How to review a draft EHCP section by section

To review a draft EHCP, start with the professional advice, then check that every identified need appears in the plan and has clear provision attached to it. Do not read the draft only from page one to the end. Cross-check Sections B, E, F and K so you can see whether the plan joins up.

You normally have at least 15 days to comment on a draft EHC plan, request a meeting and ask for a particular school or institution. This guide explains how to use that time.

It covers the process in England and is general information, not legal advice.

Before you start

Create one working copy of the draft and gather:

• the covering letter and date of service
• every report and item of advice from the assessment
• your earlier parent or carer contribution
• your child or young person's views
• current school information
• notes from recent professionals or reviews

Write the response deadline somewhere visible. If reports are missing or you need advice, contact the local authority immediately. Because the law says "at least 15 days," you can ask for more time, although an extension is not automatic.

Step 1: check the basic facts

Correct errors before they travel into the final plan. Check:

• names, dates and contact details
• the current setting and year group
• diagnoses and professional involvement
• family circumstances relevant to the plan
• your child or young person's views and communication preferences

Mark anything that is outdated, copied from an older document or inconsistent with the assessment evidence.

Step 2: start with Section K

Section K lists the advice and information gathered during the EHC needs assessment. The reports should be attached.

Make a checklist of every report you expected. For each report, highlight:

• identified needs
• recommended outcomes
• recommended provision
• frequency, duration, group size or expertise where stated
• the evidence behind the recommendation

If Section K lists a report you did not receive, ask for it. If important advice is absent, identify what is missing and why it matters.

Step 3: compare every need with Section B

Section B should specify all special educational needs. Build a simple table:

Look for needs hidden in another section or reduced to a diagnosis. A diagnosis does not replace a description of how the child or young person is affected.

Step 4: check the outcomes in Section E

Outcomes describe the benefit or difference intended to result from support. They are not the support itself.

Ask whether each outcome is:

• personal to your child or young person
• connected to an identified need
• specific enough to understand
• measurable at review
• realistic but meaningful
• attached to a sensible timescale

"Will receive weekly therapy" is provision. An outcome explains what your child should be able to do as a result.

Step 5: check Section F line by line

Section F contains the special educational provision required. It should be detailed and specific and should normally be quantified.

For each need in Section B, ask:

• What support meets this need?
• Who delivers it?
• How often?
• For how long?
• Individually or in what group size?
• What expertise or supervision is required?
• How will delivery and progress be reviewed?

Watch for phrases such as "access to," "regular support," "opportunities for" or "as appropriate" without further detail. Those phrases can leave important decisions open when the plan should settle them.

Step 6: check health and social care

Compare health needs in Section C with provision in Section G, and social-care needs in Section D with Sections H1 and H2.

Provision that educates or trains a child or young person should be treated as special educational provision and included in Section F, even if a health professional delivers it. Speech and language therapy can be an example, depending on its purpose.

Step 7: understand the blank Section I

Section I names the school or other institution. It should be blank in a draft plan so that you can request your preferred school or type of setting before the authority finalises the plan.

Put the request in writing and name the legal category of institution where relevant. The authority then considers the request and consults the setting.

Step 8: write your response

A useful written response can contain:

1. the draft date and child reference
2. the changes requested, organised by section
3. the evidence supporting each change
4. a request for a meeting, if wanted
5. the school or institution requested
6. a list of missing reports or unanswered questions

Be specific. Instead of "Section F is vague," quote the wording and propose the detail supported by the professional evidence.

Keep a copy and proof of submission. IPSEA provides a model response letter.

What happens next?

The local authority considers your representations, consults the requested setting where required and finalises the plan within the overall statutory timetable, subject to limited exceptions. There is no appeal against the draft itself. Appeal rights arise when the final plan is issued.

Free support may be available from your local SENDIASS service. IPSEA also publishes legal information and templates.

Unisen's family workspace is being developed to help families review a draft section by section, connect comments to the evidence and prepare a structured response.

Explore the family draft-plan workflow.