EHCP & Dyslexia for Parents and Schools
For parents and schools supporting a child with special educational needs, understanding the Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) plan and how it can support students is an important part of making a complicated process feel more manageable. However, if you are new to the process, you may be asking, what is an EHCP? When is one appropriate? And how can you apply?
In this comprehensive guide, we explore those questions, examine who may qualify, how the assessment process works, and what parents and schools can expect at each stage. We also look at EHCPs for children with dyslexia, what an EHCP can provide, how long a plan lasts and what should be included in the final document.
The aim is to give parents, carers and school staff a practical starting point for understanding the EHCP plan process and ensuring a child's individual needs remain at the centre of decisions about their education.
What is an EHCP?
Before we begin, let’s start with answering what is an EHCP? Thankfully, the EHCP meaning is very straightforward, and this plan is a legal document for a child or young person aged 0 to 25 that describes their special educational needs and the education, health and social care provision required to support them. An EHCP plan brings together key information about the individual’s needs, the outcomes they are working towards and what support should be put in place.
Sometimes referred to as an EHC plan, it was introduced as part of the SEN and disability reforms in 2014 and replaced statements of special educational needs for children and young people entering the new system. These reforms brought education, health and social care considerations together, helping to create a more coordinated approach to children and young people with special educational needs.
It is important to point out that the health and social care elements of an EHCP are connected to the child's special educational needs or disability, and are not intended to become a general health or social care plan. Where a child has health or care needs that are not connected to their educational needs, these should normally be addressed through the relevant health or social care arrangements. The legal framework within the plan applies from early years through to further education and training, with support potentially continuing until the individual reaches the age of 25.
Legal framework and the SEN code of practice
EHCPs sit within the SEN system that was established by the Children and Families Act 2014 and the statutory Special Educational Needs and Disability Code of Practice. The Code of Practice provides statutory guidance for local authorities, schools, colleges, early years providers, health bodies and other organisations involved in supporting children and young people with special educational needs.
One key legal question at the start of the EHCP process is whether a child or young person has, or may have, special educational needs and whether special educational provision may be necessary through an EHC plan. This two-part test is what a local authority considers when deciding whether to carry out an EHC needs assessment.
EHCP vs IEP: What’s the difference?
When you start exploring EHCPs, you will likely also encounter the term IEP school plan. This stands for an Individual Education Plan and is an informal plan used by schools throughout England to document individual support, school-level targets, and additional support. However, there is no single statutory IEP system equivalent to an EHCP, and it has no legal status.
In short, a school-level support plan can be a useful way to record the provision delivered under SEN Support and may include targets, interventions, classroom strategies, and ways of monitoring progress. In contrast, an EHCP is a statutory document created after an EHC needs assessment and carries specific legal duties around the provision identified in the plan.
That means children may start to receive support through SEN long before an EHCP is considered. Equally, the existence of a school support plan does not automatically mean that an EHCP is required.
EHCP criteria: does your child qualify?
Understanding the EHCP criteria can seem particularly complicated, as there is no single diagnosis or list of conditions that automatically qualifies a child as needing a plan. That is why it is important to remember that the primary aim of the criteria is to determine whether the child’s special educational needs may require provision through an EHCP plan.
Generally, an EHCP will begin to be considered when the child’s needs cannot be reasonably met through the existing SEN support that can ordinarily be found within an educational setting. Most commonly, this becomes apparent when a child continues to struggle despite appropriate interventions, makes significantly less progress than expected, or requires a level or type of support beyond what their school can normally provide.
There are also several signs that may prompt a parent or school to consider whether an EHC needs assessment is appropriate. For example, a child may have received sustained support through the graduated approach but still has not made the expected progress, or may show no meaningful improvement despite regular interventions, adjustments and reviews. Children may also have faced repeated exclusions, serious difficulties accessing the curriculum, or trouble staying engaged in education.
So, do you need a diagnosis for an ECHP? No, a formal diagnosis is not a legal requirement. While a diagnosis can provide useful evidence and may help explain why a child is experiencing particular difficulties, the assessment focuses on special educational needs and the provisions required to meet those needs.
This is particularly relevant for children who are experiencing significant difficulties but are still waiting for an assessment for dyslexia, ADHD, autism or another condition. For example, a child with ADHD can have an EHCP where their educational needs meet the relevant criteria, while the same applies to a child with autism. The absence of a formal diagnosis does not, by itself, prevent a local authority from considering an EHC needs assessment.
Evidence could also include school records, reports from teachers and SENCOs, examples of work, intervention records, educational psychology advice, attendance information, exclusion records and reports from relevant health or other professionals.
