The complete SEND & EHCP guide for parents in England
A practical route through our 30 England guides, from SEN Support and an EHC needs assessment to reviews, appeals, school placement and moving area.
Use this guide when you are not sure where to start
- If support is still being managed by the school, begin with SEN Support.
- If needs may require an EHC plan, move to the assessment section.
- If you already have an EHCP, jump to draft/final plans, annual reviews, implementation or appeals.
Before you begin
Save decision letters, emails, reports and meeting notes. Deadlines can matter, especially for appeals. Each linked guide gives the relevant official sources and its last-reviewed date.
Open the England SEND & EHCP glossary if you need a term explained.
1. Start with SEN Support
SEN Support: what should parents expect from school?
What SEN Support should look like in an England school, including assess-plan-do-review, parent involvement, recording support and regular review.
Can school provide SEND support before a diagnosis?
Yes. In England, SEN Support is based on identified special educational needs, not on waiting for a medical diagnosis. What parents can ask school to do now.
What to ask a SENCO at the first meeting
Use the first SENCO meeting to understand what the school has noticed, what support is being tried, how progress will be measured and when the plan will be reviewed.
Reasonable adjustments at school for disabled pupils: what parents can ask for
A practical England guide to reasonable adjustments at school under the Equality Act 2010, including what to ask for, how to record requests and how this differs from SEN Support or an EHCP.
School says there is no funding for SEND support — what can parents do?
What parents in England can do when a mainstream school says it cannot provide SEN Support because of funding, including best-endeavours duties, notional SEN funding and practical questions to ask.
How to keep a SEND school communication and evidence record
A simple parent-friendly way to organise SEND school emails, meeting notes, provision records, reports and evidence without creating an unmanageable file.
2. Request an EHC needs assessment
Can I request an EHC needs assessment myself?
Yes. In England, a parent can ask the local authority to carry out an EHC needs assessment if they think their child may need an EHC plan.
What evidence should I include with an EHCP request?
Aim to show the child’s needs, the support already tried, what happened, and why an EHC needs assessment may be necessary.
School will not request an EHCP — what can a parent do?
A school does not have to make the request for you. In England, a parent can ask the local authority directly for an EHC needs assessment.
EHC needs assessment refused — what next?
A refusal to assess can be challenged. Read the local authority decision letter carefully because it should explain appeal and mediation information.
What happens during an EHC needs assessment?
A practical England guide to what happens during an EHC needs assessment, who gives advice, what parents can contribute and what happens by week 16.
Educational psychologist in an EHC needs assessment: what parents should know
What educational psychology advice does in an EHC needs assessment in England, what the regulations require, how parent evidence is shared and what to check in the report.
3. Review the draft and final EHCP
EHCP 20-week timeline explained
Where an EHC plan is issued, the overall process is normally expected to reach the final plan within 20 weeks of the local authority receiving the assessment request, subject to statutory exceptions.
How to review a draft EHCP
Review whether the plan describes needs clearly, links provision to those needs and reflects the assessment evidence.
EHCP wording: vague vs specific examples
How to spot vague EHCP wording in Section F and ask for provision that is detailed, specific and normally quantified. England guidance for parents.
EHCP Section F: what should provision look like?
Section F is the special educational provision section. It should make the support required for the identified needs clear enough to understand what is to be provided.
EHCP health or social care sections incomplete — what can you do?
What to check when Sections C, D, G, H1 or H2 of a draft EHCP seem incomplete, and how to ask the local authority to address missing needs or provision.
Questions to ask before an EHCP is finalised
A practical checklist of questions for parents to ask during the draft EHCP stage before the local authority issues the final plan.
Using private assessments and reports in an EHCP process
How parents in England can submit private educational psychology, therapy or other reports during an EHC needs assessment, and what the local authority must consider.
4. Annual reviews and implementation
EHCP annual review checklist for parents
Use the annual review to check current needs, progress toward outcomes, whether provision is working and whether the plan needs changing.
What evidence should you bring to an EHCP annual review?
A practical England checklist for organising evidence before an EHCP annual review, including progress, provision, new assessments and parent or young-person views.
What happens after an EHCP annual review?
What happens after an EHCP annual review in England, including the review report, the local authority’s four-week decision and what happens if the plan is amended.
Requesting changes to an EHCP
How parents and young people in England can raise changes to an EHCP through annual review, amendment or reassessment when needs or provision have changed.
School is not implementing EHCP provision — what next?
Start by comparing the provision written in Section F with what is actually being delivered and creating a clear written record of any gap.
Local authority missed the EHCP deadline — what can parents do?
What parents in England can do when an EHC needs assessment or final EHCP is delayed, including the main statutory milestones, complaint evidence and practical escalation steps.
5. Appeals, placement and moving
Local authority refuses to issue an EHCP after assessment — what next?
Steps for parents and young people in England after a local authority refuses to make an EHC plan following an EHC needs assessment, including mediation and SEND Tribunal appeal basics.
Mediation before a SEND Tribunal appeal: what parents need to know
How SEND mediation works in England before an EHC plan appeal, when a mediation certificate is needed, the Section I exception and how to prepare for a mediation meeting.
SEND Tribunal appeal evidence checklist for parents
A practical evidence checklist for England SEND Tribunal appeals about EHC assessments and plans, with tips for organising documents, chronology and requested outcomes.
Choosing or changing the school named in an EHCP (Section I)
A practical England guide to asking for a school or college to be named in Section I of an EHC plan, local-authority consultation and what to do if your preference is refused.
Moving to a new local authority with an EHCP: what happens to the plan?
What happens to an EHC plan when a child or young person moves to another local authority area in England, including transfer, review and temporary placement duties.
Need a different UK system?
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