When pupils have significant and persistent learning difficulties despite access to the support provided through Additional School Intervention they may require more targeted and specialist intervention. This is usually when the provision required to meet the pupil’s needs cannot be reasonably met from the resources normally available to a mainstream school or when pupils have life-long difficulties or disabilities across several areas of development.

How does the One Plan become an Educational Health and Care Plan?

If your child has additional needs but through practitioners working together their needs are resolved then you will continue to have a One Plan.

When the needs are more complex and outcomes are not being achieved or your child needs a special educational placement or specialised support within their mainstream school, their One Plan may become an Education Health and Care Plan.

An EHC plan is led by the needs and aspirations of the child or young person and his or her parents working in partnership with practitioners.

The information from the One Plan, along with any advice from professionals, will be used to apply for an EHC meeting where the family will have the opportunity, along with all the professionals involved, to discuss whether higher needs funding is appropriate. If this is agreed, following the local authority’s assessment, your child's One Plan will be converted into an EHC Plan.

The overarching objectives identified on the EHC Plan will then be broken into smaller steps which will be reviewed termly, the same as the One Plan. (link to One Plan page 3)

Each year an Annual Review between the child, family and professionals, will take place to review the targets set and to agree next steps.

All EHC Plans will be closely monitored by the SENCo.

The purpose of an EHC plan is:

• to secure the special educational provision assessed as being necessary to meet the SEN of the child or young person,

• to secure the best possible outcomes for them across education, health and social care, and,

• as they get older to prepare them for adulthood,

• establish outcomes across education, health and social care based on the child or young person’s needs and aspirations,

• specify the provision required and how education, health and care services will work together to meet the child or young person’s needs and support the achievement of the agreed outcomes.

An EHC Plan can be continued until the young person is 25 years old. It can support them into training, further education and apprenticeships.

'In most cases, children and young people will be able to access the services they require through the Quality First Teaching and/or Additional School Intervention so an EHC plan will not be needed. On some occasions more specialist help will be needed and their needs will be best met by having an EHC plan.'

What if my child already has a statement?

EHC plans will replace Statements of SEND. From September 2014, no more statutory assessments for a statement of SEND will be started. Instead, there will be an Education Health and Care needs assessment. All current statements of SEND will be converted to EHC plans over the next few years.

Interventions

Where High Needs have been identified and an EHC Plan agreed interventions are based on pupils’ specific needs and are usually delivered individually within the class setting following advice from professionals.

As with the support provided for pupils with Additional School Intervention there may be a variety of professionals involved. Many of the interventions mentioned within Quality First Teaching and Additional School Intervention may still apply. (link to Quality First teaching page 2 & One Plan page 3)

How the additional funding will be allocated will be agreed at the EHC meeting. Depending on the individual’s needs it may be used to employ an adult to support the pupil or to purchase specialised equipment.

Interventions may be delivered on a one to one or small group basis within or outside of the class setting.