Transfer between places of education for pupils with an Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP)
Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) must be reviewed before a child or young person moves between key phases of education.
This needs to be complete in time for:
- any amendments to the EHCP to be agreed and;
- planning for and, where necessary, commissioning of support and provision
For children transferring into or between schools the review must be completed by 15 February in the calendar year of the transfer.
Key transfer points include movement between:
- early years and primary school
- infant and junior school
- primary school and secondary school
- secondary school and post 16 provision, work, college or university
- Elective Home Education and school
It is just as important to ensure a smooth transition from class to class as it is from key stage to key stage and setting to school.
The review deadline for young people moving from secondary school to a post-16 institution or apprenticeship, is 31 March in the calendar year of transfer.
In preparation for the transfer an annual review meeting will be held in the autumn term. This review gathers all relevant information about the pupil's current needs and the provision they require.
An amended draft EHCP will then be issued. Parents/carers and the child or young person will be given the opportunity to respond to this and contribute their views. They are also asked to confirm their preferred educational setting to be named in the Plan.
The SEND Team will consult with the preferred setting before a final amended EHCP is issued.
Once the new setting is confirmed transition planning should begin.
Examples of questions that may be asked by families before, during and after transition times, to the teacher, support staff or SENCo, include:
- will there be a transition plan and how will we, as a family, be involved in this?
- how are my views and that of my child gathered, used and recorded?
- what additional opportunities will my child have to support a smooth transition?
- what documentation is kept and how is this managed?
- how will the effectiveness of the transition plan and additional support be reviewed?
- what do we expect the impact to be?
- what strategies will be used?
- how can we support at home?
- what support services will be involved and how?
- what are the timescales on documentation being passed to the new setting?
- how will the support be reviewed so that we know it is making a difference?
- who do we need to speak to if there is a question or difficulty?