Section F

Also called Special educational provision, Part F

The part of an EHCP the council must actually deliver. Vague wording here is the single most common weakness in a plan.

What it is

Section F of an EHCP sets out the special educational provision required to meet the needs in Section B. It is the operative part of the document: the council's absolute duty under section 42 of the Children and Families Act 2014 is to secure what Section F says.

Sections C to H matter, but only Section F carries that absolute duty.

Where it applies

Every child or young person with an EHCP.

How it works

The Code of Practice says provision should be detailed and specific and should normally be quantified — in terms of the type of support, who delivers it, how often, and for how long.

The reason is enforcement. "Access to speech and language therapy as required" cannot be breached, because nothing measurable was promised. "Two hours of direct therapy per half term from a qualified therapist, plus a termly programme for staff to deliver daily" can be, and that is the point.

Anything educational belongs here even when a health professional delivers it. Speech and language therapy is almost always educational provision and therefore Section F, not Section G — that is settled and councils still get it wrong.

What you can ask for

Ask for numbers. For every line: what, by whom, how often, for how long, in what setting.

Ask for therapy that supports learning to be moved from Section G into Section F. The difference is that one is enforceable and one is not.

If provision named in Section F is not happening, write to the council — not just the school. The duty is the council's and it cannot be delegated away.

Where to get help

IPSEA's guidance on specifying provision. If the council will not specify, that is a ground of appeal to the SEND Tribunal, and it succeeds often.