Before Applying for an EHCP: Building the Foundations

For many parents, the words Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) can feel like both a lifeline and a mountain. It promises a pathway to support, but the process can seem complicated and overwhelming. Before you begin that formal request, there are important steps that can not only strengthen your case but also ensure your child’s needs are clearly understood and properly supported along the way.

This stage is not wasted time. It can help you gather evidence, create stronger relationships with school staff, and sometimes even bring about the right support without the need for a plan.

Start With the Class Teacher

Your child’s class teacher is the person who sees them day in and day out. They can often provide valuable insight into how your child manages in the classroom, what strategies already work, and where challenges remain. Arrange a meeting and share your concerns openly. Ask questions such as:

• What support is already in place?

• How is progress tracked?

• Have you noticed any patterns or difficulties that I should be aware of at home?

This creates a shared understanding and gives you a starting point for further conversations.

Meet the SENCo

The Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCo) is the next key figure in your journey. They are responsible for overseeing provision across the school. A meeting with the SENCo can help identify what additional strategies might be trialled, what assessments may be needed, and how progress will be reviewed.

You may wish to request written notes of this meeting, so you have a clear record of agreed actions and timescales.

Observe and Record

Schools will often spend time observing your child, both in and out of lessons, to get a fuller picture of their needs. As a parent, you can do the same at home. Keeping a diary of your child’s behaviour, strengths, and difficulties can be a powerful tool. For example:

• When do they become anxious?

• What triggers meltdowns or disengagement?

• Which strategies help calm or support them?

• Are there differences between home and school?

It is just as important to share with the school what you notice at home. Teachers may see one side of your child that looks very different to what you experience after school hours. For example, a teacher might feel that your child has coped really well with a particular change in the classroom or a change in the timetable for example, yet at home you may notice that when you collect them after that change or on a particular day they have a huge meltdown. Sharing this gives everyone a more accurate picture of your child’s needs. It helps the team around your child to say, “This strategy might not be working quite how we thought it was, let’s rethink.”

This joined-up view between home and school strengthens the support your child receives and makes sure their difficulties are not overlooked.

Understand the Graduated Approach

Schools must follow the graduated approach: assess, plan, do, review. This means staff assess what may be needed to support your child, support is put in place, reviewed, and adjusted if it is not effective. Usually, schools should cycle through this process more than once, using strategies and interventions that are proportionate to the child’s level of need.

This might include an Individual Support Plan (ISP) or Individual Education Plan (IEP), where goals and progress are recorded. If you are not already seeing this in place, ask your school how they are monitoring support and whether records are available for you to see.

Explore Additional Funding

Not every child who needs extra help will automatically need an EHCP. In some cases, schools can apply for element 2 or element 3 funding, which provides extra resources without going through the full statutory process. This can be a valuable interim step and may be enough to meet your child’s needs in the short term.

Additional funding might be used for things such as:

• Extra hours of support from a teaching assistant

• Specialist resources or equipment, for example, sensory tools, assistive technology, or adapted furniture

• Small group or one-to-one intervention programmes

• Staff training to better understand and meet your child’s needs

• Access to external specialists to provide targeted strategies or assessments

You are entitled to ask your SENCo whether additional funding has been considered and how it might be used in your child’s case. Having clarity about this helps you understand what support should be happening before deciding whether to move forward with an EHCP request.

Involve Outside Agencies

If your child is struggling despite in-school support, outside specialists may need to be involved. These might include:

• Speech and Language Therapy

• Specialist teachers (for example, sensory or communication teams)

• Educational Psychology

• Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS)

Reports from external professionals carry significant weight when building a picture of your child’s needs. You can request referrals via your GP or ask the school to make them.

It is important to know that requesting a referral does not always mean it will be agreed, and there can sometimes be waiting lists. If a referral is refused, you have the right to ask why and what alternatives can be put in place while you wait.

Decide if Support is Still Not Enough

After these steps, you may find your child is thriving with the right support in place. However, if progress remains limited, needs are not being met, or the level of support required is beyond what school can provide from their own resources, it may be time to consider an EHCP request.

At this point, you will already have valuable evidence: records of meetings, observation notes, support plans, progress reviews, and professional reports. This strengthens your application and demonstrates that the graduated approach has been fully explored.

Moving Towards an EHCP

An EHCP should not be seen as the first step but as a step taken when the available support is not enough. By carefully preparing beforehand, you give your child the best chance of receiving an assessment that truly reflects their needs.

Remember, you do not need to wait for the school to apply. Parents and carers have the legal right to request an EHC needs assessment directly from the local authority.

Final Thoughts

The road to an EHCP is not always straightforward, but the groundwork you lay before applying makes a huge difference. Building open relationships with teachers and the SENCo, keeping clear records, sharing experiences from home, and involving specialists can help you feel more confident and ensure your child’s needs are properly recognised.

If you feel ready to explore an EHCP request or simply want to talk through your child’s current support, SEND Meadow offers an free initial 15-minute phone call to help you find clarity. You do not need to face this process alone.

With understanding and encouragement,

Bryony