How the EHC assessment works

Receiving a request

We then have 6 weeks to decide whether or not to carry out an assessment. It would be helpful if you could provide any information from your child's school or any medical reports that are available to be sent along with the completed form. This will help us make a decision quicker. If no information is provided, we will seek information from services that are involved with your child.

If we decide not to go ahead with an assessment we'll tell you the reasons and including information on possible next steps. For more information on local services who offer support to children and young people with additional needs and their families see our SEND Local Offer directory.

The assessment

During the assessment we'll collect information from:

• The child or young person
• The parent or carer
• The education setting
• An educational psychologist
• Other health and care professionals that are appropriate

Your views are very important, we'll ask how you think your child could be helped. 

If you're a young person, we will speak to you throughout the assessment and make sure your views are heard and listened to. 

We use all this information to find out what your child's needs are and make a decision about what kind of support is needed. This will be by week 16. We will write to you with the decision as to whether an Education, Health, and Care Plan (EHCP) is needed or not. 

If we decide not to issue an EHCP

If we decide not to go ahead with an EHCP, we’ll tell you the reasons and provide you with a Summary of Assessment which will include the needs of your child, and the suggested strategies in order to support your child in education.

A Summary of Assessment is not a ’statutory’ plan as all the provisions can be made from the resources which are normally available to schools or colleges. The summary will contain information directly drawn from the advice that the professionals who assessed your child provided.

If we decide to issue an EHCP

If we decide to go ahead, a final Education, Health, and Care Plan will be issued within 20 weeks of the request for an assessment.

Travel assistance

There is no automatic entitlement to travel assistance just because a young person has a special educational need or disability, even where an education, health and care plan (EHCP) has been issued. For information on eligibility read our SEND travel assistance web page.