Education, Health and Care Needs Assessment (EHCNA) FAQ’s
What is an EHCNA and how to request one? This is the first step in the EHC Plan (EHCP) process. It is asking the local authority to carry out a holistic assessment of a child or young person’s education, health and care needs, to determine if they may need support from an EHCP. This can […]
An Overview of Education Otherwise Than at School (EOTAS)
EOTAS is the term used for pupils who have an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) and it would be inappropriate for them to attend an educational institution (i.e. a school or college – a ‘school or post-16 institution or a place at which relevant early years education is provided’). If a pupil is of college […]
A reminder of Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) and funding
EHCPs are meant to detail, amongst other things, the special educational provision to be delivered to a child or young person. This provision would be under Section F. We often see EHCPs that also have reference to funding/bands, and sometimes instead of clear special educational provision. This can be a concern to parents, so here […]
Schools and EHCPs – What happens if a school says they are full?
We are regularly asked what parents can do if a school requested to be named in an EHCP has said they are full. To answer this, there are different criteria to consider, depending on the type of school. So, we first need to look at the different types of settings: Local authority-maintained nursery school Local […]
Home to School Transport
What is it? Home to school transport is transport to and from school, arranged by the local authority (LA), free of charge to the pupil. When should it be provided? The LA must provide transport for an eligible pupil if there are no other arrangements in place to get them to school free of charge. […]
A Reminder on Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) Transition Reviews
A reminder that: The 15 February marked the legal deadline for local authorities to issue EHCPs naming secondary school type (as a minimum) in Section I: This will describe the type of school that your child will attend from September in Year 7. This could be a maintained mainstream, or special school, a non-maintained or […]
Problems obtaining an EHCP?
Potential systemic non-compliance – deter, defer, delay Reminder of remedies for refusal to assess decisions/breach of 20-week assessment windows A great recent case (W, R (On the Application Of) v Hertfordshire County Council [2023]) well worth a read which will hopefully serve to assist all those experiencing the frustration of LA refusals to assess for an […]
Is your child’s ASD/ADHD linked to a birth injury? – What you can do
How did your birth plan go? A personal question but one that is worth considering. Whilst ASD and ADHD can be genetically linked there are incidences where the conditions are in fact triggered by physical injury caused by sub-standard medical care. Examples include injury at or around the time of birth, including conditions like birth […]
Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND), Mental Capacity and Family Law: What you Need to Know
Family cases involving children and young people with SEND often feature added complexity, beyond the remit of family courts. Mencap and Public Health England identified 353,000 children as having a learning disability (2016) and with divorce rates sharply rising since 2020, the need to understand the overlap between SEND, family and mental capacity law is […]
Health and/or Social Care Mediation
Parents/young people can request mediation if they are unhappy with the social and/or health care elements of an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP). If the parent/young person is also disputing the education element of the plan, there should be a single mediation meeting to discuss all issues holistically. If you are looking for information […]