What is an Education Health and Care Plan?

If you are a blind or partially sighted student or a parent or carer of one, then you may have heard of an Education Health Care Plan (EHCP) or be thinking about applying for one. In this guide, we provide a summary of what an EHCP is as well as some guidance to consider whether it’s the right choice for you or your child.

This guide is aimed at parents or carers, however if you are a student and would like to know more about EHCPs it should still be a handy way to find out more! We also have a range of resources written for students on primary and secondary school as well as College, Sixth form and Apprenticeships which you can check out.

Is an EHCP the Right Choice for My Child?

Not every student needs an EHCP to get the support they need. However, sometimes it can be confusing to know whether you should apply for one or not.

All schools and colleges should already be providing a range of support to help meet your child’s needs. In some cases, more support might be needed from your Local Authority (LA) which falls outside of what the school or college can offer. In such cases, an EHCP will be provided where needs “cannot reasonably” be met without additional specialist support.

Below we have listed some possible reasons to consider whether an EHCP is the right choice for your child. Before you read on, we would also recommend reading our guide How Should Your Child Be Supported At School or College? beforehand to get an understanding of what this support can include.

Reasons Your Child’s Needs Are Already Being Met by School or College:

Your school or college is supporting your child consistently through Quality First Teaching and reasonable adjustments such as a Support Plan
Your child’s school or college regularly reviews the support your child needs, making changes where needed.
Your child is making clear progress, both academically as well as socially and emotionally through the support being provided by school or college
You and your child feel listened to by professionals, such as the SENCO and QTVI, in meetings, reviews, and planning processes.
There is clear and consistent communication between you and your child, your school, and any external professionals.

Reasons You May Consider Applying For an EHCP:

Even with support from the school or college and external professionals such as a QTVI or habilitation specialist, your child is still having difficulties making progress
Your child’s vision condition or needs have changed, and extra support in addition to what school or college is already providing would help your child to reach their goals

What is an Education Health Care Plan?

An Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) is a legal document that helps make sure that your child gets the support they need at school and beyond. It brings you and your child together with different professionals from education, health, and social care services so everyone can work as a team to support them.

What Ages Does an EHCP Support?
An EHCP will support your child from birth to the age of twenty-five. However, there are some cases where EHCP support will end:

If a student enters university, support will be provided through their university and the Disabled Student’s Allowance.
If a young person enters full time paid employment after leaving compulsory education. For further information on support when employed visit our Employment and Internship webpages.

Four Main Areas of an EHCP

The EHCP covers four main areas. These are:

Communication and interaction: this might be how your child talks to and speaks with the people around them such as friends, family, teachers or other professionals at school. For example, in some cases, they may have difficulty communicating or understanding social rules or cues due their vision impairment and training for peers and teachers might support this.
Cognition and learning: this is how your child learns at school and what different subjects or skills they find easy or difficult. This section may include adjustments such as tactile or modified diagrams, exam access arrangements or teacher training.
Social, emotional and mental health difficulties: this is about how your child experience’s different aspects of their wellbeing such as friendships or emotions. It may include strategies on social inclusion within school and access to a wider peer group.
Sensory and/or physical needs: this is what your child needs to move around school and the classroom in a way that suits them. It may also include different types of technology they need like a Braille Sense, iPad or laptop, modified resources or adjustments for exams.

Interested in finding out a bit more about the four different areas of an EHCP? LookUK, in collaboration with Moorvision and Blatchington Court Trust, hosted a 3-part online video series EHCP Essentials: Mastering the EHCP Process for Your VI Child.

Sections A to I of an EHCP

An EHCP is made up of sections categorised from A to I. Each section helps to build up a picture of your child’s education needs, the best way to support them in school, and which professionals are responsible for delivering that support. Importantly, it also contains you and your child’s views; what’s important for now and in the future.

Below we have summarised what each section means, focusing on the sections which relate directly to education. Sections C, D, G and H cover health and social care needs and are not usually required for students who are blind or partially sighted, so we have not included them here.

Section A

This section contains the views, interests and aspirations of your child which will include both your opinion as well as theirs. This section will also include any relevant history to date such as their diagnosis and clinical support. For example:

“D would like to get better at touch typing and using her iPad. She would also like to do well in school and make more friends.”
“D was born with ********** and at 12 weeks old she was registered as severely sight impaired (blind), which means that her vision will not improve. She has extremely limited central vision. She has limited peripheral vision. D’s vision is under continuous review by Mr ******, a Consultant Ophthalmologist at ******* Hospital to monitor that the condition has remained stable.”

For further information on Section A, including tips on how to write this section, we have created a useful guide.

Section B

This section will describe in detail all the special educational needs of the child identified during the EHCP assessment. For example:

“D’s primary need relates to her vision impairment. She is registered severely sight impaired (blind) and needs significant support around accessing learning”
“D will miss out on most ‘incidental’ learning that children with normal sight would have immediate access to such as wall displays, the whiteboard and peer observations. She is also likely to miss out on other important incidental learning that her peers take in instantly (e.g. the detail on a picture, a spelling pattern).
D is finds it difficult to move around independently, particularly in unfamiliar and outdoor environments”.

Section E

This section relates to the outcomes sought for the child or young person and what you, and they, would like them to achieve. Outcomes are usually targeted towards the end of a key stage. The number of outcomes outlined should also be appropriate to the needs of your child. Outcomes also need to be “SMART” meaning they are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. If you want to learn more about how outcomes can be made SMART we recommend visiting SEND-Network’s guide on SEND outcomes. Example include:

“By the end of KS2 D will be able to read adapted materials which are age appropriate.”
“By the end of KS2 D will be able to communicate with peers in social environments with support from staff”
“By the end of KS3 D will be able to attend 50% of her lessons independently with the appropriate technology in place”

Section F

This section relates to the special educational provision required to meet your child’s needs as outlined in Section B. This provision is the additional support required for your child which is above and beyond what is normally provided. The provision must also be linked with outcomes from Section E to show how these outcomes will be met. For example:

“D will need modified books on a range of topics in her preferred font size/braille level. Books will need to be produced in school or can be sourced from X.”
“D will receive adult support for 20 hours of her lessons. The adult will provide support in accessing learning and support in communicating with peers. Scaffolding and modelling when required.”

Section I

In this section you can name your preferred school or other institution you wish your child to attend. To find out more about your legal rights to request a particular school or college, we’d recommend reading the Independent Provider of Special Education Advice (IPSEA) guide.

If you want further information on Section B, E, and I then we have created a handy guide with further details. In addition to this, the National Sensory Impairment Partnership (NATSIP) have a range of example EHCP documents for students with a vision impairment at different ages.

What Next?

If you are thinking about applying for an EHCP then we have created a step-by-step guide to help you.

If you have further questions about the EHCP process, then get in contact! Our Education Information Advice and Guidance Service is here for blind and partially sighted students aged 7+, their families and the professionals that support them. We provide expert information, advice and guidance supporting students to navigate primary, secondary school, college and university. You can contact us on our email educationadvice@pocklington.org.uk or via our phone line on 0203 757 8040.