What is an Education, Health and Care Plan?
An education, health and care plan (EHCP) is for children and young people aged 0-25 years.
People with an EHCP need more help that others and this gives them the support they need for their individual Special Education Needs(SEN).
EHCPs looks at difficulties or barriers for the person related to education, health and social needs and outlines what support they need to meet the needs identified.
How do they help?
Education, Health and Care Plans help by identifying the individual needs of the students through detailed assessments and feedback. Each one is unique to the person it was created for. The plan details what support is needed and the overall aims for that person.
How do we support students with an EHCP?
All the students at Sandside Lodge School have an Education Health and Care Plan and Severe Learning Difficulties (SLD). We support each student through a personalised approach to their learning and the planning reflects the EHCP outcomes as detailed in the plan. We ensure students make progress towards these and share this with the students and their families.
Areas of need:
What are the four areas of need?
Students in all settings will face different challenges and need support in a variety of areas across their education. The EHCP address four areas of need:
- Cognition and learning
- Communication and interaction
- Social, emotional and mental health difficulties
- Sensory and/or physical needs
Annual Reviews
At least once a year we hold meetings with families and professionals to discuss progress towards the EHCP outcomes. Where possible, the student is a key part of this. During the reviews, students are invited and welcomed to their own reviews. We encourage students to have a voice and enjoy celebrating their progress within our annual reviews.
Any parent/carer can request an Annual Review at any time. Please contact the SENCOs at school to arrange this.
Working with families and professionals
The outcomes in the EHCP reflect the parent/carers and young persons aspirations and support required. As these change the plan can be amended to reflect the different needs. Sandside lodge has an EHCP coordinator from the local authority who works with school, students and families to ensure the plan is as supportive as possible.
Reporting on Outcomes
Each term the parents/carers receive a detailed report on how their child had made progress towards the EHCP outcomes, what we have done in school to support this and the impact of this on the student. Parents are encouraged to provide feedback to the school after these reports.
The feedback is overwhelmingly positive, here are a few:
“We were delighted with …’s report – it’s lovely to read how much he’s come on, especially in his communication and general learning behaviours. Very positive! Thanks to the team for their hard work and commitment.”
“… has made unprecedented progress and we hope he maintains and continues to progress.”
“We are very proud of … and all of the new things that he is trying and learning. Thank you all for helping him achieve his best this term.”
“Absolutely wonderful progress made this year, we are particularly pleased with improvements in …’s communication.”
SENCOs
We have two SENCOs (Special Educational Needs Co-ordinators) at Sandside Lodge School.
Upper School: Rebecca Noble Lower School: Gemma Thompson