Section B - Special Educational Needs

Section B describes your child's special educational needs in detail. It should cover: cognitive abilities and attainment, communication and interaction, physical development, sensory and physical needs, social, emotional, and mental health needs, and any other relevant areas. Section B must be detailed and specific - not just "has autism" or "has learning difficulties" but a full description of the child's profile. Every need identified in Section B must have corresponding provision in Section F. If there's a need in B without provision in F, the EHCP is legally flawed.

Section F - Special Educational Provision

Section F specifies what the local authority will do to meet the needs in Section B. It must be specific, quantified, and measurable. "Speech therapy" is not good enough. "Weekly 45-minute individual speech and language therapy sessions delivered by a qualified SALT, targeting expressive language and sentence construction" is good. Every item in Section F is legally binding - the LA must deliver or fund it. If it's not delivered, you can challenge the LA through the Tribunal or judicial review.

The B-F link - making sure provision matches needs

Read Section B and then Section F. For every need described in B, is there provision in F? If Section B says "has difficulties with phonological awareness" but Section F says nothing about reading support, that's a gap. You need provision for that need - whether it's "daily phonological awareness intervention delivered by a trained teaching assistant using [specific programme]" or specialist teaching or both. This B-F matching is crucial. If you spot gaps, challenge them immediately during the draft EHCP consultation period.

Making Section F specific and enforceable

Use this structure for every item in F: What (e.g., speech and language therapy) + Who (qualified SALT) + How much (frequency and duration) + What it targets (specific skills or areas) + How delivered (1-1, small group, etc.) + Where (in school, at hospital, at home). Example: "20 hours per week of specialist literacy teaching delivered by a qualified teacher trained in [programme], targeting phonological awareness, segmentation, and decoding, delivered in small groups of no more than 4 children, with progress measured against individual targets." This is enforceable.

Challenging weak Section F

If the LA's draft Section F is vague, insufficient, or doesn't match Section B, challenge it immediately. You have at least 15 days from receiving the draft to respond. Write to the LA: "Section B identifies [specific needs]. We believe the following provision is necessary to address these needs: [specify provision clearly]. The current Section F does not adequately address these needs." If the LA refuses to strengthen F, appeal to the SEND Tribunal - this is a common ground for Tribunal appeals and Tribunals regularly order LAs to strengthen Section F.