Evidencing your Education, Health and Care Plan applications: a step-by-step guide

Even for seasoned SENCOs, applying for an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) can feel like an uphill struggle.

You have to work with a lot of data, more pupils with SEND than ever and (if you’re a trust) documentation that varies based on where a school is – and you must ask for funding when almost every council is buckling under the strain of this nationwide provision crisis.

But there’s good news. Your route to success remains the same regardless of where you are based, how many SEND pupils you have or what your local council is dealing with.

So, let’s look at five key steps when evidencing an EHCP application.

#1 – Understanding the form’s role in an EHCP application process

When we think of applying for an EHCP on behalf of a pupil, our mind often jumps ahead to the paperwork.

That might be because local authority expectations can seem inconsistent. In Surrey, the form is about 32 pages long. Meanwhile, schools in Dagenham appear to have 4 pages to make their case.

Thankfully, whatever the apparent length or criteria, the advice remains the same.

Focus on evidence, not quantity

You don’t have to conform to a particular length or fill in a specific template to have a successful EHCP application. The idea behind the form is to save time and effort, but you can theoretically send an email and get your case accepted.

Ultimately, what you need to focus on is good quality evidence that a pupil may have special educational needs and may require specialist provision.

That means data and insights to back up what you are trying to tell the local authority. If you have gathered statistics, collected the right information, and tracked anecdotal evidence, then a few lines are worth far more than pages of generalisation.

#2 – Gathering evidence

Bearing in mind Step #1, it’s important to have a system that lets you gather quality information, explaining what your school has learned about its pupils with SEND and what it is doing to help each one.

Here is a breakdown of the different types of data you will need to track to make a strong, evidence-based case for your pupils:

• Attendance (to detect any issues)
• Attainment and the pupil’s current academic trajectory and the pupil’s current academic trajectory
• Interventions, who is delivering them (including staff/pupil ratio), and their impact
• Professional advice you have sought
• The views of the young person with SEND and their family (where appropriate)
• Any professional reports, and how you have implemented themAny professional reports and how you have implemented them
• Risk assessments
• The costs of your provision

The latter three are desirable information; everything else is a “must” for the EHCP form.

#3 – Checking you have exhausted all options

You need to be able to demonstrate, upon making an application, that you have taken every available step to help your pupils and that further intervention is necessary.

This means checking your efforts against your Local Authority’s Ordinarily Available Provision document, if it has one.

Helping pupils with SEND succeed – a guide to timely intervention for schools and trusts

Read the guide

Click here

#4 – Submitting the application based on your pupil’s needs (not the council’s)

As part of the application, remember to stay focused; Local Authority finances are not your concern. If you are successful, your school or trust is entitled to all the money it is asking for to help that pupil.

So don’t be deterred by anything in the press or any other commentary. If it helps, think of the SEND funding crisis as being an issue that stretches well beyond councils. It’s not your problem, and in fact, it’s not something the Local Authority can do much to control – they have a legal obligation to meet your pupil’s needs. can do much to control – they have a legal obligation to meet your pupil’s needs.

#5 – Regularly reviewing and adjusting interventions

Any intervention you make for a pupil is an ongoing process – with or without an EHCP – and a hugely important part of this is to review what is being done.

With the right system in place, you can test and assess different interventions at planned times within a year to see how successful they are.

How PAGS makes a difference

As we have seen, the best way to deliver intervention quickly and consistently is through a dedicated platform that tracks every effort.

The data it collects and the information it provides can be instrumental in getting a good quality EHCP to help a pupil with SEND.

PAGS, an award-winning, all-in-one special educational needs platform, can be that go-to solution.

How PAGS helps you with EHCP applications

• Understand your SEND pupil’s world. PAGS evaluates learners in communication, social interaction, self-regulation, and cognition, helping gather detailed evidence crucial for EHCP applications.
• Understand which interventions work. PAGS tracks efforts and displays progress through easy-to-read graphs and reports.
• Make smart decisions about resources. PAGS helps allocate resources efficiently, tracking how many learners use specific provisions and associated costs.
• Have up-to-the-minute insights. PAGS provides real-time metrics, supporting strategic decision-making at the learner and school levels.
• Bring the pupil’s support network together. PAGS can be used by teachers, parents, and external professionals, ensuring all stakeholders are involved.

Get more insights into the EHCP application process

Every delayed or denied EHCP leaves a child behind and adds pressure to their support network.

Our dedicated webinar on the EHCP application process brings together experts to discuss how schools can manage SEND provision, create a strong case, and use tools like PAGS to gather evidence and secure funding faster.

Speakers include:

• Tia Sohi, Sector Led Improvement Partner and ex-SENCO
• Stephen Close, Product Director, PAGS
• Katie Holm, senior product marketing business partner, IRIS Education

Click here to watch it on demand