EHCP checklist and SEND organiser for parents (England)
For parents, carers and young people in England asking for, using or challenging an EHC plan, on A4. Here is a practical way to organise the reports, letters and plans so you can find everything quickly and keep track of every time limit.
Checked against official sources on 3 November 2026.
The quick version
- Keep every report, letter and plan in one binder, split into the sections below.
- Write down every date and time limit the moment you get a letter.
- Follow up every call or meeting with an email, and log it.
- Check each week that the support in the plan is actually happening.
Asking for an assessment
- Write down why you think your child has, or may have, special educational needs
- Gather school reports, medical letters and your own notes
- Talk to the school or college if you can (it's optional)
- Find your home local authority's address, even if the school is in another area
- Say why your child has, or may have, special educational needs
- Say why they may need provision through an EHC plan
- Attach your evidence and list what you've enclosed
- Send it in writing and keep a copy and proof of sending
- Note the date the council received the request
- Note the 6 week date for the council's reply
- Chase in writing if there is no reply in time
- If refused, keep the letter and its appeal and mediation details
- Note the 16 week and 20 week dates, counted from the request
- Ask for a copy of every report gathered
- Comment on the draft plan within the 15 days given
- Tell the council which school or college you prefer
Documents to gather
Gather these before you ask for an assessment, go to a review or appeal. Tick each one off as you find it.
- Full name, date of birth and home address
- Birth certificate or passport copy
- NHS number
- Diagnosis letters and clinic appointment letters
- Your own one-page profile of your child
- GP and hospital letters
- Speech and language therapy reports
- Occupational therapy and physiotherapy reports
- Paediatric and mental health service reports
- Medication and care plan details
- School reports and progress data
- Support plans and records of provision
- Notes from meetings with the teacher or SEN lead
- Attendance and exclusion records
- Behaviour or incident logs
- Educational psychologist report
- Reports you have paid for privately
- Advice gathered for the EHC needs assessment
- Nursery or early years reports
- Your own written account of your child's needs
- Your request letter for an EHC needs assessment
- The council's reply to your request
- Draft EHC plan and your comments
- Final EHC plan and notice of appeal rights
- Annual review invitations and reports
- Council decision letters after reviews
- Phase transfer review papers
- Letters and emails with the council
- Letters and emails with the school or college
- Mediation adviser contact and certificate
- Appeal form and the evidence you sent
- Tribunal letters and directions
- Personal budget or direct payment details
- Records of costs you've paid yourself
- Receipts for equipment or therapy
Dates and deadlines to track
- Request for EHC needs assessment sent
- Decision on assessment due (6 weeks)
- Decision on issuing a plan (16 weeks)
- Draft EHC plan received
- Comments on draft due (15 days)
- Final EHC plan due (20 weeks)
- Annual review meeting (every 12 months)
- Appeal deadline (2 months or 1 month)
Use the exact dates on the letters, forms and notices you receive. Work out your dates with the free EHCP timeline calculator.
How to section your binder
What this binder is for
Case Ready is a document organisation tool for parents and carers. This edition is designed with reference to the SEND Code of Practice and the Children and Families Act 2014, using GOV.UK, IPSEA and Contact guidance for England.
- Keep reports, letters and the plan in one place
- Track every time limit and meeting
- Check the support in the plan is actually happening
What this binder is not
Case Ready:
- Does not provide legal or educational advice
- Does not tell you what to argue or what your child is entitled to
- Does not replace the advice of a specialist adviser
For free, impartial advice, speak to your local SENDIASS (free, confidential and impartial), or a charity such as IPSEA or Contact.
Send reform: what applies now
This organiser follows the rules in force today. The Government has published proposals to change SEND, but GOV.UK describes them as proposals and a consultation, not law.
- The schools white paper, Every child achieving and thriving, was published on 23 February 2026.
- A May 2026 DfE page said the Education for All Bill had not yet been introduced.
- Proposals include Individual Support Plans for every child with SEND, with EHCPs kept for the most complex needs.
- GOV.UK says children with existing EHCPs will see no changes before September 2030 at the earliest.
- GOV.UK says new legislation is expected to come into effect from September 2029.
Until the law changes, the steps and time limits below apply. Check GOV.UK or your SENDIASS for updates, because plans may change after 3 November 2026.
How the process works here
Parents, young people aged 16 to 25, schools and colleges can ask the council for an EHC needs assessment. Write to your home local authority and keep a copy.
- The council must reply within 6 weeks to say whether it will assess.
