An EHC NA can be requested by:
- You
- Your school
- Your parent or carer
It can be requested if it's felt that your school needs more money to give you all the help you need. The assessment will decide if you need an EHC Plan.
The assessment is a 20-week process. You may need to be observed in the classroom and visited at home. You might also be asked to complete tasks or activities at an appointment.
Requesting an assessment - weeks 1 to 6
Once your assessment request is received and logged by the council, the process starts. This is known as Day 1.
The council has up to 6 weeks from Day 1 to decide whether they are going to start an assessment or not.
'All about me' form
The council will send you an 'All about me' form. This is an opportunity for you to explain your strengths, difficulties and future goals - also known as aspirations.
Assessment decision
No later than 6 weeks from Day 1, the council must inform you of their decision. They'll either agree or refuse to start an assessment.
If an assessment is agreed to - weeks 7 to 16
If the council agrees to start an assessment, it can take around 6 weeks to complete.
This timeframe allows for different professionals to assess your strengths, needs, and the help you need.
Report decision
At the end of the assessment, the council has to make a decision whether to write a draft EHC Plan or not. This happens around week 14.
Co-production meeting
If they do decide to write an EHC Plan, they'll invite you to a co-production meeting. In this meeting you'll look through the plan and be asked for your views on it.
Receiving the report
Once the council have your views, they'll send a copy of the plan to your school to see if they can give you all the help outlined in the plan.
Finalising your plan - weeks 17 to 20
During this period, the council will finalise your EHC plan.
Once it's ready, they'll send it to you. This will be no later than week 20 of the process.
Assessment diagram
Click the timeline image to view a large version. It includes each step of the EHC NA process and timescales.
More information
Get in touch with us if you have any questions about this process by calling 07917504390 or 020 8871 8065.