Evidence review
Review of relevant background information, school context, reports and case materials already available.
Apply for an EHCP
EHCP needs assessment requests and reassessments
This service may be right if...
- You are considering an EHCP needs assessment request for the first time
- The current level of support is no longer enough
- The evidence needs organising or presenting more clearly
- A previous request has not moved forward and needs re-thinking
- You need a calmer, more strategic route through the next stage
Applying for an EHCP formally begins by asking your local authority to carry out an Education, Health and Care needs assessment, often shortened to an EHC needs assessment or EHCNA.
Navigate SEND helps families, young people and professionals organise the evidence, explain the educational impact of the child or young person’s needs and prepare a clear, structured request.
We can support:
- a first application for an EHCP;
- a parent-led request where the school has not applied;
- a request that has previously been refused or has not progressed;
- an existing EHCP that may require a statutory reassessment;
- complex cases where needs, provision, attendance or placement are difficult to explain clearly.
The aim is not simply to produce a longer application. It is to make the evidence easier to understand and connect it directly to the decision the local authority must make.
How do I apply for an EHCP?
To apply for an EHCP, a parent, young person or education setting asks the child or young person’s local authority to carry out an EHC needs assessment.
The request should explain:
- why the child or young person has, or may have, special educational needs;
- how those needs affect access to education, learning, participation or progress;
- what support has already been provided;
- what difficulties remain despite that support; and
- why it may be necessary for special educational provision to be made through an EHC plan.
The local authority does not decide at this first stage whether the final EHCP should definitely be issued. It decides whether the evidence meets the threshold for carrying out the assessment.
Parents can make the request directly. A young person aged 16 to 25 can also request an assessment for themselves. A school or post-16 setting may make a request, while other professionals can bring the child or young person to the local authority’s attention and contribute supporting evidence.
The five practical steps
1. Identify the correct local authority
The request should normally be sent to the SEND or statutory assessment team for the local authority responsible for the child or young person.
Local authorities may provide an online portal or their own request form. Check the local process, but focus on ensuring that the information addresses the statutory decision rather than treating the form as a simple administrative exercise.
2. Make the request clearly
State expressly that you are requesting an Education, Health and Care needs assessment.
Include:
- the child or young person’s full name;
- date of birth;
- home address;
- current nursery, school, college or educational arrangement;
- your relationship to the child or young person;
- the principal reasons for making the request.
3. Address the legal test
Explain why the child or young person:
- has or may have special educational needs; and
- may need special educational provision to be made through an EHC plan.
4. Attach the most relevant evidence
Provide the documents that best demonstrate the needs, educational impact, support already attempted and remaining gaps.
A focused evidence pack is usually more useful than a large collection of records with no explanation of why each document matters.
5. Keep proof of submission
Keep:
- a copy of the completed request;
- the evidence submitted;
- the email, portal receipt or proof of delivery;
- the date on which the local authority received it.
The receipt date is important because it starts the statutory timetable.
Important Questions and Answers
What is the legal test for an EHC needs assessment?
The local authority must secure an EHC needs assessment where, after considering the views and evidence submitted, it is of the opinion that:
the child or young person has or may have special educational needs; and
it may be necessary for special educational provision to be made through an EHC plan.
This is deliberately a test about what may be the case.
At this stage, you are not required to prove the final wording of an EHCP or establish beyond doubt that a plan must be issued. The request should show why a full statutory assessment may be necessary to understand the child or young person’s needs and determine the provision required.
What this means in practice
A strong request should help the local authority understand:
- what the child or young person can do;
- where they experience difficulty;
- how those difficulties affect education;
- what provision is currently available;
- what additional support has been attempted;
- how they responded to that support;
- what remains unmet;
- why ordinary SEN support may not be sufficient to identify or provide what is required.
Local forms, panel criteria and evidence checklists may help organise the information, but the central question remains the statutory two-part test.
Do I need the school to agree before applying for an EHCP?
No.
It is often helpful to work with the school, nursery or college because the setting may hold important evidence about:
- attainment and progress;
- attendance;
- participation;
- SEN support;
- interventions;
- behaviour or emotional regulation;
- communication;
- independence;
- support that has or has not worked.
However, a parent can make a direct request even where the school does not agree that an assessment is required. Young people aged 16 to 25 may also make a request themselves.
Where the setting does not support the application, it becomes particularly important to explain clearly:
- what concerns have been raised;
- what the child or young person experiences day to day;
- what support has been requested;
- what evidence is available;
- why further statutory assessment may still be necessary.
