Education, Health, and Care (EHC) Plans, Phase Transfer Process - WNC

What is a phase transfer?

When a child or young person moves from one stage of education to another, this is called a phase transfer.

Phase transfers happen whenever a child or young person makes the following transitions in their educational journey:

• early years setting to school
• infant school to junior school
• primary to secondary school
• secondary school onto further education

As your child is part of the phase transfer cohort, for example, transferring to a new school in September 2026 and has an Education, Health and Care (EHC) Plan, their school allocation is administrated by the West Northants EHC Service.

What happens during phase transfer for children and young people with an EHC plan?

Moving to a new school or further education setting is both an exciting and anxious experience for all children, young people and their families. However, when your child has an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan, the process can be particularly worrying as you may not be sure how a new setting will meet your child's needs.

If you have a specific school in mind, it would be advisable to contact them and arrange a visit to discuss your child’s special educational needs and/or disabilities - they will be able to help you make an informed decision when making your preferences. This will support you in making an informed choice when completing your preferences. You are also encouraged to involve the SENCo at your child’s current school.

All schools have information that explains the curriculum, facilities and what they aim to achieve for their pupils, along with the school’s local SEND offer to pupils with identified special educational needs. The school’s website is the best place to find this information.

To explore schools near you, use the Schools Directory, which allows you to search by school type and location using your postcode.

The EHC Post Assessment Team will work with you to help choose a suitable school for your child.

Sometimes, the local council may suggest a different school than the one you prefer. This is more likely if your child is currently in a mainstream school and you are thinking about a move to secondary school.

In these cases, a decision will be made at a placement meeting. This meeting will include professionals from different services and will consider the council’s view.

It’s a good idea to talk to the SENCo (Special Educational Needs Coordinator) at your child’s current school about your school options and the transfer process.

All school moves should be discussed and planned during the transfer or annual review meeting. This is especially important when your child is in nursery, Year 5 or Year 10.

When it is time to plan the next steps, the team will follow the process set out below.

If your child is moving to a new school

In June, before your child is due to move to a new school (for example, when they are in Year 5), you will get an email from the EHC Admin team. This email will ask you to tell them which schools you prefer.

You will need to send them your preferences by the end of September. Please give them the names of 2 schools you would like your child to attend.

1. The local authority will begin liaising with your preferred school, and other schools in your area, to find out whether they will be able to meet your child's needs
2. The local authority will write to you to let you know in January which school they will propose to name in your child's EHC plan
3. Your child's EHC plan will be amended and finalised to name the new school. This must be done before 15 February in the year of transfer

If your child is moving from school to further education

In July, before your young person is due to move on to further education (for example, when they are in Year 10), you will get an email from the EHC Admin team. This email will ask you to tell them your post-16 education preferences.

You will need to send them your preferred options by the end of October. Please give them the names of 2 settings you would like your young person to attend.

1. The local authority will begin liaising with your preferred setting, and other settings in your area, to find out whether they will be able to meet your young person’s needs
2. The local authority will write to you to let you know in January which post-16 setting we will propose to name in your young person’s EHC plan
3. The EHC plan will be amended and finalised to name the new setting. This must be done before 31 March in the year of transferYou can learn more about this stage at Preparing for Adulthood.

If you are unhappy about the school or college named on your EHC plan

If you would like to discuss the school, college or provision that is named on the EHC plan then you can discuss with the SENCo at the setting in the first instance. 

If you disagree with the setting or provision the team have named you can appeal to the SEND Tribunal Service. The views and opinions of children, young people and their families are important to them, they want your voices to be heard. You can also speak to West Northants SEND IASS team who will assist you to understand this process and the steps involved.

Contact the West Northants EHC Team:

Phone: 01604 526115 (10am to 4pm)

Email: [email protected] or [email protected]

Independent advice:

The West Northants SEND IASS team offers free and impartial support for children and young people aged 0 to 25 with SEND.

Website: West Northants SEND IASS

Phone: 0300 126 1039

Email: [email protected]