Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential effectiveness of implementing cohort-based education, health and care plans.

For too long the education system has not met the needs of all children, particularly those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), with parents struggling to get their children the support they need and deserve. We know that parents have struggled to get the right support for their children, particularly through long and difficult education, health and care (EHC) plan processes.

An EHC plan is a statutory document which is produced following an EHC needs assessment process. An EHC needs assessment ensures that a child or young person’s individual needs are assessed in a joined-up way across education, health and social care services. Under this assessment process the local authority must seek information and advice from a range of partners, including the child or young person and their parents, their school or college (if any) relevant health and social care partners, an educational psychologist and any other relevant professionals. The EHC needs assessment must identify the child or young person’s special educational needs, together with any relevant health or social care needs.

If the local authority then decides it is necessary to issue an EHC plan, it must set long-term outcomes for the child or young person and specify provision which will deliver those outcomes. The content in an EHC plan should be unique to the child or young person.

EHC plans should be used to actively monitor children and young people’s progress towards their outcomes and longer-term aspirations. They must be reviewed by the local authority as a minimum every 12 months. Reviews must focus on the child or young person’s progress towards achieving the outcomes specified in the EHC plan. The review must also consider whether these outcomes and supporting targets remain appropriate. The review process will enable changes to be made to an EHC plan so that it remains relevant to the needs of the child or young person and the desired outcomes.

This government’s ambition is that all children and young people with SEND or in alternative provision receive the right support to succeed in their education and as they move into adult life. The department is working closely with experts on reforms, recently appointing a strategic advisor for SEND, who will play a key role in convening and engaging with the sector, including leaders, practitioners, children and families as we consider next steps.