- If it assesses, it asks for advice. Those asked must reply within 6 weeks, with a few exceptions.
- Within 16 weeks of the request, the council must tell you whether it will issue an EHC plan.
- If it will, you get a draft. You have at least 15 days to comment and say which school you prefer.
- The final plan is due within 20 weeks of the council receiving your request.
- There are a few minor exceptions to these deadlines. IPSEA says resource issues aren't one of them.
- If the council refuses, its letter must tell you about appeal and mediation.
IPSEA says the council must decide using the legal test, not local rules such as a minimum spend. Ask your SENDIASS if you're unsure.
The plan
An EHC plan is for children and young people up to 25. It sets out education, health and social care needs and the support to meet them, in sections A to K.
- A: the views, interests and aspirations of your child and you. B: special educational needs.
- C: health care needs. D: social care needs. Both relate to the special educational needs.
- E: the outcomes sought for your child.
- F: the special educational provision needed to meet those needs.
- G: health care provision. H: social care provision.
- I: the school or college named, or just its type. J: direct payments, if any.
- K: copies of all the advice and information gathered in the assessment.
IPSEA says Section F should be specific and clear enough to leave no room for doubt about what is needed.
Reviews
The plan is reviewed regularly. IPSEA says each annual review is due within 12 months of the last one finishing.
- The council must tell you its decision about the plan within 4 weeks of the review meeting.
- If it amends the plan, it must send the final plan within 8 weeks of its decision letter.
- A move to a new phase, such as primary to secondary, needs a review by 15 February that year.
- For a move from secondary school to a post-16 institution, the date is 31 March.
- You get at least 15 days to comment on proposed amendments and to ask for a named school.
IPSEA says you can ask for the plan to be changed at the next annual review.
If you disagree
You can challenge a refusal to assess, a refusal to issue a plan, the support in the plan or the school named. Appeals go to the SEND Tribunal, part of the First-tier Tribunal.
- In most cases you must contact a mediation adviser before you appeal. You don't have to take part in mediation.
- Contact the adviser within 2 months of the decision letter or the letter enclosing the final plan.
- If you don't want mediation, the adviser must send your certificate within 3 working days.
- Appeal within 2 months of the decision, or 1 month from the mediation certificate, whichever is later.
- An appeal only about the school named in Section I doesn't need a certificate.
- Use form SEND35A if the council refused to assess. Use SEND35 for other decisions.
- Send the decision letter, your certificate and evidence. Send copies, not originals.
IPSEA says a deadline ending in August runs to the first working day in September. You can also ask the Tribunal to accept a late appeal and explain why.
Terms used in this organiser
- EHC needs assessment: the council's check of whether your child needs an EHC plan.
- EHC plan: the document setting out needs, outcomes and support, for ages up to 25.
- Local authority: your council, which decides on assessments and plans.
- SENDIASS: the local information, advice and support service.
- Mediation certificate: proof you contacted a mediation adviser, needed for most appeals.
- Phase transfer: a move to a new stage, such as primary to secondary.
- Personal budget: money for support, as direct payments or held by the council or school.
Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland use different systems and have their own editions.
Who this is for and where to get help
Parents, carers and young people in England dealing with a council or school about special educational needs. It's general information, not legal advice.
- Your local SENDIASS gives free, confidential, impartial help for ages 0 to 25 and their parents.
- IPSEA publishes guides and template letters, including one to request an EHC needs assessment.
- Contact has guides for families, including how to respond to a draft EHC plan.
- GOV.UK also points to the Council for Disabled Children, the IASS Network and your Local Offer.
- Take it one step at a time. Keep copies and note every date.
If you feel overwhelmed, ask your SENDIASS to talk through the next step with you.
Before the review or appeal
- Latest EHC plan and last review report to hand
- Reports and evidence gathered in one place
- What is working and what isn't, written down
- Your child's own views noted, in their words
- Changes you want, linked to a report or evidence
- Questions for the meeting written down
- Decision letter date and appeal deadline noted
- SENDIASS or IPSEA contacted if you want help
- Correspondence Log up to date
Save time with Case Ready
Case Ready is a printable, fillable organiser for England: one-page profile, provision tracker, review preparation pages, reports index and a tracker workbook for Excel and Google Sheets, with your child’s details on every page. Type into it on screen or print it at home.
This binder is a general organisational aid. Rules, time limits and terms vary by country and area, and can change. Always follow the letters and decisions you receive and check current guidance. Nothing in this binder is legal advice.