Talk to me about what a good EHC Plan Section B and F looks like.

We can't go looking at B and F without the following… 

Here at Empowering Families of Children with SEND, we are constantly telling you to check your draft – and for good reason; if you only ever do one thing – please check your draft EHC Plan. If you didn't do this in the draft, do this in the annual review. Undertake an EHCP Health Check; do not ever accept an EHC Plan as provided by your LA.  

 A poor EHCP equals poor provision, and your child/young person will not be accessing the education and training support they are entitled to. 

 It is also highly probable that they will not be in the educational placement that will meet their needs most effectively. 

 A robust draft check can change a Mainstream placement to an Independent Specialist.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rgrcAcSmEDw See our YouTube video for more information on checking your draft/EHCP. 

We also tell you about the hidden dangers of having Woolly Words lurking within your Section F. The words that 'appear' to be stating that your child will be adequately supported, but mean the opposite – I won't repeat these here but will urge you to read our blog here: https://www.empoweringsendfamilies.co.uk/post/top-ten-phrases-and-words-you-don-t-want-in-your-ehcp-and-why-ehcp-section-f-wording 

So, what does a good EHC Plan Section B and F look like?  

(Firstly, from a personal perspective, get a photo of your child into Section A if you can. Yes, this is the unenforceable Section. It's the 'backstory,' the history. It will not be enforceable, or make any difference to the provision or school type, but… having a photo of the child or young person brings this whole document back to its purpose.  

This isn't just about words on a PDF or Word Doc; this is about a child/young person – and here they are, look at them and understand the relevance of this to them. It always makes me smile when I see a photo in Section A. An EHC Plan describes difficulties, but here is a cheeky face looking at me, so much more than their difficulties, and it makes my heart sing.) 

Section B.  

A good Section B will include all the information from your professional reports. It's the detail that matters. Your child's difficulties are unique to them, and so must Section B be. A diagnosis isn't a prerequisite for an EHC Plan. This is because an EHCP is 'needs based'. One child with a diagnosis is not all children with the same diagnosis. It's a common misconception that Section F is the most important.  

 Section B is pivotal to the whole EHC Plan. At the risk of being repetitive: 

If the need isn't in B, this need doesn't exist. If the need doesn't exist then there will be no provision made in F.  If no provision is in F, the placement in I won't be required to have any specific specialised provision – think training and experience of all staff, cohort, class size, sensory adaptations, curriculum, for example.  

B + F  really does = I   

So now let's look at some examples, and remember, these are just examples and are unique to the individual child/young person.  

<<young person>>experienced significant difficulties with the diagnostic reading assessment which indicates that he would struggle with his reading of more complex words that are unfamiliar to him unless he can guess them through contextual cues. It would also be expected to affect his spelling significantly. His typing speed is 10 words per minute, where over 25+ words per minute would be expected. <<young person>> has a diagnosis of profound and significant dyslexia, which impacts his education and training along with all day-to-day life skills appropriate to his age. 

<<young person>>has become increasingly aware of his differences, lacks confidence and fears failure. There are days when <<young person>> cannot focus or concentrate and getting through the day can be an achievement. He will, on occasion, avoid things that he finds difficult, i.e. writing. He does not want people to know he has difficulties and finds it embarrassing to talk about his feelings. School and parents report that <<young person>> experiences periods of poor mental health but that he will often hide this. <<young person>> suffers from anxiety and low self-esteem. 

<<child>>finds school very stressful and is overwhelmed by a normal mainstream school environment 

<<child>>has a PDA profile, Oppositional Defiant Disorder and ASD with clinically significant levels of comorbid anxiety; he struggles with many aspects of his life and his mental health is significantly compromised. <<child>> finds it very difficult to make decisions and displays significantly high anxiety when given or asked to make choices.  

At a Chronological Age of 52 months, <<child>> is still developing her Communication and Language, Listening and Attention, Understanding and Speaking (12–24 Months). <<child>> has a significant speech delay, often unintelligible to unfamiliarity, which results in increasing frustration at being unable to communicate needs and wants.  

<<child>> can feel their emotions intensely, with emotional outbursts increasing in number as the expectations of the curriculum are increasing. <<child>> appears to have been masking these in school; however, emotional dysregulation, including verbal and physical reactions, is now a daily occurrence. <<child>> reactions include swearing, breaking of resources, and scratching their arms until they bleed<<child>> experiences remorse and shame following these outbursts.  

<<child>> diagnosis of ADHD is evident in her inability to engage in any focused activity for over 10 minutes without the need for movement. <<child>> displays fidgety behaviours which impair attention and can be disruptive to others in the class.  

<<child>> has significant gross and fine motor difficulties, with an immature palmer grasp, impacting mark-making activities. <<child>> cannot undertake self-help skills, including using cutlery, wiping following toileting, and dressing/undressing. <<child>> trips and falls regularly and is unaware of uneven floor levels. <<child>> cannot climb steps or stairs unaided.<<child>> falls from the chair and sits slumped at the table.  

<<child>> has significant difficulties coping with any change in her routine or unexpected changes. This significantly impacts her emotional regulation, level of motivation and ability to engage in all learning. 

<<child>> attendance is at 35%, and is no longer coming into school. <<child>> has EBSA, and the school has put additional support in place, including soft starts, transition objects and a named staff member or morning handover. <<child>> anxiety has increased, despite this additional support <<child>> has had a referral to CAMHS. <<child>> has started to pull their hair out, and has restrictive eating patterns.  

As you can see, needs are not just academic needs. Needs encompass the 'whole child'. Each need must not be looked upon in isolation but in addition to the others. Each need interweaves with the other, resulting in the overall complexity that impacts the child/young person daily.  

