Moving from Scotland to England with autistic children

[BothOfUs]

I'll be moving from Scotland to England with 2 autistic children. They don't use EHC plans in Scotland, so we don't have one to move. Both are mainstream educated and very academically able, but need significant support for certain things (transitions, sensory issues, social communication etc).

Is there a pathway that allows you to apply for an EHC plan before moving? How does it all work?

The LA doesn’t become responsible for DC until they are resident in the LA so they are unlikely to accept an EHCNA request until you have moved. (Unless you are e.g. military, and even then they don’t always accept requests in advance.)

When you move you can request EHCNAs. IPSEA and SOSSEN are charities who support parents of DC with SEN. They both have lots of helpful information on their websites including model letters you can use to request EHCNAs. They have advice lines, too. Once you have made the request you can see the timescales here.

Do DC have CSPs?

Alongside this you can also apply for schools. How old are DC/what year will they be in?