John’s story – EHC Assessment & Plan

John was a bright 10 year old autistic boy who struggled to settle at school. He suffered anxiety in all aspects of his school life. His parents were constantly being contacted by the Head Teacher complaining about poor behaviour.

They were also experiencing melt-downs at home which were increasing in frequency. They felt John’s Special Educational Needs were not being met in school. They believed that his needs would be better met in a specialist school by staff who were trained to understand and manage Autistic Spectrum Disorder.

When they contacted Turner’s Solicitors, Emma Turner pressed the need for Education Health and Care (EHC) Needs Assessment. This led to an EHC Plan being drafted to answer John’s specific needs.

At first the local authority refused to recognise that there was a need for an EHCP but Turner’s lodged an appeal, using key elements on the Code of Practice, together with case law. The authority were forced to reconsider and agreed to issue an EHCP.
After accepting that an EHCP was needed, the challenge was to get the local authority to accept that a special school would better suit John’s needs. This was a major sticking point. Turner’s arranged for all the necessary evidence, including speech and language therapy reports and occupational therapy assessments.