Education, health and care (EHC) needs assessments and plans

EHC assessments explained

Most children and young people with special educational needs or disabilities (SEND) will have their needs met in local mainstream early years settings, schools or colleges and make good progress.

Every educational setting in West Northamptonshire must provide high quality teaching that is personalised and age-appropriate for all children and young people, including those with SEND.

Graduated approach and support plans

The SEND Code of Practice 2015 emphasises the need for a graduated approach to meet the needs of children and young people with SEND through early and relevant intervention.

This means that the education setting will follow a series of ‘assess, plan, do, review’ cycles using their own resources (West Northamptonshire’s SEND Ranges). The educational setting will keep records of support delivered, using documents such as a ‘SEND Support Plan’.

Education, health and care (EHC) assessments

If the child or young person under 25 has still not met expected education goals, then a request for an EHC assessment may be considered.

This will help us decide if it is necessary to provide support using an education, health and care plan (EHCP).

The following people can ask the local authority to conduct a statutory needs assessment for a child or young person:

• the child's parent or carer
• a young person over the age of 16 but under 25
• a professional acting on behalf of an education setting, such as an early years provider, a school or post-16 setting (this should be done with the knowledge and agreement of the parents or young person, where possible)
• other people who know the child/young person well, such as a health or social care professional (this should be done with the knowledge and agreement of the parents or young person, where possible)

Last updated 13 October 2025