EHCP Sections A to K Explained in Plain English
Every EHC plan in England follows the same structure, fixed by regulation 12 of the SEND Regulations 2014. That is good news for parents: once you know the skeleton, you can pick up any plan, including your own child's draft, and know exactly where to look and where the legal weight sits. This guide walks through sections A to K in plain English, flags which sections are actually enforceable and shows what to scrutinise in each one.
The sections one by one
Section A: views, interests and aspirations
The voice of your child and your family: what your child enjoys, what they are good at and what everyone hopes the future holds. It is not enforceable, but it sets the direction the rest of the plan is supposed to travel in. Check that it sounds like your actual child rather than a form filled in a hurry, and ask to write it yourselves if you can.
Section B: special educational needs
The foundation of the whole plan. Every special educational need identified during the assessment should appear here, described precisely rather than softened. A need missing from section B will almost never attract provision, so check B against every report listed in section K, line by line.
Section C: health needs related to SEN
Health needs which relate to your child's special educational needs, for example a condition managed by a paediatrician that shapes the school day.
Section D: social care needs
Your child's social care needs, drawn from the social care advice gathered during the assessment.
Section E: outcomes
What all the provision is working towards. Good outcomes are concrete enough that the annual review could say yes or no to whether they were met. Vague aspirations here make every future review toothless, so it is worth proposing sharper wording at the draft stage.
Section F: special educational provision
The engine room and the enforceable core. Under section 42 the local authority must secure everything written here, which is why long established case law and the SEND Code of Practice require it to be specific, detailed and quantified: what, how often, for how long and delivered by whom. Our guide to what good section F provision looks like covers this in depth.
Section G: health care provision
The health provision your child requires. The duty to arrange what is written here sits on the responsible health commissioning body, not the school.
Sections H1 and H2: social care provision
The social care provision your child requires, split across two subsections. Together with C and D, these sections describe the package around your child beyond the classroom.
Section I: the school or institution
The name of the school or college your child will attend, or the type of institution. One quirk worth knowing: an appeal that concerns only section I needs no mediation certificate first.
Section J: personal budget
Details of any personal budget. Under section 49 of the Children and Families Act 2014, if you ask, the local authority must prepare one: an amount identified to secure provision in the plan, worked out with the family involved, and direct payments are possible under regulations. Our guide to personal budgets explains how to ask.
Section K: the advice and information
A list of all the advice and information gathered during the EHC needs assessment. This is your audit trail. If a report you know exists is missing from K, ask why, and use the reports in K to check that nothing was lost on the way into sections B and F.
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See a free section →Which sections are legally enforceable
Two sections carry a direct delivery duty. Section F must be secured by the local authority under section 42, and the health provision in section G must be arranged by the responsible health commissioning body. The word in the statute is must, with no softening about budgets or staffing.
The other sections describe, frame and steer. They matter enormously, because F can only answer what B sets up and reviews can only measure what E defines, but they do not carry the same duty. This is why disputes concentrate on sections B, F and I, and why those are exactly the sections you can appeal to the SEND Tribunal under section 51(2)(c) of the Children and Families Act 2014.
Why B and F must mirror each other
Read sections B and F as a pair. Every need in B should have matching, quantified provision in F, and a need described in B with nothing answering it in F is a promise without delivery, because the section 42 duty covers only what F says. The reverse matters too: provision in F should trace back to a need in B, otherwise it tends to fall away at the next amendment.
And where a health related need affects how your child learns, press for it to appear in section B with provision in section F rather than sitting only in section C, because that moves it inside the enforceable core of the plan.
A parent's quick check, section by section
- A sounds like your child, in your family's words.
- B contains every need from every report listed in K.
- E outcomes are concrete enough to be tested at a review.
- F answers every need in B with numbers, named roles and frequencies.
- I names the institution you expect, spelled correctly.
- K lists every report you know exists.
If this list throws up problems in a draft, our guide to exactly what to check in a draft EHCP walks through your 15 day window step by step.
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Frequently asked questions
Which sections of an EHC plan are legally enforceable?
Section F is the enforceable core: under section 42 of the Children and Families Act 2014 the local authority must secure everything written in it. The health provision in section G must be arranged by the responsible health commissioning body. The other sections matter, but they do not carry the same delivery duty.
What is section K of an EHC plan?
Section K lists all the advice and information gathered during the EHC needs assessment. Use it as your cross checking tool: every report listed there should be reflected in the needs in section B and the provision in section F.
What is section J and how do I get a personal budget?
Section J records a personal budget. Under section 49 of the Children and Families Act 2014, if you ask, the local authority must prepare one: an amount identified to secure provision in the plan, worked out with the family involved. Direct payments are possible under regulations.
What is the difference between section B and section C?
Section B contains your child's special educational needs and section C contains health needs related to them. The distinction matters because provision follows section B into the enforceable section F. Where a health related need affects how your child learns, press for it to be reflected in section B with provision in section F.