The Scribble Log is excited to introduce our latest Guest Scribbler, Jeannette Bidder. Jeanette is a Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Consultant. She has years of experience helping families apply for EHC plans in the school system and is now working privately as a consultant to help even more families through the difficult process! Today she’s here to tell us a little more about EHC Plans! 

 

As a former headteacher of three schools – including Special School – I am lucky to have worked with hundreds of inspiring children and families, where different learning needs often co-exist. Brilliant imaginations and original thinkers are sometimes trapped by difficulties in specific learning difficulties – like Dyslexia – and conditions such as Autism, ADHD and Sensory Processing Disorder. More complex and combined needs can be recognised and protected by an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP, for short!) to facilitate progress and long- term growth, up to age 25 years. An EHCP often provides expertise such as integrated therapy: concrete evidence of extraordinary need is key.

That said, EHCP applications can be rather like a New Year’s Resolution – a good idea at the time, but increasingly hard to follow through, as the year unfolds! My role is to support families over the hurdles and demanding requirements of this evidence-based process where only 2.8% will secure an EHCP. External experts, such as The Children’s Place, provide vital insight into pupil. Extensive evidence about ‘the whole child’ – such as your child’s potential as shown by an educational psychologist – must demonstrate that a child is underachieving, as his or her challenges are significantly greater than peers in class. Barriers to learning (learning differences) need to be explicit.

According to the Department for Education in January 2017, the percentage of pupils in England with special educational needs is 14 .4%. The percentage of pupils with an EHCP is around 2.8% and that means 242,185 children and young people. Of course, there are thousands of children who receive brilliant in-class support and make progress. However, some children require highly tailored provision such as integrated therapy or specialist teaching on a daily basis.  This support is most effective when carried out in a daily, consistent manner that develops and secures skills – for embedding and embracing future life chances. Collaboration with school is essential in an EHCP application.

An application for an Education, Health and Care Plan is expected to take 20 weeks, from its receipt by a local authority to being issued. Delays due to demand, are common! In asking for an EHCP, families are explaining that their son’s or daughter’s needs are above and beyond the norm in comparison with children of the same age, so that he or she will not achieve their potential without a unique EHCP plan. The local authority has six weeks to decide whether or not your application will be pursued, and therefore if a local authority assessment will proceed. This little illustration shows the time frame:     

My belief is that our children are precious and unique. Each deserves the very best chance to progress and achieve their potential – ultimately for their personal wellbeing, and then to go out and make a difference in this fast changing 21st century world! My joy and my role is to support and best enable this journey.

Website:www.jeannettebidder.co.uk and SEND Hub: www.facebook.com/sendandsafeguarding/