Education Health and Care plans (EHCP)

When a child is about to move from one stage of education to another, the annual review must be done before 15 February (CoP 9.179). For a young person moving on from secondary school, the local authority has until 31 March to complete the review (CoP 9.180)

Schools and colleges should provide more detailed planning to help children and their families at this point. Young people should start exploring post 16 education and training options from year 9.  FE Colleges and 6th Form colleges can now recruit students directly from the age of 14. They will continue to help them with planning and support in years 10 and 11.

For young people with EHC plans, discussions about post 16 options are part of the preparing for adulthood focus reviews. These must be included in the review from year 9 (age 13-14). If a young person wants to move to a different setting post-16, that school / college should help shape a new plan. This will define the outcomes for that young person and start developing a post 16 study programme tailored to their needs (CoP 8.24).