Parent Asks:
Can funding for Irlens equipment such as glasses be applied for within the EHC plan and how?
IPSEA Answers:
An EHC plan is a legal document which, amongst other things, specifies a child’s special educational needs (“SEN”) and special educational provision (“SEP”) required for a child. If your child has Irlen Syndrome, then this is a SEN that should be stated in section B of your child’s EHC plan. As such, the required SEP to meet this SEN should be specified within section F of the EHC plan.
SEP is defined in section 21 of the Children and Families Act 2014 as provision which is “additional to, or different from, that made generally for others of the same age...” which could include therapies such as speech and language therapy, for example, or aids such as a laptop or specialist stationery, for example. Glasses for Irlen Syndrome could certainly fall into this category.
In order for the glasses to be specified in the EHC plan, you would need evidence that they are required to meet your child’s needs. This could be via a report from a professional such as an optometrist who works with your child or has carried out an assessment. You would need to submit this to the LA for the SEP to be added into section F of the EHC plan. Once the SEP is included in section F, then the LA has a legal duty to arrange it under section 42 of the Children and Families Act 2014.
