Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is the process by which a pupil becomes eligible for an Education, Health and Care Plan.
Education is a devolved matter and there are different systems for supporting children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
In England, a child or young person is eligible for an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan if it is necessary for a local authority to make ‘special educational provision’ in accordance with such a plan. This test and other aspects of the decision-making process are set out in the Children and Families Act 2014. The statutory criteria for eligibility for EHC plans in England are not replicated in the other parts of the United Kingdom.
Departmental officials have regular dialogue with counterparts in the Devolved Administrations.