Education, Health and
Care Plans
Conversions
Background




We currently have over 800 pupils with Statements in
West Berkshire
We also provide funding for approximately 100 young
people between the ages of 16 and 25 who attend
college
We have just over 3 years to convert our existing children
and young people from Statements to Education, Health
and Care (EHC) Plans
Top up funding for general further education, above the
£10,000 delegated to these providers for SEN provision,
will have to be provided through an EHC Plan after
September 2016
Key Principles




Everyone who currently has a Statement should be
converted to an EHC Plan
The conversion process and meetings follow the EHC
process as closely as possible
A statement conversion should be completed in an
equally holistic and creative way as a new request
The family and child or young person has the same
opportunities to create an effective personal budget as an
initial EHC assessment
The Conversion Process
At the start of each term:
 An Assessment Co-ordinator will be allocated to
each case in the conversion cohort
 Each school will be sent a list of the students
whose statements will need to be converted
 All children or young people will be allocated an
indicative budget to meet their needs (The
expectation is that this will be at a similar level to
their current funding)
Week 1
A letter is sent to each family in the conversion
cohort informing them of their child or young
person’s forthcoming conversion and giving them
the name of their Assessment Co-ordinator
 Each family will be sent a pack including the EHC
Plan Parent Leaflet, “What We Want To Tell You”
document and Parent Partnership details
 The school will be contacted regarding the
conversion and asked to organise an EHC
Conversion Meeting by a set date

Week 2 - Assessment Co-ordinator
The Assessment Co-ordinator will make contact
with the family and can arrange to meet with
them to complete the “What We Want To Tell
You” document
 The Assessment Co-ordinator will discuss with
the family whether additional assessments are
required and liaise with professionals

Week 2 - School
The school will set up an EHC Conversion
Meeting in discussion with the family and EHC
Co-ordinator. Other professionals are invited to
this meeting as appropriate
 The school completes a report using the EHC
Annual Review paperwork.

Weeks 4-6
A Person Centred EHC Conversion Meeting is
held at the school. An Assessment Co-ordinator
will attend and will usually chair the meeting
 The Conversion Meeting will focus on
developing appropriate outcomes for the child or
young person and the best ways to meet these
outcomes
 The Conversion Meeting will also explore the
most effective use of the personal budget and if
any direct payments are necessary

Week 8





The Assessment Co-ordinator drafts the EHC Plan
If additional resources or a direct payment is needed,
the draft EHC Plan will go to the EHC Panel for a
decision
If no new needs have been identified, the EHC Plan is
moderated by SEN Manager or Assistant Manager
The Draft EHC Plan is issued to parents and
professionals for consideration and agreement
Key contacts are identified to act as a point of contact for
the family
Week 10
If the family and child and young person are in
agreement with the EHC Plan it will be finalised
 If there is a disagreement the EHC Co-ordinator
will meet with the family and child or young
person to resolve any issues. The EHC Plan will
then be finalised

Conversion Timetable
Priority has been given to young people
transferring to further education or training to
ensure they have the support they need
 Children and young people will be converted to
an EHC at key transition points such as Year 9,
transfer to secondary school and joining primary
school
 The Local Authority has followed the conversion
guidance produced by the Department for
Education

Conversion timetable for statements
National Curriculum Year in
2014-2015
14
Year and Term of
Conversion
Autumn 2014
National Curriculum Year at
Conversion
14
13
Autumn 2015
14
12
Autumn 2016
14
11
Autumn 14 or Summer 15
11
10
Autumn 15 or Spring 16
11
9
Spring 2015
9
8
Spring or Summer 2016
9
7
Spring or Summer 2017
9
6
Summer 2015
6
5
Summer 2016
6
4
Summer 2017
6
3
Spring 2017
5
2
Autumn 2014
2
1
Autumn 2015
2
-1
Autumn 2016
2
Further Education and Training




If a young person is at college the DfE guidance states
that the Local Authority cannot convert their current
Learning Difficulty Assessment (S139) into an EHC Plan
A young person can request an EHC Assessment if they
feel this would be of benefit to them
Learning Difficulty Assessments will continue to provide
support for young people already at college until
September 2016
The Local Authority will write to all young people and
their families who have a current Learning Difficulty
Assessment explaining their options
Final Thought
All our processes are very much a work in
progress
 We really need your feedback to ensure we are
able to adapt and develop our processes to
ensure they are as effective and holistic as they
can be
 This is our chance to work together to try and
improve on our existing service and ensure the
children and young people of West Berkshire
are able to achieve the best possible outcomes
