Education, Health and Care Plans

A quality development or a disaster for schools?

Statements and processes around referral were widely criticised in some areas and praised in others. Involvement of parents, students and Health and Social care varied greatly across the country. The solution, after significant consultation (some of which was listened to; some of which was ignored), was the ‘Education Health and Care Plan’.

Has there been an improvement?

A significant number of schools are experiencing considerable difficulties with such plans.Organisations such as The South and West Leaders of Special Schools and The London Challenge Schools have written to The Right Honourable Edward Timpson MP Minister of State For Children and Families, outlining significant concerns.The concerns are mainly :-

•  The majority of plans are E plans (ignoring the H and the C).

•  Social Care in a significant number of cases are not alerting families that they have an entitlement to a social care assessment under the children act.

•  Medical and Health needs are often being allocated to Education resource bases. In the past Health in many areas paid for Nursing staff in school and provided the medical consumables.

•  Social Care Assessments actions are poorly identified in plans. SEND officers are writing plans with little or no experience of schools.

•  EHC planning and assessment process has become even more bureaucratic than the previous system.

•  Schools are struggling to manage the significant cost of the process and effectively money is being diverted from resources etc to meet the costs of this new system.

•  No money has been passported to schools to meet the significant increase in costs.

•  Transport issues now cause parents and schools great concern. This is not just a capacity issue in Special Schools; many Mainstream Schools are also expressing concerns around capacity, costs and Multi Agency Involvement.

•  The significant reduction in the commissioning of Specialist Services from EHCPs is resulting in the dilution of specialist skills and the loss of vital services.




These are key issues, are they issues that resonate with you?

Please comment, confirm or disagree with the comments made.

The issues have been raised - will any action be taken as a result of such comments.    

Chris Davies, Education Consultant and ex special school Head