Moving to a new phase of education with an Education Health and Care Plan (EHC Plan)
When children and young people with and Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP) move between phases of education parents, carers or young people do not need to complete the usual admissions application. They are, however, encouraged to think about what school or college should be named in their EHCP.
Moving to a new stage of education is also called a phase transfer. It happens when your child moves from:
- early years setting to school
- infant school to junior school
- primary to secondary school
- secondary school onto post-16 or 19 provision.
The phase transfer process
The process begins when your child is in:
- the last year at their pre-school setting
- year 2 if they are transferring to junior school
- year 6 when transferring to secondary school
- year 11 when thinking about post-16 options
The Annual Review
When your child moves to a new stage of education it is important there is enough time to plan the move well.
Each year your child's current setting must hold a meeting to review the EHCP. This is called an annual review.
The EHCP should always be reviewed before a transfer to a new phase of education. The annual review should be held in the autumn term of the last year at the current setting. At the review you will:
- discuss future placements and;
- review the EHCP
Amended EHC plan
After the annual review has been held and the written report submitted, the SEND Team will:
- review the EHCP
- make any required amendments
They will send you a copy of the amended EHCP.
You will be:
- asked to comment on the amendments
- given the chance to give a preference for the next school or setting
You will usually do this when you have had the chance to:
- attend open evenings
- visit schools or colleges
For post-16 courses, young people can apply for a multiple courses at multiple colleges. It is a good to keep options open at this stage. More advice can be found here.
The SEND Team will send a copy of the amended plan to your preferred school or setting.
Finalising the amended EHC plan
The SEND Team must:
- tell you which school or setting they will be naming and;
- issue you with a final amended EHCP
The deadlines for doing this are:
- 15 February before the transfer in September
- 31 March if your child is in Year 11
- at least 5 months before the transfer takes place if a young person is moving from one post-16 institution to another post-16 institution
They will always try to follow your wishes for a preferred school or setting, but sometimes that may not be possible. The SEND Team will stay in touch with you during this process, until a final amended EHC plan is issued naming the next school or setting.
Read the Annual Review checklist IPSEA has developed.