EHCP Equivalent in Scotland: What Relocating Families Need to Know

Your child has an EHCP in England. You’re moving to Scotland. The bad news: EHCPs don’t exist here. The good news: Scotland has its own system, and your child’s needs don’t disappear at the border.

The fundamental difference

England uses Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) — legally binding documents that specify exactly what support a child receives, down to the number of hours of 1:1 support.

Scotland uses the Additional Support for Learning (ASL) framework under the Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act 2004. The key difference: Scotland’s system focuses on needs, not diagnoses. A child doesn’t need a label to receive support — they need a need.

EHCP vs CSP: the comparison

The critical difference is scale. Over 500,000 children in England have EHCPs. Fewer than 5,000 children in Scotland have CSPs. This doesn’t mean Scottish children are better supported — it means Scotland uses CSPs only for the most complex cases and delivers most ASN support without a formal plan.

What to do before you move

1. Get copies of everything — the full EHCP, all professional reports (educational psychologist, speech and language, occupational therapy, CAMHS), recent annual review notes, and any specialist assessments.
2. Request a summary letter from your child’s current school describing the support they receive in practice — hours of TA support, small group work, exam access arrangements, any specialist equipment.
3. Register with a Scottish GP as soon as you arrive — NHS referrals (CAMHS, therapy) don’t transfer between England and Scotland, so you may need new referrals.

What to do when you arrive

1. 1

   Contact the council's ASN team

   Phone the education department of your new council and ask for the ASN (Additional Support Needs) team. Tell them you're arriving with a child who has an EHCP. They will assign a contact.
2. 2

   Share your EHCP and reports

   Send copies of everything. The EHCP itself has no legal force in Scotland, but the professional reports and recommendations it contains are powerful evidence of your child's needs.
3. 3

   Enrol in your catchment school

   Your child has a right to attend their catchment school. The school's ASN coordinator will review the evidence and plan initial support.
4. 4

   Request a planning meeting

   Ask for a meeting with the school's ASN coordinator, your child's class/guidance teacher, and any relevant specialists. This is where the support plan is agreed.
5. 5

   Decide whether to request a CSP

   If your child's needs are complex and require support from multiple agencies, you can request a Coordinated Support Plan. The council has 16 weeks to respond. If the needs are being met through an IEP or Child's Plan, a CSP may not be necessary.

IEP, Child’s Plan, or CSP?

Most children moving from an EHCP in England will receive one of three things in Scotland:

• IEP (Individualised Educational Programme) — the most common. An internal school document setting out learning targets and strategies. Not legally binding, but reviewed regularly.
• Child’s Plan — a broader plan covering health, social work and education needs. Used when multiple services are involved but the needs don’t meet the CSP threshold.
• CSP (Coordinated Support Plan) — the highest level. Legally binding. Reserved for complex, enduring needs requiring co-ordination between education and at least one other agency.

Exam access arrangements

If your child had exam access arrangements in England (extra time, a reader, a scribe, separate room), these need to be re-applied for through the Scottish system. The evidence from England (educational psychologist reports) is valid — the school submits the application to SQA/Qualifications Scotland using your existing documentation. Start this early, particularly if your child is entering S4 or above.

The transition nobody prepares you for

The hardest part isn’t the paperwork. It’s the cultural shift. In England, parents of EHCP children are used to fighting for everything — annual reviews, specified hours, named provisions. Scotland’s system is intentionally less adversarial and less specific. Support is described in terms of outcomes (“the child will be able to…”) rather than inputs (“15 hours of 1:1 support”). This can feel vague after the precision of an EHCP.

The trade-off: Scotland’s needs-based approach means your child can receive support without a diagnosis or a formal plan. The class teacher has more autonomy to adjust. But if things go wrong, you have less contractual leverage than an EHCP would give you.

Our advice: arrive with your evidence, be clear about what your child needs, and be prepared to escalate to the ASN Tribunal if the council doesn’t deliver. The system works — but like the English system, it sometimes needs pushing.

Where to get help

• Enquire (enquire.org.uk) — Scotland’s national advice service for ASN in education. Free, confidential, excellent.
• GOVAN Law Centre — provides free legal advice on ASN cases including tribunal representation
• National Autistic Society Scotland — specific support for families with autistic children transitioning between systems
• Your council’s ASN team — the first point of contact. Ask for the team directly, not the school office.