Parents and carers

An Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan is the legal document which replaces the Statements of SEN and Learning Difficulties Assessments for children and young people with special educational needs.

An EHC plan describes a child or young person's special educational, health and social care needs. It explains the extra help that will be given to meet those needs and how that help will support the young person to achieve what they want to in their life. The plan is drawn up by the local authority after an EHC needs assessment.

An EHC plan can be issued to a young person between the ages of 0 and 25 years.

You can ask your local authority to carry out an assessment if you think your child needs an EHC plan. A young person can also request an assessment themselves if they’re aged 16 to 25.

A request can be made by anyone else who thinks an assessment may be necessary, including doctors, health visitors, teachers, parents and family friends.

If the local authority decides to carry out an assessment you may be asked for:

• Any reports from your child’s school, nursery or childminder
• Doctors’ assessments of your child
• A letter from you about your child’s needs

The local authority will tell you within 16 weeks whether an EHC plan is going to be made for your child.

With the introduction of the EHC plan, parents now have more rights when deciding which school their child attends. As a parent you have the right to say which special school or college you want your child to go to and the local authority can agree with your preference as long as the service you choose is suitable for your child's age, ability, skills and EHC plan. Other points local authorities consider are that your child's presence will not damage the education and care of other children already at the school, college and residential accommodation, and placing your child in the service will be an efficient use of the local authority's resources.

The process for a referral from a local authority will differ slightly between each of our Priory schools, colleges and children’s homes.

In general, the process will start with the parents and/or local authority going to view the service. This meeting will give you the opportunity to discuss your child's needs and to see if you can imagine your child in that particular education and possibly care environment. The next stage would involve someone from the Senior Management Team observing your child in their present setting and liaising with the school or college regarding their educational and care needs. Where the child isn't attending school or college, the team would observe the child at your home.

The final stage of the process would be to invite the child to spend some time at our school or college. This may be for a day, overnight or two to three days, depending on the service and also what the individual child can manage. The assessment process is required to ensure that our school or college can meet all of the child's needs. If the process shows that we can meet the needs of the individual, a place at the school or college is offered.

Please note that some of our Priory children’s homes will assess the child in their current situation, and others will offer a place based on the paperwork provided.

Our schools, colleges and children’s homes will not charge for the initial assessment. Visits and day assessments are also free of charge, however longer assessments may be subject to a cost. 

You can contact the school, college or children’s home that you are interested in and ask to speak to the referrals manager, the principal or registered home manager. They will ask you some questions regarding your child and their needs, and then arrange a suitable time for you to come and visit the service. It is often better on the first visit to go without your child, so you are able to communicate openly about their needs, look at the facilities and ask any questions that you may have. If you would like your child to view the education and care services before the referral process starts, another visit can always be arranged.

Yes you can pay the fees, however local authorities, social services, education departments and health departments will usually refer the young person and pay the education and care fees.

If you are currently residing in an area, however plan to move to another area with a different local authority, we suggest you contact the new local authority and inform them of your situation. It is unlikely that the local authority with authorise funding until you can prove you are living in the area you are apply to.

The level of therapy available in each of our schools, colleges and children’s homes varies, so parents, carers and local authorities are advised to enquire directly with the service about the therapies available when a placement is being considered. The range of therapies available includes:

• Speech and language therapy
• Art and music therapy
• Counselling
• Psychotherapy
• Occupational therapy
• Reflexology

The young person will be assessed before decisions are made to give them access to particular therapies. A strong emphasis is placed on the 'Every Child Matters' agenda. The therapy sessions  offered assist students to settle into a school or college, enjoy and achieve, feel safe, be able to make a positive contribution to their environment, plan and prepare for the next stage in their lives. 

All young people are given considerable support to enable them to be as independent as possible, and many go on to lead positive and fulfilling lives. The level of this support will depend on the nature of individual needs. Each school or college, as well as children’s homes, follow different types of programmes that are aimed at increasing students' independence. For many of our schools and colleges, this involves students following ASDAN courses. These are nationally recognised courses with a strong practical focus. They develop students' skills to enable them to be more able to cope with the challenges that life throws up for them.

Our education and care services will have specific programmes that enable the young people to develop their personal skills. For example, there will be structured programmes to enable them to become fully independent in dealing with their personal needs such as their basic hygiene. In addition, being able to travel independently is recognised as a very important aspect of a young person’s development. Independent travel programmes involve the individual being taken to a local village or town and given periods of time on their own, monitored very closely by staff. These are then extended until the young person’s able to reach a stage when they can leave the site and travel independently to an agreed destination, returning at an agreed time. This activity is monitored very closely by staff. The young people are also encouraged to develop independent learning skills. These are aimed at enabling them to continue into further training when they move on from school or college.

Yes, all of our schools and colleges are designed to ensure that students who have experienced difficulties within mainstream settings are able to take advantage of learning opportunities. Planned programmes introduce students back into an educational setting, allowing them to become comfortable in the environment and access all learning opportunities available.

There is no stigma placed on a student because they have been permanently excluded from a mainstream school or college. It is seen as a fresh start, where the rules and the expectations of the school or college are made clear and the student is given considerable support to enable them to fit into the school or college, and understand the expectations placed upon them. Depending upon the extent of their learning difficulties and disabilities, this level of support will be reduced as and when the student becomes more independent and they are able to comfortably operate within the school or college environment. 

Parents and carers are very much involved in a partnership with the school, college and/or children’s home. All young people are seen as individuals and parents/carers are kept fully informed of their child's progress and development right from the initial referral stage. They are invited to visit the service before a placement has been agreed and are always welcome to visit on other occasions. Contact numbers are exchanged and parents/carers are kept fully informed of the referral process and the induction programme for their child.

Each school, college and children’s home operates a variety of support staff systems. Many of these involve the service appointing a key worker or link worker to support their child. Part of their responsibility is to ensure that regular contact is maintained with parents and carers in order to keep them fully informed. Parents and carers are particularly welcome in the site’s open days, where opportunities exist for visits to the various departments of the school, college or children’s home and a chance to see the achievements of the students. All parents and carers are given advanced notice of the annual review dates and are encouraged to attend these. Parent and carers are also provided with regular reports on their son's or daughter's progress.

Yes many of our schools and colleges provide a post-16 specialist level of provision and some schools are designed specifically for students over the age of 16. The provision available for post-16 students is dependent upon the individual's learning difficulties and disabilities. In all our schools and colleges, students are provided with good opportunities to achieve external accreditation e.g BTECs, GNVQs, ASDAN awards, as well as developing their independence and social skills. 

In the first instance, parents and carers are encouraged to contact the member of staff they usually communicate with to raise any concerns or complaints they may have. If this response is not satisfactory, the school or college principal, or children’s home manager should be contacted. They are committed to ensuring that full support is given to enable parents to understand and deal with any concerns and complaints. If a parent or carer feels that the complaint has not been resolved, they are asked to put their complaint in writing to a regional manager of Priory Education and Children’s Services.