An Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan is a legal document. It describes a child or young person’s educational, health and social care needs. It sets out the specialist provision needed. This is to meet the child or young person’s needs and achieve agreed long-term outcomes. The local authority issues them after an EHC needs assessment.

Education Health and Care plans (EHCP) are for a small minority of children and young people who require additional support for their special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). This is in many cases more than a mainstream school can normally provide through existing resources.

Many of our students apply for a needs assessment towards an EHCP whilst they are attending Kingfisher Academy.

Further information about EHCPs can be found at https://www.sheffielddirectory.org.uk/localoffer/education-and-learning/education-health-and-care-ehc-plans/what-are-education-health-and-care-ehc-plans/

How to Apply for EHC Needs Assessment

An Education, Health and Care (EHC) needs assessment is a detailed review of a child or young person’s educational, health, and social care needs. It is the first step in determining whether an EHC plan is required. Once the assessment is complete, the local authority must decide whether to issue an EHC plan.

There are two routes for requesting a needs assessment. Schools and other education providers can apply through the graduated approach, which outlines the support that has already been put in place for the young person. This information is usually recorded in an extended support plan and will be added to throughout numerous SEND reviews throughout the year.

However, some students attending Kingfisher Academy do not have an up‑to‑date extended support plan, often because young people have missed significant periods of schooling and pinpointing the specific support to help them in school has been hard. In these cases, it is important to remember that parents and young people have the right to request a needs assessment at any time, regardless of what documentation is in place at the home school.

Further information can be found about applying for a needs assessment at https://www.sheffielddirectory.org.uk/localoffer/education-and-learning/education-health-and-care-ehc-plans/requesting-an-education-health-and-care-ehc-needs-assessment/

Appeal Process

Parents and young people have the right to appeal if they disagree with a decision made by the local authority in relation to a needs assessment or the final EHC plan. Appeals tend to fall into one of the following categories:

• Disagreement resolution
• Mediation
• Appealing to the SEND tribunal

Further information linked to each of the above can be found at https://www.sheffielddirectory.org.uk/localoffer/tell-us-what-you-think/what-if-i-have-questions-about-a-decision/tribunal/

SEND Support from Services

Sheffield Special Educational Needs and Disability, Information, Advice and Support (SENDIAS)

SENDIAS are a statutory service offering free impartial, confidential, information advice and support to children and young people (0-25 years old) with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and their parent carers on education and related health and social care matters.

Further information can be found at https://sheffieldsendias.org.uk/

SEND Drop-ins with the SENDCo

We understand that all this information can be hard to understand and we all want the best thing for the children and young people at Kingfisher Academy. If you would like to attend a drop-in with the SENDCo to ask questions or to talk anything over, then please inform your learning mentor so that this can be arranged.