no longer responsible when your child:

Starts working.
Goes to university.
Leaves education completely.
Turns 25 years old.

What happens to an EHCP if you move?

If you move to a different local authority with an EHCP, your EHCP should be transferred to the new local authority.

You should give your local authority at least 15 working days’ notice that you are moving.

If you are over 18 with an EHCP

EHCPs can continue up to the age of 25, as long as you still have SEND and are still in education or training.

Your local authority shouldn’t take away your EHCP just because you are over 18. They also shouldn’t insist you work towards qualifications, employment or independent living.

Your outcomes may be different and you should still be able to have support.

This content was last reviewed in January 2025. We’ll review it again in 2027.