Is a diagnosis required before applying for an EHCP?
A confirmed diagnosis is not part of the statutory test for deciding whether to carry out an EHC needs assessment.
The test asks whether the child or young person has or may have special educational needs and whether provision through an EHC plan may be necessary.
Diagnostic or medical evidence can be useful where it helps explain functioning or educational impact, but the application should not rely on a diagnostic label alone.
The more important questions are:
- How does the child or young person function in education?
- What barriers do they experience?
- What support do they require?
- What has already been tried?
- What remains unclear or unmet?
- Why may a coordinated statutory assessment be necessary?
The statutory wording therefore allows assessment to be considered where needs are suspected but not yet fully identified.
Does a school have to spend £6,000 before an EHCP can be requested?
No.
There is no statutory rule requiring a school to spend a particular amount—often described as £6,000—before an EHC needs assessment request can be made.
Evidence of the support already provided is relevant and can help demonstrate why further assessment may be necessary. However, the decision must remain needs-led and based on the statutory test, rather than on whether a particular spending threshold has first been reached.
Similarly, there is no universal legal rule requiring a fixed number of assess–plan–do–review cycles before a parent or young person can make a request. Evidence from those cycles can be valuable, but a request may still be appropriate where needs are complex, provision is breaking down or the setting cannot identify or provide what is required.
What evidence should be included in an EHCP application?
The strongest evidence depends on the individual case.
Useful material may include:
The child or young person’s views
Information about:
- what they enjoy;
- what they find difficult;
- how school or college feels;
- what support helps;
- their aspirations;
- what they would like to change.
Parent or carer evidence
A concise description of:
- strengths;
- developmental history;
- current needs;
- educational concerns;
- changes over time;
- the effect on home and family life where relevant;
- what appears to help or make matters worse.
Evidence from the education setting
This may include:
- SEN support plans;
- assess–plan–do–review records;
- provision maps;
- attainment and progress information;
- attendance records;
- reduced timetable information;
- behaviour or incident records;
- intervention records;
- teacher or SENCO observations;
- evidence of support provided and its effect;
- the setting’s view of what it can and cannot provide.
Professional reports
Relevant reports may come from:
- educational professionals;
- psychologists;
- speech and language therapists;
- occupational therapists;
- physiotherapists;
- paediatricians;
- mental-health professionals;
- social care;
- specialist teachers;
- other professionals involved with the child or young person.
A clear chronology
A short chronology can help show:
- when concerns emerged;
- how needs have changed;
- what support was introduced;
- what happened next;
- periods of absence or placement difficulty;
- previous requests or local authority decisions;
- important upcoming transitions or deadlines.
Evidence of educational impact
Educational impact is broader than academic attainment.
It may include the effect of needs on:
- communication;
- understanding;
- participation;
- attendance;
- emotional regulation;
- sensory access;
- physical access;
- fatigue;
- relationships;
- executive functioning;
- independence;
- personal care;
- preparation for adulthood;
- the ability to sustain a school or college placement.
How Navigate SEND can help with an EHCP application
Initial suitability and pathway review
We first establish:
- whether an initial EHC needs assessment request is likely to be the right route;
- whether an EHCP already exists;
- whether the issue may instead require an annual review, amendment, reassessment or provision-delivery response;
- whether there is an important local authority, mediation or tribunal deadline.
Evidence review
We review the relevant information already available and identify:
- the strongest evidence;
- gaps or inconsistencies;
- information that requires clarification;
- evidence that may be missing;
- material that is unlikely to assist the request.
Strategic case formulation
We organise the case around:
- the child or young person’s strengths and needs;
- educational impact;
- support already tried;
- the response to that support;
- unresolved barriers;
- the reason a statutory assessment may be necessary.
Drafting the request
Where included in the agreed scope, Navigate SEND prepares or supports the preparation of a structured EHC needs assessment request.
The document can bring together:
- the basis of the request;
- the relevant background;
- current strengths and needs;
- educational impact;
- provision already attempted;
- remaining gaps;
- relevant professional evidence;
- the rationale for assessment;
- a clear list of supporting documents.
Evidence mapping and gap analysis
We identify what each report contributes and whether further evidence may be useful.
This does not mean commissioning every possible assessment. Further work should be linked to a genuine unanswered question.
Early local authority correspondence
Where agreed, the service may include support with early correspondence following submission or in response to a request for further information.
