Greenwich is grappling with a significant increase in requests for Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCP), putting a strain on special needs support services.
At a meeting of the Children and Young People Scrutiny Panel on Wednesday, it was revealed that EHCP requests have surged by 16% in the past year. The panel was reviewing the Quarter 1 Performance Monitor 2025-2026, which highlighted core performance issues. The volume of requests for an EHCP assessment continues to average around 200 each quarter.
The report stated that the number of EHCP plans has risen to 3,349, reflecting the increase over the last 12 months. For context, the England rise in EHCPs over the period 2023 to 2024 (latest published data) was 11%, London 6% and Greenwich 18%. While the reasons for Greenwich's higher increase are not detailed in the meeting information, the council is actively monitoring the situation.
An EHCP is a legal document that describes a child or young person’s special educational, health and social care needs, explains the extra support that will be given to meet those needs and how that support will help the child or young person achieve their aspirations.
The panel also reviewed the Complaints, Compliments and Representations Annual Report 2024-25, which showed that the council received 786 requests for a Needs Assessment for an EHCP, up from 671 last year – a 17% increase.
The council undertook 570 Needs Assessments for EHCP's, up from 478 last year- a 19% increase, and maintained 3,280 EHCP's including annual reviews of EHPCs, up from 2,760 last year – a 19% increase. They also issued 617 new EHCPs, up from 436 last year a 42% increase.
Increased demand appears to be putting a strain on specific special needs support services. The Complaints, Compliments and Representations Annual Report 2024-25 indicates that the Special Education Needs (SEND) service is particularly affected, with 59 corporate complaints related to it, compared to 56 the previous year. Within the SEND service, school transport is a notable area of concern, accounting for nine of the complaints.
