Level 4: Educational Health Plan

Level 4 is when the family and school believe the pupil’s needs are particularly complex and require greater support to meet the pupil's SEND. During this level an application for an Education Health Plan (EHCP) will be made. To make this request a family conversation is submitted. 

During this level, the pupil will continue to have an IEP Plus, based upon the outcomes of the EHCP.

Alongside a termly meeting with the teacher, SENDCo and family, an annual review will take place every 12 months.

Children with an SEN or an Education, Health and Care plan (EHCP), may be catered for in a mainstream class, usually with some additional support from a teaching assistant if required.

A child with a special educational need and/or an EHCP will also have a IEP+ describing provision which is additional to or different from the differentiated curriculum plans from which he or she is working. Individual targets and strategies for children with an EHCP will be derived from longer-term aims outlined in the EHCP.

An EHC needs assessment involves consideration by the LA, working cooperatively with parents, the child’s school and, as appropriate, other agencies, as to whether a statutory assessment of the child’s SEND is necessary. A child will be brought to the LA’s attention as possibly requiring an assessment through a request by the child’s school, from a parent or a referral by another agency. Where the evidence presented to the LA suggests that the child’s learning difficulties have not responded to relevant and purposeful measures taken by the school and external specialists (and may call for special educational provision which cannot reasonably be provided within the resources normally available to mainstream schools), the LA will consider the case for an EHC needs assessment. The LA may decide that the degree of the pupil’s learning difficulty and the nature of the provision necessary to meet the child’s SEND is such as to require the LA to determine the child’s SEND provision through an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan.

An EHC plan will include:

1. The views, interests and aspirations of the child and their parents, or of the young person
2. The child or young person’s SEND
3. The child or young person’s health needs which relate to their SEND
4. The child or young person’s social care needs which relate to their SEND
5. The outcomes sought for the child or the young person
6. The special educational provision required by the child or the young person
7. Any health provision reasonably required by the learning difficulties or disabilities which result in the child or young person having SEND
8.  Any social care provision which must be made for a child or young person under 18 resulting from section 2 of the Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act 1970 (CSDPA)
9. Any other social care provision reasonably required by the learning difficulties or disabilities which result in the child or young person having SEND
10. Placement
11. Personal Budget (including arrangements for direct payments)
12. Advice and information

Refer to Chapter 9 of the Code of Practice for more information.

All children with EHC plan or statements of SEND will have short term targets set for them that have been established after consultation with parents and child and will include targets identified in the statement of educational need or EHC plan. These targets will be set out in a IEP+ and be implemented, at least in part and as far as possible, in the normal classroom setting. The delivery of the interventions recorded in the IEP+ will continue to be the responsibility of the class teacher.

School request for an assessment of Education, Health and Care (EHC) needs

Where a request for an assessment is made by the school to the LA, the child will have demonstrated significant cause for concern. The LA will need information about the child’s progress over time, and will also need documentation in relation to the child’s SEND and any action taken to deal with those needs, including any resources or special arrangements in place. The school will provide this evidence through the graduated response. This information may include:

• An IEP/ IEP+ for the pupil
• Records of regular reviews and their outcomes
• The pupil’s health including the child’s medical history where relevant
• Attainment levels in literacy and mathematics
• Educational and other assessments, for example from an advisory specialist support teacher or an educational psychologist
• Views of the parents and of the child
• Involvement of other professionals such as health, social services or education welfare service.

Annual review of an EHC Plan (EHCP)

All EHCP’s must be reviewed at least annually with the parents, the pupil, the LA, the school and professionals involved to consider whether any amendments need to be made to the description of the pupil’s needs or to the special educational provision specified in the statement. The annual review should focus on what the child has achieved as well as on any difficulties that need to be resolved.