EHCP for dyslexia
An EHCP for dyslexia can be appropriate where dyslexia creates significant special educational needs that cannot be adequately met through the support ordinarily available in school. Dyslexia affects individuals differently, and while one child may struggle primarily with reading accuracy and fluency, another may have substantial difficulties with spelling, writing, processing written information, working memory or completing written tasks within the expected time. Some children may also experience frustration, reduced confidence or anxiety because of the continuing gap between their understanding and their ability to demonstrate that understanding on paper.
A formal dyslexia diagnosis is not automatically required before an EHCP can be considered; what matters is evidence of the child's educational needs and the impact those needs have. For example, evidence might show a persistent gap between reading ability and the child's wider cognitive or verbal abilities, limited progress despite targeted intervention, ongoing difficulty accessing age-appropriate written material, or a need for specialist support beyond normal classroom adjustments.
Once a child's needs have been established, assistive technology can sometimes form part of a broader support strategy. Here at The Dyslexia Shop, we provide a range of assistive technology for dyslexia, including reading pens, text-to-speech tools and software designed to help pupils access written information more independently. Our assistive technology range also includes proven products such as the C-Pen Reader 2, which scans printed text and reads it aloud, alongside other reading, writing and learning technologies.
The EHCP Process: Step by Step
While the EHCP process can sometimes seem complex and confusing, it is actually a relatively straightforward application that you should view as a series of stages. The process typically takes no more than 20 weeks from the local authority receiving the request for an EHC needs assessment to issuing the final plan, although there are circumstances where exceptions to the statutory timescale apply.
Step 1. Submit the request
The first step is to request an EHC needs assessment from the local authority. A parent or carer can make the request themselves, and a school or other educational setting can also request an assessment. Other professionals may also bring a child or young person to the local authority's attention where they believe an assessment may be necessary.
The request should explain the child's difficulties, the support already provided and why the existing provision may not be sufficient. Useful evidence can include school reports, individual support plans, records of interventions, examples of work, assessments and reports from relevant professionals.
Step 2. Council review
Once the local authority receives the request, it has six weeks to decide whether to carry out an EHC needs assessment. The council considers whether the child has, or may have, special educational needs and whether special educational provision may be necessary through an EHC plan.
The local authority may decide that an assessment is not necessary. If so, parents should be told about the decision and the available routes to challenge it, including mediation and appeal where applicable.
Step 3. Gathering advice
If the local authority agrees to carry out an EHC needs assessment, it will start to gather information from relevant people and services. This can include the child's parents or carers, school staff, educational psychologists, health professionals and social care professionals. The exact evidence that is gathered will depend on the child's individual circumstances.
For schools, accurate records are particularly important. Evidence of the graduated approach, interventions already attempted and the child's response to them can help demonstrate why further assessment is necessary.
An educational psychologist assessment for an EHCP may form part of this evidence, although the wider EHC needs assessment involves more than an educational psychology report alone.
Step 4. The decision about whether an EHCP is required
By week 16, the local authority should normally have decided whether an EHCP is required. If the decision is not to issue a plan, they will then explain the decision and provide additional information about other support that may be available. Parents and young people do have the right to challenge certain decisions if they believe they are incorrect.
If the decision is to issue an EHCP, then the local authority will move on to preparing the draft plan.
Step 5. Draft EHCP issued
The local authority will then prepare a draft EHCP based on the evidence gathered during the assessment. This draft will clearly describe the child's needs, the outcomes they are working towards and the provision required to support those outcomes, as well as address the educational placement.
For parents, this is an important opportunity, and they should read the document carefully rather than treating the draft as a formality. The wording of the plan should accurately reflect the child's needs and the support they require.
Step 6. Feedback window
Parents should have at least 15 days to comment on the draft plan. This is an opportunity to request amendments and express a preference for a particular school or other educational setting where the relevant rules apply.
It can be helpful to compare the proposed provision with the evidence gathered during the assessment. If a report identifies a particular difficulty but the draft plan does not appear to address it, this is the point at which parents should raise the issue.
Step 7. Final plan issued
The final EHCP should normally be issued by week 20, and once finalised, the plan will set out the provision that must be secured in accordance with the statutory framework. Section F is particularly important because it sets out the special educational provision required to meet the child's needs.
If parents disagree with the final plan or with certain decisions made by the local authority, they may have rights to mediation and appeal.
Step 8. Annual review
An EHCP does not sit unchanged once issued; it must be reviewed at least every 12 months to consider whether the child's needs, provision, outcomes, or educational placement need to change. The review should consider the child's progress and whether the support described in the plan remains appropriate.
For younger children, more frequent reviews may be appropriate depending on their circumstances.