Next-step planning
At the conclusion of the work, we clarify what happens next, including:
- the expected decision date;
- what information to retain;
- what to do if assessment is agreed;
- what to check if assessment is refused;
- when another Navigate SEND service may become relevant.
This develops the same core service already offered on the existing page—evidence review, strategic framing, drafting support, gap spotting and follow-through planning—but makes the process and deliverables clearer.
What will I receive?
The precise output depends on the agreed scope, but may include:
- a structured EHC needs assessment request;
- a review of the existing evidence;
- an evidence index or evidence map;
- a concise case chronology;
- identification of missing or unclear evidence;
- recommendations about further information;
- an organised set of supporting documents;
- early correspondence support;
- clear next-step guidance.
The scope, timescale and fee are confirmed before substantive work begins.
Other types of support
Strategic framing
Clarifying the core case picture, what matters most, and how the request or reassessment should be positioned.
Drafting support
Support with drafting or structuring the request, associated covering content and next-step materials where agreed.
Gap spotting
Identifying where the current evidence is strong, where it is weak, and where further material may be useful.
Process clarity
Helping families and professionals understand the pathway, likely sequencing and practical next steps.
Follow-through planning
Clarifying what to do next once the request or reassessment work has been completed.
Navigate SEND guided tool
Check an EHC needs assessment request
Use this simple checker to see whether the family can address both parts of the legal test, what information and evidence they already have, and what may still need to be gathered.
No personal details are needed.
This checker does not ask for names, dates of birth, addresses or local-authority details. Answers stay in this browser tab and are not intentionally submitted to the Local Authority or Navigate SEND. Copy or download the summary before refreshing or closing the page.
Legal content checked: 24 August 2026
Step 1 of 6
17%
- Route
- Needs
- Support
- Why a plan
- Evidence
- Review
Step 1
Check that an EHC needs assessment request is the right route
These questions identify whether the family should prepare a new request, add information to an existing request, use an appeal route or seek urgent help alongside the EHC process.
This checker is not monitored and is not an emergency service.
Use emergency or safeguarding services where needed. A request for an EHC needs assessment does not replace urgent action about safety, suitable education, health or care.
Current route indication
No route selected yet
Complete the questions above to identify the likely next step.
Step 2
Check the first legal limb: has or may have SEN
The family should be able to connect a difficulty or disability to an educational effect and to provision that is additional to or different from ordinary provision. A diagnosis is not required.
1
The child or young person has or may have special educational needs.
The request should explain the need, the educational impact and the provision or assessment it calls for.
Diagnosis is not the legal test.
A request can rely on observed or suspected needs. Where health or care issues are relevant, explain how they affect learning, access, attendance, participation or the special educational provision required.
Step 3
Check what support has been tried and what happened
The family should show what support is or was available, whether it was delivered, the child or young person’s response, and what difficulty remains. There is no fixed number of support cycles that must be completed first.
No artificial threshold should be imposed.
A diagnosis, school agreement, a fixed number of SEN Support cycles, an educational psychologist’s report or proof that a particular sum has been spent are not automatic prerequisites to asking for an assessment.
Step 4
Check the second legal limb: an EHC plan may be necessary
The request should explain why the required provision may need to be identified, coordinated, specified or secured through an EHC plan rather than left solely to ordinary SEN Support.
2
It may be necessary for special educational provision to be made in accordance with an EHC plan.
The request does not have to prove at this stage that a plan definitely is necessary.
The legal wording is “may be necessary”.
Missing or incomplete specialist evidence can itself help explain why a coordinated statutory assessment is required. Do not treat every outstanding report as a reason to delay a request that already addresses both legal limbs.
Step 5
Check the available information and evidence
Mark whether each useful item is held, can be obtained, is unavailable or is not relevant. The list adapts to the needs, impacts and reasons selected earlier.
The evidence checklist will appear here.
A family statement is evidence.
The family does not have to wait for every professional report. The review separates missing legal-test information from documents that would be helpful but are not necessarily required before making the request.
Step 6
Review what is ready and what is missing
The traffic lights assess completion of the legal questions and evidence checklist. They do not predict the local authority’s decision or guarantee that an EHC plan will be issued.
Route review
No route selected yet
Complete Step 1 to identify the likely next step.
Recommended next action
Complete the checker to obtain a recommendation
Not assessed
Readiness is not the same as legal success.
