How to Request an EHCP in England: A Parent’s Guide

What is an EHCP?

An EHCP is a legal plan describing a child or young person’s special educational needs, the outcomes being worked towards and the provision needed. It can also include relevant health and social care needs and support. It is different from a school’s ordinary SEN Support record.

The system covers children and eligible young people up to 25; it is not an automatic entitlement to a plan until the 25th birthday. After compulsory school age, decision-making rights generally transfer to the young person. Parents can support them, and different arrangements apply if they cannot make the relevant decisions themselves.

Read GOV.UK’s EHCP overview and IPSEA’s assessment guidance.

When and how to request an assessment

The legal question is whether the child or young person has, or may have, special educational needs, and whether it may be necessary for special educational provision to be made through an EHC plan. The threshold for assessing is different from deciding to issue a plan.

You can make the request yourself; a school’s agreement is not required. There is no fixed number of SEN Support terms, spending threshold or particular council form that must be completed before a valid request can be considered. Work with the setting where possible, but do not treat its internal procedure as the legal test.

1. Find your home council: use the authority where your child lives, even if their school is in another area. Find your local council, then locate its SEND Local Offer and EHC assessment team.
2. Write clearly: say you are requesting an EHC needs assessment. Explain the learning or access needs and why provision through a plan may be necessary.
3. Attach what you have: a short overview plus relevant records is more useful than an unexplained bundle. Do not put off a request solely to obtain a perfect set of reports.
4. Keep proof: save the sent email or delivery record, attachments and acknowledgement. Record when the council received it.

Sources: Children and Families Act, section 36; IPSEA: requesting an assessment.

A practical evidence checklist

Explain what happens, how often, what support is needed and how this affects learning or participation. Include your child’s strengths, preferences and views as well as the difficulties. For example: “During group instructions, my child needs an adult to repeat one step at a time; without this, they cannot start the activity.”

Use a simple record: date → situation → impact → help needed → what helped. Note when progress depends on substantial support; a successful day does not by itself show that support is unnecessary. Keep private reports in your own secure records.

Evidence considerations: SEND Code of Practice, chapter 9. Checklist organisation and example are NeuroVillage’s practical suggestions.

The EHCP process: 6, 16 and 20 weeks

These usual statutory milestones run from the council’s receipt of the initial assessment request, not from the date a school panel meets. Limited legal exceptions can apply; ask the council to explain any claimed exception in writing.

Sources: SEND Regulations 2014; GOV.UK: assessment and draft/final plans.

What happens during an EHC needs assessment?

The council is responsible for the assessment. Required advice includes educational, medical, psychological and social care information, alongside the child’s and family’s views. Advice should address needs, the provision required and intended outcomes.

Write down which areas need investigation. You can ask the council to seek advice from a relevant professional where the request is reasonable—for example, speech and language therapy or occupational therapy. Explain the link with your child’s needs. Existing advice can sometimes be used if the required people, including you, agree that it is sufficient.

Keep asking the nursery or school what help will continue in the meantime. The assessment process is not a reason to pause everyday support.

Detailed source: IPSEA: advice required during assessment.

How to check a draft EHCP

Read it beside the assessment reports. Make a simple table with three columns: identified need → proposed support → requested correction. State which report and page support each change.

• Section A: the child or young person’s views, interests and aspirations should be represented.
• Section B: check that special educational needs are fully described.
• Section F: match provision to each educational need. Ask for enough detail about what help, how often, for how long and with what expertise.
• Sections C/D and G/H: check relevant health/social care needs and provision.
• Section I: consider the setting or type of setting to be named; placement requests have specific legal rules.
• Section K: check the advice and reports used are listed and available.

Wording such as “access to support” may not explain what will actually be delivered. Ask for specific detail supported by the evidence, rather than inventing an amount of therapy or one-to-one help. Put comments in writing within the response period and ask for a meeting if helpful.

SENDIASS draft-plan checklist · IPSEA: clear, specific provision.

If the council refuses, delays or issues an unclear plan

Refusal or disagreement: read the decision letter, keep the envelope/email and note the appeal deadline immediately. Refusal to assess, refusal to issue a plan and disagreements about educational contents can be appealable. Ask SENDIASS or IPSEA which route fits your decision.

Appeal time: normally, the limit is two months from the decision letter or one month from the mediation certificate, whichever is later. In most cases you must contact a mediation adviser to obtain a certificate; attending mediation itself is optional. A solely Section I placement appeal is an exception to that certificate requirement. Check the decision letter and current tribunal guidance for your case.

Delay or undelivered provision: write to the SEND caseworker, identify the missed milestone or provision and request a written response. Ask for the council’s complaints procedure and seek prompt advice if the problem continues. A complaint is not a substitute for an appeal and does not automatically stop its deadline.

GOV.UK: mediation · Official SEND35 form and time-limit guidance.

After the final plan: delivery and review

Ask the setting who will arrange each part of the provision and how you will be kept informed. Record gaps factually, including dates and the help missed. The local authority has a duty to secure the special educational provision specified in Section F.

An annual review is a process, not just a meeting. The first review must be completed within 12 months of the final plan, then within 12 months of the previous review. The council normally communicates its review decision within four weeks of the meeting. If needs change sooner, ask for advice about an earlier review or reassessment; do not simply wait for the anniversary.

Section 42: duty to secure provision · IPSEA: annual review process.

Parent request template: EHC needs assessment

Copy this original NeuroVillage starting point into your own document. Replace the square brackets, adapt it to your circumstances and send it directly to your council—not to NeuroVillage. A young person making their own request should adapt the wording.

Subject: Request for an EHC needs assessment — [child’s name]

Dear [local authority SEND team],

I am the parent/carer of [name, date of birth], who lives at [address] and attends [setting, or explain current education arrangements].

I am requesting an education, health and care needs assessment under section 36 of the Children and Families Act 2014.

I believe my child has or may have special educational needs because [describe needs and their effect on learning or participation].

I believe it may be necessary for provision to be made through an EHC plan because [explain unmet needs, support required and the effect of support already tried].

My child’s strengths, views and priorities include [brief details]. I attach [list available records and reports].

Please acknowledge receipt, confirm the date received and notify me in writing of your decision within the applicable statutory timescale.

Kind regards,
[your name and contact details]

For a specialist legal template and further guidance, visit IPSEA’s assessment request letter.

Common EHCP questions