How you should apply for a school place for your child with SEN varies depending on whether or not they have an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan or are currently going through an Education, Health and Care Needs Assessment (EHCNA) process.
Applying for a school place if your child has SEN but does not have an EHC plan
You must apply for a mainstream school place by visiting one of the following pages:
Applying for a school place if your child has SEN and is currently undergoing an EHCNA but has not yet had an EHC plan issued
Until your child’s EHCNA is complete, you must apply through the mainstream admissions process as outlined above.
If the outcome of the assessment is that an EHC plan is issued, your child’s school placement will then be overseen by the Family Services Team and the new school named in their EHC plan when it is finalised.
Applying for a school place if your child has an EHC plan
If your child has an EHC plan, then this will need to be amended to specify the name of their new school.
In order for the Local Authority to consider your preferences and understand what sort of provision might be most suitable to meet your child’s needs, a ‘Phase Transfer Review’ of their EHC plan must occur in the first half term of the year before they transfer (Nursery, Year 6 and Year 11), to allow plenty of time for everyone to plan what support your child will need when they transfer.
The SEN Co-ordinator (SENCo) at your child’s current school should invite to you a review meeting. You will have the opportunity to say, at that review meeting, what school you would like your child to transfer to.
After the review meeting, your child’s current school will send the review paperwork to the Family Services Team, who will then send you the proposed amendments to your child’s EHC plan for your consideration. The Family Services Team will then consider any representations you make, and they might need to consult with different potential schools and other placements.
When all required consultations are complete, the Family Services Team will then finalise and issue the new amended EHC plan.
Please contact your Family Services Team who will be able to advise and support if you have any questions about this process.
Further sources of information and support can also be found at:
