What Is an EHCP? A Complete Guide

The definition

What an EHCP actually is

An Education, Health and Care Plan, an EHCP, is a legal document for children and young people in England, aged 0 to 25, with special educational needs significant enough that mainstream SEN Support alone isn't judged sufficient. It sets out a child's needs, the outcomes they're working toward, and the specific education, health, and social care provision required to meet them, and it's legally binding on the Local Authority and named institutions in a way SEN Support isn't.

Worth being precise from the outset: an EHCP is not the same thing as a diagnosis, and having a diagnosis doesn't automatically mean a child needs or qualifies for one. It's an assessment of need and the provision required to meet that need, not a label.

SEN Support vs EHCP

The actual difference

Most children with additional needs are supported through SEN Support, managed entirely by the school, without a statutory plan or Local Authority involvement in individual provision decisions. An EHCP becomes relevant when a child's needs are complex or severe enough that the support required goes beyond what a school can reasonably provide from its own resources, and needs coordinating across education, health, and care.

The practical difference that matters most: SEN Support can be adjusted by the school at any time. An EHCP's provision is legally specified, and changing it requires a formal process, which is exactly why getting the provision section right at the point of drafting matters so much.

The assessment process

Step by step

1. Request. A parent, school, or the young person themselves (if over 16) can request a statutory assessment from the Local Authority.
2. The decision to assess. The LA has 6 weeks to decide whether to carry out an assessment, based on evidence that SEN Support alone hasn't been sufficient.
3. The assessment itself. If agreed, the LA gathers advice from education, health, and care professionals, and from the parents and the child or young person directly.
4. The draft plan. If the LA decides a plan is needed, they issue a draft EHCP, and parents have the right to request a specific school be named.
5. The final plan. After a consultation period, the LA issues the final EHCP.

The whole process has a statutory 20-week timeline from initial request to final plan, though delays beyond this are common enough that tracking the actual deadline explicitly, rather than assuming it'll happen on schedule, is worth building into any school's own systems.

Plan structure

What's actually in an EHCP

An EHCP is structured into named sections, each with a specific legal status:

• Section A: the views, interests, and aspirations of the child and their parents.
• Section B: the child's special educational needs.
• Section C: health needs related to their SEN.
• Section D: social care needs related to their SEN.
• Section E: the outcomes sought for the child.
• Section F: the special educational provision required, this section is legally binding and the one worth the most scrutiny, since vague wording here creates real disputes later.
• Section G, H1, H2: health provision required.
• Section I: the name of the school or setting.
• Section J: personal budget arrangements, if applicable.
• Section K: the advice and evidence gathered during assessment.

Annual review

Keeping the plan current

Every EHCP must be reviewed at least annually, checking whether outcomes are being met, whether provision is still appropriate, and whether the plan itself needs amending. For a child moving between Year 9 and post-16, or Year 11 and post-16, the review must also address transition planning specifically, not just current provision.