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Here you'll find advice from parents and teachers on special needs education.

Draft EHCP

1 reply

KSAM · 30/08/2025 01:12

I've received my child's draft and I'm at a loss about what to do next. Reading through I don't think the plan is good enough, particular concerned about section f. Here's a coupe of examples from this section

Consideration of targeted cognitive coaching to cope with her heightened
stress response more adaptively. This should be advised by an accredited mental health professional and consistent with NICE Guidelines

Daily option to use a ‘safe space’ in school and access to a positive
time out card

Is wording like this acceptable? What services can I use to help woth reviewing the ehcp?

Thank you

OP posts:
flawlessflipper · 30/08/2025 14:11

No, that is not good enough. Nowhere near. It needs to be detailed, specified and quantified - e.g. who, what, when, where, how…

Go through all the reports with highlighters. Highlight all DC’s special educational needs in one colour and then all the provision to meet the needs in another colour. Each need should have corresponding provision.

Then go through the draft and make sure all the highlighted needs are in B and the highlighted provision is in F.

Make a note of anything the LA has omitted from the draft, any needs without corresponding provision, any woolly and vague wording, anything the reports have failed to include, and any reports the LA has failed to include.

When you go through F, look out for vague and woolly wording. For example, “access to”, “would benefit from”, “regular”, “up to”, “or equivalent”, “opportunities for”, “as appropriate”, “would be useful/helpful”, “such as”, “e.g.”, “etc.”, “as required”, “as advised”, “key adult(s)”, “small group”. Provision must be detailed, specified and quantified, otherwise the EHCP isn’t worth the paper it is written on and cannot be enforced.

When you come across vague and woolly wording, check the reports to see if they are woolly and vague or whether the LA has watered down provision. If the reports are vague and woolly, ask the LA to go back to the report writers to make the reports detailed, specified and quantified. If the LA has watered down provision, request the LA stick to the wording in the reports. EHCPs are based on evidence, so if the reports are poor, the EHCP will be too.

Also make sure any health or social care provision that educates or trains is in F. For example, LAs like to put things like SALT, OT, physio, etc. in G (health care provision) when it belongs in F.

If it is something you are interested in, SOSSEN offer a draft checking service.

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