The Sections of an EHCP Explained (A to K)

Every Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) in England follows the same structure, divided into sections labelled A to K. Understanding what each section does, and crucially which sections carry the strongest legal weight, is one of the most useful things a parent can learn. It tells you where to focus, what to challenge, and why the wording in one particular section decides whether your child's support is real or merely aspirational. Last updated June 2026.

This guide walks through every section in plain English, explains which are legally enforceable, and shows where parents should concentrate their effort.

Section A: Views, Interests and Aspirations

Section A captures the views, interests and aspirations of the child or young person and their family. It is not legally enforceable, but it is far from pointless. A strong Section A sets the tone of the whole plan, grounds the outcomes in who your child actually is, and gives you something to point to when provision elsewhere does not match the ambitions everyone agreed. Write it in your child's voice and your own, and make it specific.

Section B: Special Educational Needs

Section B must describe all of your child's special educational needs. This section matters enormously because every need listed here should be matched by provision in Section F. A need that is missing from Section B can be used to justify the absence of provision, so this section needs to be complete and accurate. Check that nothing is left out and that each need is described in terms of impact, not just a label.

Section C and Section D: Health and Social Care Needs

Section C sets out health needs related to the child's SEN, and Section D sets out social care needs. Like Section B for education, these describe needs rather than provision. They feed the provision sections that follow, and they matter for making sure the plan reflects the whole child rather than just the classroom.

Section E: Outcomes

Section E contains the outcomes the plan is working towards. Good outcomes are specific and measurable and look ahead to the next stage of the child's life. They are the yardstick against which the plan is reviewed each year, so vague outcomes make it hard to hold anyone to account. To see how outcomes are used at review, read our EHCP annual review checklist.

Section F: Special Educational Provision (the critical section)

Section F is the heart of the plan. It sets out the special educational provision your child will receive, and the local authority has an absolute legal duty to secure everything specified in it. This is the only provision section with that strength of duty, which is why so much of the work of getting a good plan comes down to Section F. Provision here must be specific and quantified: who does what, how often, for how long, and delivered by whom. Vague wording like "will have access to support" can be quietly dropped, while "three thirty-minute sessions per week delivered by a qualified specialist" can be enforced. Read our dedicated guide on Section F specificity for why this single section decides outcomes.

A recurring battle is provision that belongs in Section F being pushed into a weaker section. Therapy that helps a child access learning, including much speech and language therapy and occupational therapy, should normally sit in Section F. See EHCP for speech and language needs for how this argument works.

Section G and Section H: Health and Social Care Provision

Section G sets out health provision and Section H sets out social care provision. These are the responsibility of health bodies and the local authority's social care function respectively, and they are not enforceable in the same way as Section F. This is exactly why the placement of provision matters: support that ends up framed only as health, in Section G, does not carry the cast-iron duty that the same support would carry in Section F. Where provision is educational in purpose, argue for Section F.

Section I: The Named School or Setting

Section I names the specific school or other setting your child will attend, and that school must admit them. This is one of the most contested sections, because it determines where your child is educated and is closely tied to home to school transport. You have the right to express a preference and to appeal the school named here. For how placement and transport interact, see our guide on EHCP and home to school transport.

Section J and Section K: Personal Budget and Appendices

Section J records any personal budget agreed for the plan, which can give families more control over how some provision is arranged. Our guide on EHCP personal budgets explains what you can ask for. Section K lists the appendices: the advice and evidence gathered during the assessment, including reports from professionals. Always check Section K contains every report, because the recommendations in those reports are the basis for the provision you should be arguing for in Section F.

Where to Focus

If your time and energy are limited, concentrate on three things: that Section B lists every need, that Section F matches each need with specific, quantified, enforceable provision, and that Section I names the right school. These are also the sections you can appeal to the SEND Tribunal. For how to challenge a plan you disagree with, read how to appeal to the SEND Tribunal, and for the assessment that produces the plan, see how to get an EHCP.

How EHCP Expert Helps

EHCP Expert helps you read your draft plan section by section, spot where needs in Section B are not matched by provision in Section F, identify provision sitting in a weaker section than it should, and respond with letters that cite the Children and Families Act 2014, the SEND Regulations 2014 and the SEND Code of Practice 2015. It turns a daunting legal document into a checklist you can act on.