How to apply for an EHCP as a parent
If you are wondering how to apply for an EHCP as a parent, the first thing to know is that you do not need to wait for your child's school to make the request. Parents can contact their local authority directly and request an EHC needs assessment, although speaking to the school's SENCO first is often a sensible first step, as the school will usually hold important evidence about your child's progress, interventions and support, and working together can make it easier to present a clear picture of the difficulties your child is experiencing.
A written request should explain why you believe an assessment is necessary, so it can be helpful to include:
- A clear description of your child's educational needs and difficulties.
- Details of support they are already receiving.
- Information about how they have responded to interventions.
- Evidence of progress, or lack of expected progress.
- Relevant school reports and assessments.
- Reports from health or other professionals where appropriate.
- Examples of work that demonstrate the difficulties.
- Information about the impact the difficulties have on everyday education.
- The outcomes you would like to see for your child.
Try to keep the focus on evidence rather than simply listing a diagnosis or suspected condition. You should also explain what your child finds difficult, what has already been tried and why you believe more specialist or intensive support may be necessary. It can also be useful to describe what your child can do, ensuring that the EHCP provides a rounded picture of the individual, including their strengths, interests, aspirations and difficulties.
The child's own views matter too. Depending on their age and level of understanding, they should have an opportunity to contribute to decisions about their education and support. It’s also important to remember that you do not need to use complicated legal language when making a request. A clear explanation supported by evidence is generally more useful than a letter filled with technical terminology.
How long does an EHCP take?
Now that you know the process behind applying, the next natural question is usually, “How long does an EHCP take?” As previously mentioned, the statutory timeframe is normally 20 weeks from the local authority receiving the request to it being issued.
Broadly, the timetable is:
- Weeks 0-6: The local authority considers the request and decides whether to carry out an EHC needs assessment.
- Weeks 6-16: If an assessment is agreed, advice and information are gathered from parents, education, health, social care and other relevant professionals. The local authority then decides whether an EHCP is required.
- Weeks 16-20: If the decision is to issue an EHCP, a draft is prepared, parents or the young person are given an opportunity to comment, and the final plan is issued.
However, these are only the statutory framework times, and the actual experience can be very different. According to the Department for Education's current figures, just 46.1% of new plans were issued within that timeline in 2025, with the average time for plans (excluding specified exceptions) being 24 weeks, while a substantial proportion took much longer.
If statutory timescales are missed, parents can seek independent information and advice through the likes of SENDIASS, the Council for Disabled Children and IPSEA.
How long does an EHCP last?
So, how long does an EHCP last? The plan can remain in place until a young person leaves education or training, or until they turn 25, provided that the statutory conditions for maintaining the plan continue to be met. However, having an EHCP in place does not mean that the individual will automatically receive one until their 25th birthday. The plan is reviewed regularly, and the local authority can decide that it should be amended or ceased where appropriate.
To ensure that it continues to meet the needs of the child, an EHCP must normally be reviewed at least once every 12 months. This will consider whether the child’s needs have changed, whether the provision is working and whether the outcomes remain appropriate. As the child gets older, the focus should also increasingly include preparation for adulthood, covering areas such as further education, employment, independent living and participation within the community.
What's Inside an EHCP: Sections Explained
The Education, Health and Care Plan is organised into 11 main lettered sections, running from A to K. Section H is commonly divided into H1 and H2 because it covers different aspects of social care provision, and understanding each section is useful when reviewing a draft because it allows parents and professionals to check that the evidence, needs, outcomes and provision are connected.
Section A: Views, interests and aspirations
Section A records the views, interests, and aspirations of the child or young person and their parents, and is designed to describe the individual rather than reduce them to a list of difficulties. By listing their interests, strengths, hopes and longer-term ambitions, you help to create a full picture of the individual.
Section B: Special educational needs
Section B describes the child's special educational needs and is one of the most important sections because the provision in Section F should respond to the needs identified here. If a significant need is missing from here, it can become harder to establish why particular support is required.
Section C: Health care needs
Section C records health needs that relate to the child's special educational needs or disability. It is not intended to become a general medical record, so the information should be relevant to the child's educational experience.
Section D: Social care needs
Section D describes social care needs that relate to the child's SEN or disability.
Section E: Outcomes
Section E sets out the outcomes the EHCP is intended to help the child or young person achieve. Good outcomes should provide a meaningful sense of direction, and should relate to the child's individual circumstances rather than simply describing generic educational targets.
Section F: Special educational provision
Section F describes the special educational provision required to meet the child's needs, and can include teaching approaches, interventions, specialist support, equipment, assistive technology and other provision where appropriate.
For example, for a child with dyslexia the provision might address reading, writing, spelling, processing written information or access to the curriculum. Depending on the evidence and the child's individual needs, assistive technology may form part of that provision. The wording should also be sufficiently clear to establish what support is required, as vague statements can make it difficult for everyone involved to understand exactly what should be provided.
