NOTES ON COMPLETION OF ADVICE FROM AN EDUCATIONAL
PSYCHOLOGIST FOR AN EDUCATION, HEALTH AND CARE ASSESSMENT
This guidance aims to assist Educational Psychologists (EPs) in the production of
their advice as a contribution towards an EHC Needs Assessment or transfer from a
statement to an EHCP of a child’s or young person’s education, health and care
needs. The purpose of the assessment is to gain a holistic picture of the child/young
person. However, the advice from professionals should be evidence based and
remain within their area of expertise. The purpose of the psychological advice should
be to holistically identify the child or young person’s special educational needs and
make recommendations regarding outcomes and provision. Related health and
social care needs will be obtained separately by professionals with expertise in these
areas. On occasions there will be areas of educational need beyond the expertise of
the EP and the recommendations for specific elements of provision should be
referred to the appropriate specialist, for example, a qualified teacher for the visually
impaired.
The Educational Psychology Service must normally respond within a maximum of 6
weeks from the date of receiving the request for advice letter as specified in the
SEND Code of Practice. Please use the provided template to provide your advice
and fill in the required fields as fully as possible.
Assessment of special educational needs (SEN)
The assessment should follow a ‘tell us once’ approach so that families do not have
to repeat the same information to different agencies. Therefore, whenever possible,
information regarding the child or young person’s background should be obtained
from existing information.
Likewise, the child/young person’s or family views will usually be obtained from the
‘Preparing for Your Assessment’ Booklet or One Page Profile and therefore it will not
be necessary for EPs to obtain information regarding the child/young person’s or
family views unless specifically requested to do so.
The EP providing advice should consult any other psychologists known to be
involved with the child or young person and any other specialists as appropriate.
Assessments of special educational need will be for the individual EP to determine
according to their professional code. However, all of the child’s or young person’s
identified special educational needs must be specified. Assessments should identify
the child or young person’s strengths as well as their areas of difficulty. Needs that
relate to a child’s or young person’s disability rather than SEN should be explicit.
SEN may include health and social care needs that are treated as special
educational provision because they educate or train the child or young person.
However, in this instance the recommendations for provision should come from the
relevant specialist.
Descriptions of special educational needs should specify the child’s or young
person’s learning difficulties rather than any development objectives or
recommended provision which should be reflected in the subsequent sections.
Outcomes
It should be noted that attendance will be required at an Outcomes meeting (or
Transfer Review) as part of the statutory assessment. One purpose of this meeting
will be to devise long term person centred outcomes, in conjunction with the child
and parents/carers. Any outcomes devised should then form part of the advice.
Recommendations for special educational provision should be focussed on the child
or young person achieving the agreed outcomes. If an Educational Psychologist
considers that additional outcomes, not identified at the Outcomes meeting (or
Transfer Review) should be specified, then it is entirely appropriate to do so.
However, it should be made explicit which outcomes are being recommended on the
basis of the EP’s professional judgement and which were devised at the Outcomes
meeting (or Transfer Review). Moreover, it would be best practice for these
proposed outcomes to have been raised and discussed at the Outcomes meeting
(Transfer Review). Guidance regarding outcomes is enclosed separately.
The special educational provision required by the child or young person

Provision must be detailed and specific and should normally be quantified, for
example, in terms of the type, hours and frequency of support and level of
expertise.

Provision must be specified for each and every outcome identified. It should
be clear how the provision will support achievement of the outcomes.

Where health or social care provision educates or trains a child or young
person, it should be noted. However, this should only be included if supported
through the evidence of a specialist with the relevant expertise and
recommendations for provision should be made by the appropriate specialist
e.g. speech and language therapy.

There should be clarity as to how advice and information gathered has
informed the provision specified.

In some cases, flexibility will be required to meet the changing needs of the
child or young person. In these instances the reasons for this should be
explicit.

Recommendations should specify:
o any appropriate facilities and equipment, staffing arrangements and
curriculum
o any appropriate modifications to the application of the National Curriculum,
where relevant
o any appropriate exclusions from the application of the National Curriculum
or the course being studied in a post-16 setting, in detail, and the provision
which it is proposed to substitute for any such exclusions in order to
maintain a balanced and broadly based curriculum
o any recommendation for the child or young person to be educated outside
of their chronological year group

There should be no recommendations regarding type of school or educational
setting. Whilst this can be discussed, if appropriate, there should be no
content which in any way biases or hinders the LA’s discretion in making
decisions regarding the type of school or setting in which the child is
educated.
Please make sure that your report is signed and dated