Section A for EHC needs assessment

[Hollyhocks7]

Can anyone advise on how much detail the parent is supposed to go into with 'Section A'? I haven't been able to find much guidance. Should it be a short history of problems so far, overview of child's needs in the classroom only, or focussing more on what we want to achieve with the plan, if get one?

I've just dug my DS's EHCP paperwork out. I wrote two pages. To be honest, I'm not sure how much weight Section A has with the EHCP decision-makers. I have heard it's really the professional reports that they look at.
Having said that, it's definitely worth taking your time over as parts of Section A have been put in the EHCP (although not in the legally binding Section F part).

I started off with a brief summary of my DS's history. All the milestones he missed, the struggles he had at nursery/school. Any medical issues of note, dates he was diagnosed. A list of things he struggles with (eg making friends), his triggers, his barriers to learning. You can also include stuff outside of school - eg my DS is unable to access anything swimming lessons/Scouts etc without one to one support. Plus the impact it has on your family life.

I also included a short diary - like a 'week in the life of'. eg: 'Monday, DS comes out of school crying because....'. 'Tuesday, DS refuses to go into school because...' To really show people how difficult school/life is for DS.

Thank you @Toomanyminifigs, I think I'll do something similar, I'm not sure how much weight it carries but it seems right to explain the situation as much as possible and also say what we hope to achieve through this process.