EHCP - changing education setting

[Ladysmith1]

My daughter is in year 5 and has an EHCP with LSA support, salt, OT and specialist teacher support. She is in a mainstream primary school. It has however become clear that she is not getting adequate support and is not progressing academically or socially/emotionally. Both the school and us as parents agree she needs to leave mainstream and move to a school
With specialist support. We have found a great specialist school but it’s independent. Anyone have any advice of appealing EHCP on grounds of the educational setting and getting funding for independent specialist school? The other options through state funded/ county are not right as they are for children with really significant needs. All advice welcome! Need help to navigate!

You need to do it through the annual review process. The school would need to provide evidence of the need for more specialist provision and make a recommendation to the local authority for change of placement. These requests are usually considered by a panel. If agreed the local authority should suggest possibilities and you can express a preference for the independent setting. The local authority are then obliged to consult with that setting though they may not agree to fund if they feel her needs can be met in one of their own schools. You would then need to make a case as to why the local authority school could not meet needs and the independent could.

You can call an emergency review as well, if the placement is breaking down. You and school can then submit the evidence that they can no longer meet the needs as defined in the plan, and request a more specialist setting.