 It's also worth mentioning here that: 

·       'Provision must be made for each and every need specified in Section B': Special Educational Needs and Disability Code of Practice 2015 9.69(F). 

·       Not every EHC Plan splits needs and provisions into Sensory and Physical, Communication and Interaction, SEMH, Cognition and Learning 

·       Not every EHC Plan has a Primary Need specified 

Section F 

This Section must be 'specific and usually quantified'. So, what does 'usually' mean before we jump in with examples?  

This means where it is applicable, for example:  

'Luna will receive 1:1 support at lunchtimes, from a designated INA'. The specificity is that she will receive 1:1 support from a designated Individual Needs Assistant. This doesn't require additional quantification because there is only one lunchtime per school day, and it's pluralised 'lunchtimes'. 

Let's look at some examples of a good Section F provision. Again, these are examples. 

Your own child/young person's Sections B and F must be from your own child/young person's professional evidence. You cannot lift these examples into your own child's document. You must ensure that your EHCP is written this way – for your child/young person. (We'll come to how to do that later).  

<<young person>> will receive a bespoke package to include the online courses, with all of the necessary resources for these provided to ensure success, including functional skills, life skills, and provisions to meet his SEMH needs as a young man, with both a personal assistant and Tutor. A tutor to support <<young person's>> further education and employment skills for three hours, four days a week, and a Personal Assistant for ten hours per week, comprising of one day of six hours and two days of two hours.   

<<young person>> will receive the provision of technology in the form of a reader pen, personal computer, printer, and all suitable programs to support his education and training. This will enable <<young person>>to be as independent of additional educational support as possible by having a supporting tutor 1-1 to enable him to learn these new skills and be comfortable and confident with the technology packages. This will be entrenched within his courses and taught as a necessity with a PC appropriate to the technology, including but not limited to voice-to-text programs and software, such as Grammarly, to support the skills being learned.  

<<child>> will receive 1:1 support throughout the whole school day, using Comic Strip Conversations whenever she experiences a social misunderstanding. Comic Strip Conversations will explore all misunderstandings by breaking down the conversation and exploring each part in turn. Consistent TA with training and experience in delivering Comic Strip Conversation interventions.  

Throughout the whole school day, <<child>> will be given extra time to process all instructions and answer all questions. All Instructions will be provided verbally and visually. Instructions will contain no more than two parts.  

All tasks will be chunked into small steps throughout the school day. All tasks will have a whole class movement break scheduled every 15 minutes. All focused academic tasks will be followed by an activity related to the child's interests. Additional movement breaks will be provided per the presentation needs, including 1:1 TA, with oversight from the class teacher.   

<<child>> will receive the <<insert provision type>> Programme 1 x a minimum of 30 minutes 2 x a week, for a bock of a minimum of 6-8 weeks.  

<<child>> will receive follow-up sessions of 1 x a minimum of 30 minutes, 1 x a week following  8 weeks of consolidation of implementation in all contexts. The first block was delivered 1:1 by ELSA. All follow-up sessions in small groups of no more than 4 need appropriate peers, delivered by consistent ELSA.  

 <<young person >> will receive formal career information from a SEND Specialist careers advisor. Together, they will consider each of <<young person >>  strengths and how these will be matched to their chosen study and eventual career path. As part of this provision  <<young person >> will be supported to: 

·         Research FE courses, including vocational studies 

·         Complete a CV 

·         Make an application for an employment opportunity 

·         Undertake 1:1 supported work experience  

1 x a week, a minimum of 30 minutes. Supported work experience in 2 blocks of 4 weeks for a minimum of 12 hours. Additional career resources and advice will  be found under this link: PfA-Outcomes-Framework.pdf (ndti.org.uk)  

<<young person >> will receive an experienced and suitably qualified psychologist or disability counsellor for ongoing SEMH support for up to 10 sessions per year to age 25.  

<<child>> will receive 1:1 support throughout the whole school day, including all breaks and lunch times, enrichment activities and school trips. INA, with experience and training in supporting children with complex physical needs.  

A full risk assessment of the educational environment will be undertaken, with additional daily oversight. <<child>> will receive 1:1 support throughout the whole school day due to PICA needs.  

<<child>> will receive their education in class sizes of no more than eight needs appropriate peers, with a fully needs differentiated curriculum, with a whole school approach to <<diagnosis>> 

Consistent visuals and an AAC approach will be embedded throughout the curriculum and as a whole school approach. All staff will be trained and experienced in supporting children with speech and language/communication and interaction difficulties.  

This clearly isn't exhaustive, but it gives an insight into how really good provision is worded.  

Getting the EHC Plan to this level will always require amendments to the original. Often significant amendments. All professional reports must be cross-referenced into B and F, and you must then ensure that the whole of Section F is worded to legality – back to those aforementioned Woolly Words… 

This is an undertaking, and we support families in doing this via our blogs, YouTube, and webinars (https://empowering-families-events.thinkific.com/collections) every day on our dedicated Facebook group – exclusively for families.  

Alongside this, as part of our professional advocacy services, we provide a bespoke 1:1 daft/EHC Plan checking service, which we will undertake for you.  

Our draft checks are second to none – see our testimonials on our Facebook business page and on our website: https://www.empoweringsendfamilies.co.uk/about.  

We consistently amend drafts and EHC Plans, which then ensure children and young people are placed as Independent Specialists, Independent Mainstreams, and EOTAS/EOTIS.  

Whichever placement is correct for your child, it's imperative that your EHC Plan is provided for each and every need. Only then will your child be effectively supported to reach their very own unique potential.  

You can get more information on our bespoke services here: https://www.empoweringsendfamilies.co.uk/services 

We are, and always will be, Stronger Together. 

You can find testimonials to our bespoke services on our website and Facebook business page - here