Moving to a new phase of education with an Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP)
Moving to a new stage of education is also called a phase transfer. It happens when your child or young person moves from:
- an early years setting to school
- infant school to junior school
- primary school to secondary school
- secondary school onto post-16 or 19 provision.
The SEND code of practice (section 9.179) states that:
'an EHC plan must be reviewed and amended in sufficient time prior to a child or young person moving between key phases of education, to allow for planning for and, where necessary, commissioning of support and provision at the new institution. The review and any amendments must be completed by 15 February in the calendar year of the transfer at the latest for transfers into or between schools'.
When children and young people with an Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP) move between phases of education, parents, carers or young people do not need to complete the usual school admissions application.
Children and young people who are in the process of an Education Health and Care Needs Assessment but do not have an EHCP will still need to apply for school places through the usual general school admissions processes.
Phase transfer process for those with an EHCP entering Reception, year 3 (from an infant school), year 7, and year 9 (from a middle school) in September 2026.
Summer half term in the year before the transfer (May/June 2025):
The Local Authority (LA) special Educational Needs and Disabilities Team send out preference forms to parent carers. These need to be returned by 20 September 2025. Parent carers can identify a maximum of 3 preferred schools/settings.
October to December 2025
LA will consult with preferred schools/settings and begin to provisionally allocate places* following consideration of consultation responses from settings, parent/carer preferences and LA views.
*At this stage it will only be a provisional allocation as the consultation responses come in and the LA assess demand, capacity and other factors around placement. It may also be necessary for the LA to hold placement discussions with schools/settings to refine offers of placement. Please do not contact the LA at this time for a decision as the team will not be in a position to provide this.
January 2026
LA begin to send out EHC Plan amendment notices indicating which school/setting is being proposed. Parent carers have 15 days to respond.
February 2026
By 15 February 2026 the LA will finalise the EHC Plan naming the current school/setting attended and the school/setting to be attended in September 2026. If you disagree, you can:
- request a way forward meeting with the LA
- attend mediation
- appeal to the SEND Tribunal
September 2026
Child or young person starts at the new school/setting named in the EHCP.