Moving On plans and EHC plans for young people moving into further education
An Education Health Care (EHC) plan is a legal document:
- for those aged 0 to 25 years old
- with exceptional special educational needs
- that also looks at care and health support
A Moving On plan is a good practice tool that:
- does not require sign-off from a Local Authority
- only covers education
Both plans will include:
- information about you
- how you learn
- support you might need
- help you to get support with your learning until you are 19 years old
This means that you won’t have to tell the college or sixth form everything about yourself when you get there. They can put the support you need in place from the very beginning.
A college will assess what support you need and this will be funded in the same way whether you have a Moving On plan or an EHC plan.
How to know if you need a Moving On plan or an EHC plan
If you had support at school of 20 hours or under a week, you should not need an EHC plan. This is because colleges have smaller class sizes and have funding for those who need under £6,000 worth of support.
You are more likely to be on vocational courses at college. This will be more suited to your skills and so will not need the same level of support that you had in school.
Most students who had 20 hours or under of support at school achieve and progress in college without any further support.
If you need more time to complete your education after the age of 19 years old, you may be funded through the Skills Funding Agency or you may decide to request an EHC plan.
How to get a Moving on plan or EHC plan
Before you leave school, if needed either a Moving On plan or an EHC Plan will be written for you.
In Year 11, the school will hold the Annual Review in the Autumn term. Before this meeting you will have been supported to put together some information called, All About Me. This will probably be done with the staff that know you best at school but you could also work with someone at the local authority or a Connexions Adviser.
At the Annual Review, there should be staff from the school, someone from your Local Authority. There could be other professionals that provide support for you.
At this meeting, there will be a discussion about support through a Moving On plan or an EHC plan. Think about questions you have about your education, health, and care beforehand and write them down for the meeting. Don’t be afraid to ask questions about your future at the meeting.
When your plan has been agreed, it will be written up by your Local Authority. You will have a chance to look at it before it has been finalised.
Getting involved
You and your family should get involved so we can get the best picture of:
- who you are
- what you like
- how best you can be supported
You and your family will be involved in writing the 'All About Me' section and providing information about yourself including any assessments that you have already had.
There will be people at your school who can help you find a course at either college or sixth form. Make sure you know who these people are and go and speak to them.
Visit Sixth Forms and colleges that you might want to go to. This will give you an idea of where will suit you best and which colleges run the courses you are interested in.
Support and information
You can talk to your school or the Planning and Placement Officer at any point during the process. If there are any concerns, please raise them as soon as possible.
Disagreements that cannot be resolved
Your Planning and Placement Officer will try to resolve any disagreement about your plan or about the educational provision that you go on to next.
Get more information if you have disagreements that cannot be resolved.
If you are not getting the support you need
If you start college with a Moving On plan or an EHC plan you feel that you are not getting the support you need.
You can discuss this with the college and see if any changes can be made to your support.
Every school and college will have a senior manager who is responsible for learning support. In school, they will be called the SENDCO but they may have a different name in the college.
If you have a Moving On plan you can still request an assessment for an EHC plan.
Check with the college or your local authority first to find out whether this would make any difference to the support you receive.
If you go to college, they may suggest that you need an EHC plan and make the request on your behalf.