Introduction
Most children and young people will have their learning needs met through high quality teaching or targeted support.
You can read about what provisions are available in our Somerset’s Graduated Response Tool page.
Through the graduated response cycle of, assess, plan, do and review, the child’s or young person’s needs may identify the need for specialist support through an Education, Health and Care Plan or medical care plan.
Education, Health and Care Plan (EHC Plan)
An Education Health and Care Plan may be required when the nature and extent of a child or young person’s special educational needs or disability mean the support they require cannot be provided within resources normally available to mainstream settings.
The child or young person’s education setting should work with them and their family to apply for an Education, Health and Care needs assessment providing the information they had gathered as part of the graduated response.
Alternatively, the parent or young person may apply themselves. Please look at the related pages which detail when and how to apply for an Education, Health and Care needs assessment and the process this takes.
Medical Care Plan
There are a small number of children and young people whose medical needs are very complex and the impact of their condition on the school day could be considered as additional to what is expected of schools to deliver within Universal or Targeted support.
Children and young people with such complex conditions will have extensive involvement from health and educational support services to provide assessment, monitoring, training, and necessary care plan.