Is the Government rationing EHC plans?
MPs on the House of Commons Education Select Committee invited the Children’s Minister, Claire Coutinho, in for a chat this week about the SEND and Alternative Provision Improvement Plan. Members of …
Category: Education Health and Care Plan
No specialists = No support: The future for children with SEND is bleak without a trained workforce to support them
SNJ is among 114 SEND-related organisations and professional bodies calling for urgent action over gaps in the provision of specialist services for children and young people with disabilities. The gaps …
Failure to specify and quantify SEND reports – what options do families have?
with Emily Chalke, caseworker at Duncan Lewis Solicitors During the special educational needs assessment that can lead to an Education, Health and Care (EHC) Plan, expert advice and information must …
15,000 disabled learners with EHCPs but no provision: The EHCP figures for 2021
It seems like an ice age since the last time we this rather than just a year – but yesterday, the Department for Education published their annual statistical summary of Education, …
Who benefits from inclusive education – and how?
with Prof Brahm Norwich & Dr Peter Gray, SEN Policy Research Forum Who benefits from inclusive education? It is an enduring question that applies as much to children and young …
EHCP Annual Review: Our stats show there’s nothing annual about them…
After months of form-filling, evidence gathering, panel meetings and bureaucratic slow-dancing, your child or young person now has an Education, Health & Care Plan (EHCP). With a bit of luck, …
When is a significant injustice to a disabled child, not a significant injustice?
with Claire Ryan Every week the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGSCO) publishes the latest set of decisions for complaints its investigated from parents against (some) schools and local …
EHCPs in 2019: Bedded in, or bogged down?
Early Thursday morning, whilst thousands of families and allies were preparing to march to draw attention to the national crisis in SEND, the Department for Education published their annual set …
Are EHCP Annual Reviews being unlawfully delayed by too-busy LAs?
When my sons had their first annual review after their Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP), it happened roughly on time. However, we never received the report after the review. …
Phase Transfer deadline: what to do if your child’s EHCP isn’t finalised on time
The transfer deadline day for all settings except post-16, is fast approaching! If your child is transferring between phases of education, then the statutory deadline by when your local authority …
Getting Help with EHCPs: Be Careful Out There!
Just before Christmas, we took a look at some of the latest figures to come out of the Special Educational Needs & Disability Tribunal (SENDIST). Those figures shone light on …
Matching needs with provision to make a dog’s doodah EHCP (Part 2)
This is the follow up post about the dog’s breakfast EHCPs produced by Oldham. In part one, I outlined what’s wrong with Oldham’s EHCPs, its autism SEND provision and why. …
Taking a stand against the dog’s breakfast EHCPs of Oldham (part 1)
I’ve seen a fair few EHC Plans now – those of the pupils at Bright Futures School (BFS), those of children whose parents are seeking a place for them at BFS, …
Ten top tips to get a ‘good’ Education, Health and Care Plan for your child
Many of you will have seen Nadhim Zahawi MP – the current Children and Families Minister, talking on BBC Breakfast a couple of months ago about how the SEND …
EHCPs in 2018: Are we ‘bedded in’ yet?
It’s the second May Bank Holiday – and for sad people like me, that means a special treat. Because that’s when the Department for Education (DfE) unloads its annual statistical …
One parent’s seven steps to success for her autistic son’s EHCP
We have another useful post for you today. Many parents find it difficult to navigate the SEND system and we hope that this site can help. One parent, Fiona Jones, …
The DfE replies: EHCP issues
Today is the second instalment of your answers to the questions you put to the Department for Education last year. Yesterday, we brought you their replies to questions about SEND …
Refused an EHC assessment or unhappy with the plan? Read our next steps
“The Local Authority refused to assess my child for an EHC Needs Assessment,” “I have an unacceptable EHC Plan”and “The Local Authority has taken away the provision my son receives” …
Nancy’s tips for writing an EHCP parental statement
One of the things I get asked regularly, in my capacity of mother of an older child with Down’s syndrome, is how to write the parental statement part of the …
Zombie Statements: Councils to miss legal EHCP transfer deadline for thousands of children
After a turbulent 2017, we’re all hoping for better things for the world of SEND this year. But however things pan out, 2018 should be a milestone year for one …