EHCP explained: Education, Health and Care Plans

An Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) is a legally binding document for children and young people aged 0–25 with special educational needs that cannot be met through the support ordinarily available in a mainstream setting (known as "SEN Support"). It is issued by the local authority following a statutory EHC needs assessment, and sets out, across several sections:

• Section B: the child's special educational needs.
• Section F: the special educational provision required to meet those needs — this section is legally enforceable.
• Section I: the name of the school, college or type of institution to be attended.
• Additional sections covering health needs, social care needs, and outcomes to be achieved.

Once issued, the local authority (or the health/social care body for the relevant sections) has a legal duty to ensure the provision specified in the plan is actually delivered. Plans must be reviewed at least annually.

For Alternative Provision and specialist settings, an EHCP is often the route through which longer-term, more intensive or highly specialist placements are funded — for example a SEND-specialist provider, a specific therapeutic input, or an EOTAS package built around Section F provision. A provider does not need to be a "special school" to deliver EHCP-funded provision; many independent AP, online AP and specialist curriculum providers are named in Section I or commissioned to deliver part of an EHCP package.

Parents and carers who disagree with the content of a plan, or a decision not to assess or not to issue a plan, have a right of appeal to the SEND Tribunal, usually after attempting mediation first.

When searching for provision against an EHCP, it's worth checking a provider's funding information for "EHCP funding" or "LA-funded placements", and confirming directly whether the provider can deliver (or evidence progress against) the specific outcomes named in Section F — this directory's provider pages are built to make that funding and needs information visible up front, but always confirm current fit directly with the provider and, where appropriate, the local authority SEND team.