EHCP with no secondary school named

[AbsolutelyNo]

My child has been awarded an EHCP in year 6 but it has the current primary school named on it. The LA are consulting with schools, mainstream secondaries. I asked for an update and was told I will be told as soon as the case worker has an update from the SEND admissions team and that they are working hard etc... How long are we supposed to wait? All the Yr 6 kids are going on visits to their new schools and buying uniform already. I can't believe how long this is taking and how stressful it is to wait. We were told that all EHCP cases have to go back through the SEND admissions route so the school we applied for in the normal way is not necessarily the school we will be allocated. Are there any rules or guidelines about how long it should take to get a named school?

the EHCP was awarded prior to February the LA must finalise the amended EHCP for secondary by 15th February. If the EHCP has been issued after that I would expect the secondary version to be issued quickly. If that is the case for you threaten Judicial Review.

Unless the school is wholly independent the LA must name your preference unless they can prove:

• The setting is unsuitable for the age, ability, aptitude or special educational needs (“SEN”) of the child or young person; or
• The attendance of the child or young person would be incompatible with the provision of efficient education for others; or
• The attendance of the child or young person would be incompatible with the efficient use of resources.

What setting do you want your DS to attend? As he has an EHCP, as LargeLegoHaul has said, you get to express the preference and there are very few reasons the school can say no. (Providing it's not wholly independent). Being 'full' isn't a good enough reason.

Some local authorities try to get parents to fill in forms listing more than one school if their DC have an EHCP. You don't have to name more than one whatever they try and say.

Once you've made the request for a school, the local authority will consult with them and then the school has 15 days to respond. So the time scale should be fairly quick.
It's also worth saying that with an EHCP, you can consider schools out of your local area or even an independent school (although this may be more difficult to achieve without a tribunal/strong evidence).

There is some good info here:

www.ipsea.org.uk/choosing-a-schoolcollege-with-an-ehc-plan