Please take everything that I’ve posted about EHCP’s with the caveat that my comments are based only on MY experience, I’m not an expert and some of my comments may be out of date now as I did all of this in Sept 2021 to July 2022.
I was successful at securing an EHCP in 2022 with zero help from my child’s primary school. This was not easy!
DO NOT LISTEN TO ANY Headteacher, Deputy Head Teacher, SENCO or teacher that tells you that your child doesn’t “meet the criteria” for an EHCP. It’s bullcrap. The reason they tell you this is because the school will have to fund the first £6K of each EHCP, each year. They do not have the funds for this, hence the gaslighting.
You will notice that for any child that it is obvious they need an EHCP, and will cost the school a lot of money to support that child, they will be given an EHCP. However, if your child needs minimal support in school or not enough to warrant that their needs are “obvious” then the school will tell you that your child is just “fine” and will cope without an EHCP.
It’s absolute rubbish.
DO NOT LISTEN TO THEM or trust them like I did.
As IPSEA says:
“When should a local authority carry out an EHC needs assessment?
If a local authority (“LA”) is requested to carry out an EHC needs assessment by a parent, young person, school or college, they must consider:
whether the child or young person has or may have special educational needs (“SEN”); and
whether they may need special educational provision to be made through an EHC plan.
If the answer to both of these questions is yes, they must carry out an EHC needs assessment.
This test is set out in the law (section 36(8) of the Children and Families Act 2014). This means these are the only questions the LA should be asking when considering whether or not to carry out an EHC needs assessment. https://www.ipsea.org.uk/asking-for-an-ehc-needs-assessment:”
However, if you don’t have any formal diagnoses it is very, very hard to get to the assessment stage. As depressing as it is, the more diagnoses that you have, the more likely your child will get an EHCP.
I have gathered a LOT of really helpful resources about EHCP’s over the last few years, especially if you have a child that it’s not obvious in school that they need an EHCP, and I am happy to share them with you. Just email me at NorthHantsMum@gmail.com and I will send them when I have a moment.