Section G: Health care provision
Section G records health provision reasonably required because of the child's learning difficulties or disability. Where relevant, it may include provision from health services that contributes directly to meeting the child's identified needs.
Sections H1 and H2: Social care provision
Section H covers relevant social care provision. H1 relates to certain social care provision for children under 18, while H2 covers other social care provision reasonably required because of the child's learning difficulties or disability.
Section I: Educational placement
Section I names the school, college, nursery or other educational institution the child or young person will attend, where applicable. Parents have rights relating to expressing a preference for an educational setting during the EHCP process, although there are rules governing how those preferences are considered.
Section J: Personal budget
Section J records details of any agreed personal budget and relevant arrangements for direct payments. A personal budget is not automatically extra money given to every family with an EHCP, but it is a way of giving families greater control over some of the funding associated with the provision identified in the plan, where the relevant arrangements apply.
Section K: Advice and information
Section K contains the advice and information gathered during the EHC needs assessment, normally included as appendices. This might include reports and advice from education, health, social care and other professionals involved in the assessment.
Managing EHCPs as a SENCO
For an EHCP coordinator or SENCO, managing an EHC plan is an ongoing responsibility rather than a one-off administrative exercise. Schools are already familiar with the graduated approach to SEN Support, including assessing needs, planning support, putting interventions in place and reviewing their impact. The evidence generated through this process is then particularly valuable when an EHC needs assessment is being considered.
A school should be able to demonstrate what support has been tried, how frequently it has been delivered, how the child responded and whether progress was made. This does not mean schools should continue interventions indefinitely simply to build a larger file of evidence; where it is clear that a child's needs may require provision beyond what they can provide, an assessment should be considered on the basis of the evidence available.
The school also has an important role once the EHCP is in place, as staff need to understand the provision specified in the plan and make sure it is reflected in the child's day-to-day education. We have a wide range of resources for SENCOs and education settings, including dyslexia screening tools, coloured overlays, reading rulers, tinted paper, writing aids and assistive technology, ensuring children can have everything they need to achieve their best.
Annual reviews and amendments
During the annual review, evidence should be gathered from teachers, teaching assistants, parents, the child and relevant specialists. This insight is then used to consider whether progress has been made towards the outcomes in the plan and whether the provision remains appropriate. It can also identify where existing provision is working well and should continue, and where needs have changed and the plan needs amending.
For example, a pupil who previously needed intensive support with reading may become increasingly independent with appropriate intervention and technology, whereas another pupil may reach secondary school and discover that the demands of a broader curriculum create new barriers.
Requesting an EHC needs assessment
A SENCO can support a parent who is requesting an EHC needs assessment or, where appropriate, the educational setting can make its own request. The evidence provided by the school can be particularly valuable because it shows what the child has experienced in the educational environment and can include intervention records, attainment data, progress information, teacher observations, examples of work, and information about how the child responds to different forms of support.
For schools supporting pupils with dyslexia, it is useful to distinguish between identifying a need and choosing a resource. A reading pen, coloured overlay or specialist software may be helpful, but the starting point should always be understanding what barrier the child is experiencing and what type of provision will address it.
Benefits and entitlements
When parents search for benefits for a child with an EHCP in the UK, they are often trying to understand what practical difference having a plan will make. The most important benefit is that it formally identifies the child's needs, intended outcomes and special educational provision, providing a clearer framework for the support needed. Depending on the child's individual circumstances, an EHCP may also be relevant when considering educational placement, transport assistance, specialist equipment or formal exam arrangements.
It is particularly important to understand that an EHCP is not the same as a disability benefit. Having an EHCP does not automatically mean a child is entitled to Disability Living Allowance or another financial benefit. The evidence gathered during the process may still be useful when a family makes other applications, because it can provide professional evidence about a child's needs and how they affect everyday life.
It is important to remember that there is no single package of benefits provided, as each child is different. In some cases, an EHCP may also be relevant to decisions about transport, while another child may require special access arrangements during exams.
Final thoughts
An EHCP can provide an important framework for children and young people whose special educational needs require support beyond what their education setting can ordinarily provide. Understanding what an EHCP is, the criteria involved and how the assessment process works can make it easier for parents and schools to take the right steps.
For children with dyslexia, the focus should remain on the individual barriers they face and the provision that can help them access education more effectively. This may include specialist teaching, targeted intervention, classroom adjustments and, where appropriate, assistive technology.
For parents, SENCOs and schools looking for practical dyslexia and SEN resources, we offer a wide range of products and specialist resources, including assistive technology, reading aids, writing support and classroom equipment. If you want to find out more about our services and how we can help you, get in touch with our team!