EHCP sections A to K explained

Where the sections come from

Section 37 of the Children and Families Act 2014 says what an education, health and care (EHC) plan must specify. Regulation 12 of the SEND Regulations 2014 turns that into a fixed set of lettered sections, A to K, and paragraph 9.62 of the SEND Code of Practice describes each one. Local authorities use different templates and layouts, but the lettered sections are the same everywhere in England, which is why professionals talk about “Section F provision” rather than a page number.

The SENCO (sometimes written SENDCo) rarely writes a plan but almost always reviews a draft, is consulted before the school is named, chairs the annual review and is accountable for delivering Section F. Knowing what belongs where is how you spot a draft that will cause problems later. This guide is the reference; for how to write the school’s own advice, see writing the school’s contribution.

Section A: views, interests and aspirations

The views, interests and aspirations of the child and their parents, or of the young person. It should be written in their words where possible and sets the direction for the outcomes. Unlike Sections F and I, it places no duty on anyone, but a plan whose outcomes do not connect to Section A is usually a plan nobody owns.

SENCO check: does it sound like the pupil and the family, or like the authority? If the school gathered the views, check they have been carried over accurately.

Section B: special educational needs

All of the child’s or young person’s special educational needs identified by the assessment. The Code expects needs to be set out under the four broad areas (communication and interaction; cognition and learning; social, emotional and mental health; sensory and/or physical). Provision must be specified for each and every need in this section (Code of Practice 9.69), so a need missing from B has no enforceable provision.

SENCO check: does Section B include everything in the professional advice listed in Section K? Authorities sometimes summarise, and summaries drop needs. Compare line by line against the school’s own advice and the educational psychologist’s report.

Sections C and D: health and social care needs related to SEN

Section C records health needs which relate to the special educational needs, drawn from health advice. Section D records social care needs which relate to the special educational needs or to a disability. Both come from the relevant services, not the school. Where no needs have been identified the section should say so rather than being left blank, so that nobody later assumes the question was never asked.

Section E: outcomes

The outcomes sought for the child or young person, including outcomes for adult life where relevant, and the arrangements for monitoring progress towards them. Outcomes should describe the difference made to the pupil rather than the service provided, and should be specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-bound (Code of Practice 9.66). The plan should also identify how the school will set shorter-term targets towards them (9.69).

SENCO check: can you measure each outcome with evidence you actually collect? If not, the annual review will have nothing to review. Ask for a rewrite at draft stage; it is much harder to change an outcome once the plan is final.

Section F: special educational provision

The special educational provision required by the child or young person. This is the section the local authority has an absolute duty to secure (section 42 of the Act), so it must be detailed and specific and should normally be quantified: what, who, how often, for how long, in what group size and with what expertise (Code of Practice 9.69). From Year 9 it must include provision to assist the young person in preparing for adulthood and independent living (regulation 12(3)). Vague provision (“access to a quiet space as required”) cannot be enforced.

SENCO check: can the school deliver every line of Section F from the day the plan is final, and is each line tied to a need in B and an outcome in E? If not, say so in writing during the consultation about placement, not after the plan is issued.

Sections G, H1 and H2: health and social care provision

Section G is any health provision reasonably required by the learning difficulties or disabilities that result in the special educational needs. Section H1 is social care provision that must be made under section 2 of the Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act 1970. Section H2 is any other social care provision reasonably required by the learning difficulties or disabilities. Health or social care provision that educates or trains the child or young person is treated as special educational provision (section 21(5) of the Act) and belongs in Section F, where it can be enforced; speech and language therapy is the usual example.

SENCO check: is any therapy the pupil relies on for learning sitting in Section G? If so, ask for it to be moved to F.

Section I: placement

The name of the school, college or other institution to be attended and its type, or just the type where no institution is named. The draft plan sent to parents does not name a school; the parent or young person can ask for a particular school, the authority must consult that school before naming it, and the Code says the school should respond within 15 days (Code of Practice 9.78 to 9.80). A school named in Section I must admit the pupil (section 43 of the Act).

SENCO check: the consultation is the school’s moment to raise anything about Section F it cannot deliver. Answer within the 15 days, in writing, and keep a copy.

Section J: personal budget

Details of any personal budget used to secure provision in the plan, including the outcomes it is intended to achieve and the arrangements for any direct payments. Where there is no personal budget, the section says so or is left empty; the school is rarely involved unless provision bought with the budget is delivered on its premises.

Section K: advice and information

A list of the advice and information gathered during the EHC needs assessment, which must be attached to the plan as appendices. The school’s advice is one of these documents. Check that the list is complete and dated; a missing report can matter at a later review or appeal, and it is far easier to have it added now.

A quick review checklist for any draft plan

1. Every need in Section B appears in the advice listed in Section K, and nothing in that advice has been left out of B.
2. Every need in B has at least one item of provision in F.
3. Every item of provision in F is quantified and names who delivers it.
4. Every outcome in E is measurable and tied to needs in B.
5. Therapies that educate or train are in F, not G.
6. Section A sounds like the pupil and family, not like the authority.
7. The school can deliver F in full and has said so, or has raised concerns in writing during the placement consultation.
8. The plan date is recorded, so the first annual review can be planned; the annual review planner gives the due date and the notice dates.

Once the plan is final, the sections become the structure for everything that follows: the annual review reports progress against E, delivery of F and any change to B. See the EHCP annual review process. Sendiphany structures the pupil’s record and the school’s draft contribution around these sections so that what you write in B, E and F is already in the shape the authority will use.