EHCP Issued- Mainstream recommendation

[Sparksauty]

Hello my DS (4) has been issued an EHCP the The Local Authority Recommendation for provision is Mainstream. Can I ask- can I then request in section I- Mainstream school with Specialist unit? Or did their recommendation mean it has to be standard mainstream only? Thanks.

From your post, I think you mean the EHCP hasn’t yet been issued/finalised but you have been given a draft. Is that right? You can state whatever placement you want. The LA cannot limit your preference to a certain type of placement. Section I in the draft must be blank. You can say your preference is a unit.

As to what is named in section I for units within mainstream schools, that depends on how the unit is set up. Most are part of the mainstream school, some are separate institutions, some (a growing number) are satellite sites of special/specialist schools. There has been very recent case law on what belongs in I - LL and MM v Telford and Wrekin Council (SEN): [2026] UKUT 129 (AAC) if you are interested but this may be too much at the point you are at so don’t worry if it is. Regardless, the provision to be provided by the unit needs to be set out in F.

Thankyou scoopofmintchocchipicecream yes exactly that is the case. Thanks so much for clarifying I really appreciate it.

So you need to know how the unit is run. You need to know if it is part of the mainstream school, part of a special/specialist school but operates out of the mainstream school grounds, or a stand alone establishment working out of the mainstream grounds. That will influence what is named in section I.