SEN Support and EHCPs

What is SEN Support?

Your child could get Special Educational Needs (SEN) Support at school if they:

• need more support to learn than other children their age
• need additional support in their school or education setting 

SEN Support is available at all levels of education, from nursery to further education.

Your child can still get SEN Support without a diagnosis. You can find out more about what support your child/ young person should receive at SEN support level by looking at our Ordinarily available provision expected at SEN Support documents. 

By law, state schools and nurseries must provide SEN Support. This includes academies and free schools.

If SEN Support is not enough to meet the needs of your child, you can apply for an Education, Health and Care (EHC) assessment.

What is an EHCP?

Education, Health and Care plans are often known as EHCPs.

For some children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), the support that a nursery, school or college can provide at SEN Support level is not enough to help them. These children and young people may need support through an EHCP. 

An EHCP is a legal document. The plan outlines: 

• the needs of the child or young person
• what they and their parents/carers want them to achieve
• the support they need
• and who will provide this support. 

Most children and young people with SEN get the right level of support without the need for an EHCP. This is called special educational needs (SEN) support. EHCPs are for those whose SEN cannot be met by SEN Support.  

An EHCP can be issued to a child or young person between the ages of 0 and 25 years. A child or young person must have an Education, Health and Care (EHC) Needs Assessment to determine if an EHCP is needed.  

The Council for Disabled Children have produced a guide to EHCPs [PDF 447KB]. The guide tells you about the law and what should be in each section of an EHCP.