The checker can identify whether both limbs have been addressed and whether useful evidence is available. It cannot assess credibility, evidential weight or how the authority will decide the case.
Route and urgent-action flags
Priority information or evidence to add
Readiness summary and checklist
This contains no personal details. Copy it into the family’s working notes and use it to plan the actual request.
Your readiness summary will appear here.
When the family prepares the actual request
- Add the child or young person’s identifying details and the requester’s contact details in the separate request document.
- Send it to the responsible local authority using its current email, portal or postal address.
- State clearly that it is a request for an EHC needs assessment under section 36(1) of the Children and Families Act 2014.
- Address both legal limbs in the family’s own facts and attach the evidence being relied on.
- Keep a full copy and proof of delivery, then record the ordinary six-week decision date.
Common questions
What is an EHCP needs assessment request?
An EHCP needs assessment request is a request asking the local authority to carry out an Education, Health and Care needs assessment where a child or young person may need special educational provision through an EHCP.
Can you help if an EHCP assessment has already been refused?
Yes. Navigate SEND can support reassessment or re-framing work where a previous request has not moved forward and the evidence or strategy needs strengthening.
What information is useful at the start?
Background information, school history, current concerns, relevant reports and any previous correspondence or decisions are usually the most useful starting materials.
Do you support families as well as professionals?
Yes. Families are the primary audience, and case managers and other professionals can also use this service where the case and referral route are appropriate.
What is an EHCP?
An Education, Health and Care plan is a statutory plan for a child or young person who requires special educational provision to be made through an EHC plan.
It identifies relevant needs, outcomes and provision, together with the educational placement and other information required by the statutory framework.
Is an EHCP the same as an EHC needs assessment?
No.
The EHC needs assessment is the assessment process. The EHCP is the statutory plan that may be issued after that assessment.
An assessment does not automatically result in an EHCP.
Can a parent apply for an EHCP directly?
Yes.
A parent can request an EHC needs assessment directly from the local authority. The school does not have to make the application on the parent’s behalf.
Can a school refuse to let me apply?
No.
A school can express its view, but it cannot remove a parent’s right to make a direct request to the local authority.
Can a young person apply for their own EHCP?
Yes.
A young person aged 16 to 25 can request an EHC needs assessment themselves.
The relevance of education or training becomes particularly important for older young people.
Does my child need a diagnosis?
No confirmed diagnosis is required by the statutory assessment test.
Diagnostic evidence may be helpful, but the key questions concern possible special educational needs, educational impact and whether provision through an EHC plan may be necessary.
Does my child have to be behind academically?
Not necessarily.
Special educational needs can affect communication, attendance, participation, regulation, sensory or physical access, independence and the ability to engage with education, as well as academic attainment
Does the school need to spend £6,000 first?
No.
There is no statutory £6,000 spending requirement that must be met before an EHC needs assessment can be requested.
How long does the local authority have to respond?
The local authority normally has six weeks from receiving an initial request to decide whether it will carry out the EHC needs assessment.
Can the local authority refuse?
Yes.
A local authority can decide not to assess or, following an assessment, decide not to issue an EHCP. Those decisions carry rights of appeal.
Can I apply again after a refusal?
A previous refusal does not permanently prevent a further request.
The appropriate next step may be an appeal, a new request with additional evidence or another form of professional support. The decision letter and relevant deadlines should be reviewed before choosing the route.
What is an EHCP reassessment?
A reassessment is a fresh statutory assessment for a child or young person who already has an EHC plan.
It may be required where needs have changed significantly or the existing evidence is no longer sufficient to identify the provision required.
Is reassessment the same as an annual review?
No.
An annual review examines whether the existing plan remains appropriate. A reassessment gathers new education, health and care assessment advice.
An annual review can sometimes identify that a reassessment should be requested.
Can Navigate SEND guarantee that the local authority will assess or issue a plan?
No.
The decision belongs to the local authority and may ultimately be challenged through the statutory appeal process. Navigate SEND’s role is to improve the clarity, structure and evidential basis of the request.
Does Navigate SEND provide legal advice?
No.
Navigate SEND provides psychological, educational, SEND and case-analysis support. We do not provide legal representation or determine the outcome of an appeal.
Need support with an EHCP needs assessment request or reassessment?
If you want a clearer, more structured route into this stage of the SEND process, get in touch and we can help identify the strongest next step.
You can also use our checklists, to see if you have everything you need.
We look forward to hearing from you.