What is an Education, Health & Care Plan (EHCP)?

Doncaster Graduated Approach – Help at Every Level

The graduated approach is the system of SEND support within mainstream settings in Doncaster. It is intended to make sure that children and young people in Doncaster with SEND get the right support at the right time. There are different levels of support offered and while some learners may move up and down the scale during their learning journey, most learners will thrive accessing what we call ‘Universal Level’ support. Our diagram below shows the different levels of intervention and support available in Doncaster to help our learners achieve academic success:

One or two cycles of APDR with additional support is sometimes enough and children start to make progress. If children start to make accelerated progress or the gaps in learning close, they can then return to the previous lower level of the graduated approach. If a child or young person is not making expected progress after two cycles (2 terms) of APDR, a setting may consider if they need to move on to the next higher level of the graduated approach, meaning further support may be needed.

After several cycles of APDR, Special Educational Needs may be identified. All Learners Some learners A Few learners Very Few learners Universal Universal Targeted / Specialist APDR Assess Plan Do Review No formal SEND support plan Optional SEND support plan SEND support plan SEND support plan / EHCP Needs met through inclusive HQT and additional to and different from SEND support for multiple areas of need Needs met through inclusive HQT, SEND support and where appropriate additional funding without the need for an EHCP Needs met through inclusive HQT and time-limited interventions and support Needs met through High Quality Teaching (HQT) 10 If a child or young person’s needs are identified to be at targeted level or above, they will be added to The SEND Register.

The child or young person must also have a SEND Support Plan put in place. This should be co-produced with the child or young person and their parents/carers. Cycles of Assess, Plan, Do, Review will continue and the SEND Support Plan should then be reviewed (at least three times per year). When children require increasing levels of support, schools should engage with specialist services to ensure all efforts are made to meet their needs. Sometimes progress is so good that that the plan is no longer necessary, and needs can then be met just through high-quality teaching (HQT) again. It is crucial to be patient when a setting is monitoring a child or young person and using The Graduated Approach. This is because time is required to see whether the planned interventions and support are working and helping to close any gaps in learning and progress. Children and young people must go through all these steps in order for the graduated approach to be successful prior to applying for an EHC needs assessment.

What is an Education, Health & Care Plan (EHCP)?

Should I speak to the school or college first?

Yes, the education placement can discuss any worries with you. Prior to needing an EHC needs assessment, the school can put in place a SEND support plan for the young person if appropriate, refer into relevant agencies and apply for additional funding should that be required. Additional information around SEND support is available using this link Local Offer - SEND Support (Targeted and Targeted Level) - City of Doncaster Council

Who can request an EHC needs assessment?

Anyone can bring a child or young person to the local authority's attention, if they think an EHC Needs Assessment may be necessary. This includes your child's education setting or other practitioner, such as a Portage worker, health visitor or social worker. You, or the young person themselves, can also request an EHC Needs Assessment.

How long does this process take and is there anything else I need to consider?

Once a request for an EHC Needs Assessment has been made, the local authority has six weeks to decide whether or not they will carry out an EHC Needs Assessment. During this time, the local authority will allow relevant professionals the opportunity to submit any further information and evidence about your child's SEN and the support your child has already received.

A panel of education, health and care professionals will then review the request and decide if the child or young person requires an assessment.

In order to support your request, the Local Authority will be reviewing evidence to support the utilising of Doncaster’s graduated approach.

This evidence should include but is not limited too:

·       Please ensure the parental consent box is ticked

·       NHS number for pupil (must be completed in Section 2)

·       Copy of this term’s SEN Support Plan and the reviewed SEN Support Plan from the previous TWO terms

·       Attendance data for the current academic year.

·       A costed provision map detailing the support currently in place, including the number of hours of 1:1 support in class and any additional interventions, which covers the needs descriptors and the SEN notional budget spending.

·       Any current assessment information (e.g., reading age) or attainment data from the most recent data collection cycle. This should indicate subjects across the curriculum and independent working levels.

·       A copy of the latest One Page Profile or Child’s Voice document.

·       Any recent reports or records of involvement from professionals such as ASCETs, Educational Psychology, Speech and Language Therapy (SaLT), CAMHS, BOSS, OT, Early help/PAFFS/CIN/CPP plans etc., or confirmation of any referrals made/requested.

·       Recent record of involvement from education, health or care external agencies/ professionals/advice givers e.g SALT, EP, OT, Physiotherapy, CAMHS, BOSS, Social Care, Early Help Assessment etc.. (please upload these and clearly label the involvement – recent is defined as the last 12 months)

·       Annotated Social and Emotional Action Plans E.g. Thrive (please upload these if applicable)

·       Analysis of behaviour logs for the last 6 months (if applicable), including impact of the behaviour plan. Do not send actual daily logs – these will be rejected as part of the application.

·       Details of AP attendance/managed moves and associated reports/reviewed strategies implemented.

·       Dated chronology of support offered through graduated approach.