How to request an EHC needs assessment
Your school is usually best placed to request an EHC needs assessment as they will be asked to provide evidence to support the request. Every nursery, school or college will have a dedicated SENCo to support children and young people with special educational needs. Alternatively, parents and carers can request an EHC needs assessment.
You should speak to your child’s school first and make sure that appropriate support is in place.
Parents, carers, schools and young people themselves aged 16 to 25 can ask for an EHC needs assessment.
Read further information and guidance for EHC assessments.
Professionals and parents
The legal test defined by The Children and Families Act 2014 in relation to whether to carry out an assessment is defined as:
‘When considering a request, the local authority must apply the legal test set out as per section 36 (8) of the Children and Families Act 2014.‘
An assessment must be conducted where:
The child or young person has or may have SEN; and they may need special educational provision to be made through an EHC plan’
To fully consider your child’s needs, the local authority must ensure that they have a full range of evidence to make a well-informed decision:
- Does the child or young person have a highly significant barrier to learning in comparison with others of his or her age?
- Is there evidence of purposeful intervention by the school or other agencies?
- Has the setting sought advice from external professionals?
- Has the setting responded to advice from external professional specialists, including the development of SMART targets?
- Has the child or young person’s progress been reviewed over time?
- Has the setting provided clear evidence that, despite using delegated funding to the child or young person, they have not made adequate progress?
- Are there any other professionals involved in their learning and care for example, educational psychologists, speech and language therapists, occupational therapists, school nursing team, early years team, health visitor, community paediatric team?
It is expected that most requests for statutory assessment will follow the guidelines, however in line with the SEND Code of Practice (9.16) the local authority considers the needs of all children and young people individually.
How to make an application
Education settings
Educational settings should complete these forms:
- Education setting request form
- High needs funding request form
- Children and young people's view form
- Education settings will need to seek the parental views
For parents
Parents should contact their child’s school to complete the required information together to allow an accurate assessment of need. The panel will not be able to make an accurate assessment of need without this information.
All requests should be emailed to SENDadmin@derby.gov.uk along with the supporting professional documents.
We will decide on the support that is needed within 6 weeks. If we think that a full EHC assessment is needed, we will let you know what will happen next. If we think your child’s needs can be met without an assessment, we will tell you why and talk to professionals working with your child to let them know what we have recommended. If there is insufficient evidence a letter outlining what else is needed will be provided and parents/the education setting will be asked to re-apply once they have the available evidence.
If agreed, the assessment and EHC plan should be completed within 20 weeks.
How to get help with an EHC needs assessment
Get in touch with your nursery, school or college who can support and advise you.
You can also receive impartial, confidential and free advice from Derby SEND Information, Advice and Support (SENDIASS).
Additional sources of help and support: