An EHCP is a legal document for children and young people aged 0–25 who need more support than is available through standard SEN support in school. It describes your child's needs and the provision that must be put in place to meet them.
SEND = Special Educational Needs and Disabilities. EHCP = Education, Health and Care Plan.
If provision is not being delivered, your child is missing education, the placement is breaking down, or the local authority has missed a deadline, keep everything in writing and ask quickly about complaints, an urgent annual review, mediation or tribunal advice.
Key legal timings were checked against GOV.UK on 18 June 2026. If you are close to a deadline, get advice and use the official pages below.
Time limit
20 weeks
usually request to final EHCP
Age range
0 to 25
years old
Right to appeal
SEND Tribunal
if you disagree
Decided appeals
99%
mostly found for families
Request sent
You (or the school) submit a request for an EHC needs assessment to the local authority.
Decision to assess
The LA must tell you within 6 weeks whether they will carry out an assessment. They can only refuse if it is not necessary.
Draft EHCP
If assessment goes ahead, you should receive a draft EHCP. You have at least 15 days to review and comment.
Final EHCP issued
The final EHCP must usually be issued within 20 weeks of the original request, unless a specific statutory exception applies. It should name a school or other setting.
* These are statutory deadlines unless a specific exception applies. Many LAs take longer. You can escalate delays to the LA's complaints process, the Ombudsman, or specialist legal advice about delay.
Decided SEN appeals
99%
in favour of parents or young people in 2024/25
Councils often say no at first, or offer less support than a child needs. That can feel awful, but many families successfully challenge decisions. It can still be a hard, slow process, and no statistic guarantees an individual case. Keep records, get advice, meet deadlines, and keep going.
MoJ tribunal statisticsWho can apply, what information you need, and what to expect after you submit a request to your local authority.
8 min read
What happens during the 20-week assessment — which professionals are involved and what they assess.
10 min read
How to read an EHCP, what each section means (Sections A–K), and what good provision looks like.
12 min read
What the EP visit is for, how to prepare, and why the report can matter for specialist school placement.
7 min read
What to do if the LA refuses to assess, issues an EHCP you disagree with, or names the wrong school.
9 min read
Everything you need to prepare for your child's annual EHCP review — what to bring, what to ask.
5 min read
Need help writing an EHCP letter?
Use our guided AI prompts to draft a needs assessment request, respond to a draft plan, prepare for annual review, or write a challenge letter.
Go to EHCP form promptsEHCP processes, contacts, and timelines differ by local authority. Set your location to find your council's EHCP team contact details and Local Offer.
Last reviewed: 18 June 2026. Legal timings checked: 18 June 2026.
